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Greece Defeats USA, Hungary Takes Down Spain in Water Polo

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Women’s Water Polo World Championships: Greece Defeats USA, Hungary Takes Down Spain

The quest for the U.S. women to win a ninth world title in women’s water polo came to an end Monday when Greece knocked out the American team in the quarterfinals. Hours later, Spain’s hopes of backing up an Olympic title with another gold medal in Singapore were dashed by the team from Hungary.

In the first semifinal match, Greece took a 6-5 lead over the U.S. at halftime and maintained a 9-8 advantage heading into the final period. In crunch time for the Americans, they were only able to muster two further goals while Greece scored four on the way to a 14-10 victory.

Vasiliki Plevritou led the way for the Greek team with four goals on seven shots while Stefania Santa and Eleni Xenaki each went 3-for-6. Goalkeeper Ioanna Stamatopoulou recorded 12 saves.

“It was amazing today. We played really good. My team is ready for the final, ready for the gold,” Greek team captain Eleftheria Plevritou said. “We played amazing in the last minutes. We controlled the game with the time. We were in front by three goals, and we also raised that to four goals. I’m proud of my team, and we are ready for the gold.”

The appearance in the Worlds final will be the first for Greece since 2011. Last year, the team was on the verge of qualifying before losing to Hungary in a semifinal shoot-out. Greece then missed the medals after falling 10-9 to Spain in the final.

“I think it was like a curse, if I can say that. We had a great team, great players throughout the years, but what was missing was that we didn’t believe in ourselves. We didn’t have the confidence that we needed,” Plevritou said. “After the gold medal in the World Cup a few months ago in China, I think we gained that confidence that helped us to come here stronger, with a clear mind, that we know that we can do it and I think we did it. Of course, we have one more game, the most important, but I’m really proud of my team.”

For the Americans, Jewel Roemer, Emma Lineback and Emily Ausmus each scored two goals, but a 1-for-7 performance from Jenna Flynn hurt their chances of advancing. Amanda Longan saved only 6 of 20 shots on goal.

“I’m proud of the effort,” U.S. coach Adam Krikorian said. “We gave it everything we had today. At the end of the day, the Greek team were just incredible. They’re much better than we are right now, I think that’s clear. Our inexperience and inability to handle some physicality and disorganization offensively that led to some easy goals for them – that’s their strength, their ability to use their speed and score on the counter-attack.”

In the second semifinal, Hungary’s Dorottya Szilagyi and Rita Keszthelyi each scored three goals as the team jumped out to an early 6-2 lead after the first quarter and 11-4 halfway through the match. Vanda Valyi and Dora Leimeter each scored two goals while Boglarka Neszmely was supreme in goal with 14 saves on 23 attempts. “Honestly, I don’t know how I did it,” she admitted afterward when asked about making so many impressive saves during the match.

“It was a perfect win from us,” Neszmely said. “Our team, we played really, really good water polo. We did what the coach said so thanks to my teammates, thanks to my coach and to everybody who helped us. I’m so blessed to be a part of this team because it’s a huge thing for us, reaching the final. Our team is basically a new team and we have a lot of young players, including me, so it’s a huge thing for us. It means everything because Hungary is a water polo nation, and I’m so thankful.” 

Spain kept things even in the second half but was unable to eat into the margin. Bea Ortiz only scored two goals despite taking nine shots, and Elena Ruiz Barril was the top performer with three.

“I think especially the start of the game wasn’t great, and we weren’t able to come back. I think things weren’t working in offence, but then one of the things, one of the strengths of this team is the defense, and it wasn’t our day either,” Spain’s Anni Espar Llaquet said. “Obviously, now we need to learn from the mistakes and focus on the next game. We’re still fighting for a medal so we’re gonna give our best and keep learning, keep growing as a team.”

Greece and Hungary will square off for gold Wednesday after the American and Spanish teams meet in a clash for bronze.

Additionally, Australia and the Netherlands will play for a shot at fifth place in the tournament. Australia beat Japan by a score of 21-17 Monday, with Tilly Kearns and Danijela Jackovich scoring five goals apiece and Sienna Hearn going 4-4.

“We grinded them down slowly,” Kearns said. “We knew how Japan played, we watched a lot of footage and prepared really well. Maybe our strength and our size got the edge on them today because we were able to get a lot of inside turns and our center forwards were able to do their jobs.”

The typically-strong Dutch squad, the Olympic bronze medalists, rebounded from their quarterfinal loss with a 16-13 win over Italy. Maartje Keuning and Lieke Rogge led the way with three goals each in that winning effort. The team overcame the loss of Simone Van De Kraats to a red card to secure the win.

In placement matches, China beat New Zealand 10-6 to secure ninth place in the tournament while Great Britain won 14-9 over France for 11th place overall.



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Penn State women’s volleyball earns commitment from Texas transfer outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein | Penn State Volleyball News

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December 25, 2025

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Penn State landed its second commitment in the transfer portal of the day.

The Nittany Lions earned a commitment from outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein.

Lauenstein was previously at Texas and Nebraska before transferring to her third school, Penn State.

Lauenstein adds depth to the right side and outside, which is already pretty deep for the blue and white.

The Waverly, Nebraska, native had her best season in 2022 with the Cornhuskers, totaling 297 kills, with 2.78 kills per set and a .238 hitting percentage. She added 28 aces as a premier server, which could be a major part of her role with the Nittany Lions. 

She’ll make her way to Happy Valley as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility.

MORE VOLLEYBALL COVERAGE


Penn State women's volleyball earns commitment from Pitt transfer middle blocker Ryla Jones

Penn State earned another commitment from the transfer portal.

If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.



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Texas Outside Hitter Whitney Lauenstein Transfers To Penn State Women’s Volleyball

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December 25, 2025

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Texas outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein announced her commitment to Penn State women’s volleyball out of the transfer portal on Wednesday. Lauenstein posted her decision to transfer to Happy Valley on her Instagram.

As a redshirt senior this past season, Lauenstein logged 33 kills, 11 digs, and 14 total blocks across 20 sets for the Longhorns.

Lauenstein began her NCAA journey with two seasons at Nebraska. As a sophomore, she led the Cornhuskers in total points, earning AVCA All-Region Team and Academic All-Big Ten honors.

After the 2022 season, the Waverly, Nebraska, native stepped away from the team to focus on her family. Lauenstein then transferred to Texas in December of 2023, where she spent the last two seasons.

Lauenstein now joins setter Alexis Stucky and middle blocker Ryla Jones as transfer players who have committed to the Nittany Lions this cycle.

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Cadyn is a third-year broadcast journalism major at Penn State. Hailing from the great state of Texas, he is a die hard Dallas sports fan. You’ll often see him voicing his opinions on music and sports on X/Twitter @cgill214.



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Marquette volleyball All-American Natalie Ring transfers to Texas A&M

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December 25, 2025

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Updated Dec. 24, 2025, 10:22 a.m. CT





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Izzy Starck transfers to Pitt volleyball from Penn State

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December 25, 2025

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Updated Dec. 24, 2025, 12:56 p.m. ET





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Texas A&M volleyball’s sweep of Kentucky attracts record viewership

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December 25, 2025

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Dec. 24, 2025, 10:30 a.m. CT

Texas A&M’s first-ever NCAA Championship win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday was one of the most-watched title games in college volleyball history.

The 2025 campaign has featured many first-time achievements for Jamie Morrison’s squad in just his third year as head coach in Bryan-College Station, Texas, including a victory in the No. 2-most-watched NCAA title game ever. Texas A&M’s match against Kentucky attracted a peak of 1.7 million viewers, as part of the most-consumed NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament in the history of the sport.

The Aggies have much to be proud of following their historic run on the court this season. Still, the Maroon and White faithful have also played their own crucial roles in supporting the program as it ventured to some of the most hostile road environments in volleyball. One of those rowdy atmospheres occurred in the Lincoln Regional, where Morrison’s squad dethroned No. 1 seed Nebraska in an instant classic that advanced the Aggies to their first-ever appearance in the Final Four.

Texas A&M’s outstanding season, capped off by a sweep of the Wildcats in the NCAA Championship, played a massive role in etching their name into the viewership history books.





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K-State Hires Jeremiah Johnson to Serve as Defensive Backs Coach

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December 25, 2025

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – A 24-year coaching veteran who has 13 years of coordinator experience, Jeremiah Johnson has been hired as a defensive backs coach at Kansas State, head coach Collin Klein announced Wednesday.
 
Johnson comes to Manhattan after serving one season as the defensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina in addition to being the Chanticleers’ interim head coach for the Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech, which will be played next Tuesday.
 
“When Coach Klein called about joining his staff, it was a no brainer,” said Johnson, who worked with Klein during the 2016 season at Northern Iowa. “Having the opportunity to help him execute his vision for this program is exciting, and I am humbled and honored to work alongside one of the best coaches, leaders and humans in this business. It’s an added bonus that I am able to return to my home state. Nicki, Lane, Drew and I are so grateful to Collin and Shalin for bringing us on their journey and making us a part of their Wildcat Family. Team Johnson is fired up to get to Manhattan and get to work. Go Cats!”
 
Johnson has also served as a defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa (2014-2021, 2023), Kent State (2022) and Louisiana Tech (2024).
 
“Jeremiah is one of the best teachers of the game of football I have been around,” said Klein. “He is a relentless recruiter and a program builder. I am very excited to have him on our staff.”
 
This season, Johnson has helped Coastal advance to its sixth-straight bowl game as the Chanticleers rank 16th nationally and second in the Sun Belt in fourth down defense (40.0%) and 31st in fumble recoveries (8). He has helped Xamarion Gordon to a No. 2 national ranking in fumble recoveries (3) and a No. 5 ranking in the conference in interceptions (3). Myles Woods also had three interceptions on the year, while Johnson has coached Ezekiel Durham-Campbell to a No. 7 ranking in the conference in sacks (0.46 per game).
 
The Johnson-led Louisiana Tech defense in 2024 ranked 12th nationally in total defense, surrendering only 308.4 yards per game. It was a 98-spot improvement over where the Bulldogs finished in 2023, while his unit also produced a 91-place improvement in scoring defense (21.0 points per game) as they finished at No. 26. Additionally, Johnson led La Tech to an 88-place bump in rushing defense (135.5 yards per game) to rank 44th.
 
Outside of a one-year hiatus in which he served the 2022 season as Kent State’s defensive coordinator, Johnson coached for 16 seasons at Northern Iowa, spending the 2007 through 2021 seasons – in addition to the 2023 campaign – in Cedar Falls. While at UNI, Johnson coached Panther defenders to a combined 32 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) First Team honors, five MVFC Defensive Players of the Year, one Buck Buchanan Award winner, 15 Associated Press FCS All-America honors and seven American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American accolades.
 
In 11 seasons as the UNI defensive coordinator, Johnson’s defenses ranked in the top 10 nationally in statistical categories 29 times, which included turnovers gained on six occasions (highest ranking of No. 2 in 2019 with 34), defensive touchdowns four times (highest ranking of No. 5 in 2016 and 2019 with 4) and scoring defense three times (best ranking of No. 6 at 15.3 points per game in the Spring of 2021). During his first run as defensive coordinator from 2014 through 2021, UNI ranked sixth in the FCS by allowing 19.9 points per game over a 99-game span. He was also named a finalist for the 2019 FootballScoop FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Year award.
 
The Panthers won four conference championships during Johnson’s time at UNI. Additionally, they made 10 FCS Playoff appearances and advanced past the first round in eight of 10 seasons, which included a semifinal showing in 2008 and quarterfinal appearances in 2015 and 2019.
 
Before being promoted to coordinator, Johnson coached the Northern Iowa defensive backs and served as the recruiting coordinator from 2009 through 2012. In 2007 and 2008, he was the video coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach.
 
Johnson went to UNI after working the 2003 through 2006 seasons at Loras College, serving on the same staff as former K-State head coach Chris Klieman. Johnson worked with the Duhawk defensive backs in 2003, 2004 and 2006, while he coached the wide receivers in 2005. Prior to his time at Loras, he was a graduate assistant and video coordinator at Wyoming in 2002.
 
A native of Scandia, Kansas, Johnson obtained his undergraduate degree in sports science from Kansas in 2000, while he earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from Loras in 2005.
 
Johnson and his five, Nicki, have a son, Lane, and a daughter, Drew.
 
THE JEREMIAH JOHNSON FILE
Hometown: Scandia, Kansas
College: Kansas – Bachelor’s degree in sports science (2000); Loras College – Master’s degree in athletic administration (2005)
Family: Wife: Nicki; Children: Lane, Drew
 
JEREMIAH JOHNSON’S COACHING CAREER
2002, Wyoming (Graduate Assistant/Video Coordinator)
2003-04, Loras College (Defensive Backs)
2005, Loras College (Wide Receivers)
2006, Loras College (Defensive Backs)
2007-08, Northern Iowa (Video Coordinator/Assistant Defensive Backs Coach)
2009-12, Northern Iowa (Defensive Backs/Recruiting Coordinator)
2013-16, Northern Iowa (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
2017-21, Northern Iowa (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2022, Kent State (Defensive Coordinator)
2023, Northern Iowa (Defensive Coordinator)
2024, Louisiana Tech (Defensive Coordinator)
2025, Coastal Carolina (Defensive Coordinator/Interim Head Coach)
2026, K-State (Defensive Backs)

 



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