Sports
“It's Easy for Angel Reese to Be a Villain”
Women’s basketball is more popular than it’s ever been. The women’s college game often draws just as many viewers as its male counterpart, while the WNBA has made the leap from being a niche sport to joining the mainstream conversation.
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Though WNBA salaries aren’t yet reflective of what these ladies are worth (a fact they pointed out during this weekend’s All-Star Game), many are thriving off the court thanks to increased sponsorship opportunities.
Caitlin Clark is the single biggest catalyst in the rise in interest in the women’s game, and as such, she’s been a major beneficiary from a marketing perspective, as she currently has deals with Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and other major companies. She’s not the only one riding the wave, though. Right behind her is her rival dating back to her college days, Angel Reese.
Reese and Clark famously met in the 2023 national title game, with Reese’s LSU Tigers cutting down the nets after a 102-85 victory over Clark’s Hawkeyes. Reese became a lightning rod for criticism after she taunted Clark in the game’s waning moments, but Clark got revenge in the 2024 Elite Eight with a win to get back to the Final Four.
The rivalry has carried into the WNBA, as the two have traded flagrant fouls and contentious moments in their five professional games against each other. Clark has gotten the better of Reese on the court with a 4-1 head-to-head record, but both ladies, and the WNBA itself, have reaped the rewards of their bad blood.
Reese has numerous sponsorship deals of her own with companies like McDonald’s, Hershey and Beats by Dre. She was also recently named as the cover athlete for the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26.
Angel Reese is already a star but still has room to grow
Bozoma Saint John, the former chief marketing officer for Netflix, recently appeared on the Scorer’s Society podcast, and she explained how Reese can become even bigger from a marketing perspective.
“For certain sports, it requires that you create main characters that people can cheer for or that they can make villains,” Saint John said. “It’s like casting a movie where you need all the different players, literal and figurative, to make the thing work.”
Saint John said that, traditionally, the WNBA has had a more difficult time than the NBA in promoting different types of personalities because of the societal expectations and inherent biases we have when judging females compared to males. “It’s easy for Angel Reese to be a villain,” she said as an example.
Whereas, in the past, there was no marketing lane for WNBA players to embrace being “the villain,” Saint John believes that it’s the perfect time for Reese to be the bad guy, so to speak.
“I think she should go full force, lean all the way in,” Saint John declared. “Wear some little short dresses that she likes to wear, show the body. Be at parties, dance on tables, drink a little bit, get mad on the court, do all of the things. Because you need somebody like that to attract an audience that also feels that.”
That’s just one piece of the puzzle for the WNBA to continue to grow its audience, Saint John argues. “You need Caitlin Clark to be who she is. And then you need to fill in all of these other characters so that the wider audience of sports, and also just of pop culture by the way, are attracted to them. That’s what makes any league or any company, any brand, really live.”
Saint John is an expert in her field. She knows what she’s talking about, and we’re seeing the fruits of this storytelling approach in how popular the league has become. Reese has also leveled up her game in recent weeks, which also helps.
No shade to Pat Beverley or Dillon Brooks, but if Reese was a villain in that mold while being a role player, that would only have limited appeal and, thereby, limited help for the WNBA and herself. If she could be more like a Draymond Green or even a Russell Westbrook or Anthony Edwards, stars that talk a lot of trash and back it up, that’s a whole different level.
Dec. 19, 2025, 7:33 p.m. CT
- Two Wisconsin volleyball freshmen, Aniya Warren and Addy Horner, have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal.
- Warren, a backup libero, and Horner, a backup setter, were behind other talented underclassmen on the roster.
Two Wisconsin volleyball freshmen appear to be taking their talents elsewhere in 2026.
Backup libero/defensive specialist Aniya Warren and backup setter Addy Horner are entering the transfer portal, they each announced on Instagram on Dec. 19.
Horner, in addition to sharing a post from a transfer portal account that listed her entry, said on her Instagram story that she is “beyond grateful” and thanked Badger nation. Warren said in an Instagram post that she is entering the portal to “explore new opportunities and continue my growth.”
“I want to start by sincerely thanking Wisconsin for welcoming me with open arms and so much love,” Warren said in the Instagram post. “A huge shoutout to the incredible coaching staff, my amazing teammates and the wonderful city of Madison for all the support and kindness I’ve received. This experience has meant the world to me.”
Both freshmen had impressive moments in the 2025 season, but were behind other talented underclassmen on the roster.
Starting libero Kristen Simon earned Big Ten all-freshman team honors as she averaged 3.47 digs per set. Charlie Fuerbringer, a third-team All-American in 2024, was an all-Big Ten first-team honoree in 2025 despite missing a month of the season with a shoulder injury.
Warren, the top-ranked libero in her recruiting class, appeared in 50 sets this season and totaled 65 digs and six reception errors. Horner, Prep Dig’s No. 1 setter in her recruiting class, appeared in 71 sets either as Fuerbringer’s injury replacement or a serving specialist.
The volleyball transfer portal window began on Dec. 7 and will continue until Jan. 5. Warren and Horner’s announcements come one day after the Badgers’ season-ending loss to Kentucky in the Final Four.
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TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Leah Bryan and Norah Eppley hold District 6 Class AA championship trophy together. Both were named to the Laurel Highland volleyball all-star team.
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TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.
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TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Emily Smith was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.
TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Leah Bryan and Norah Eppley hold District 6 Class AA championship trophy together. Both were named to the Laurel Highland volleyball all-star team.
Following its run to the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals in November, it comes as no surprise that the Bald Eagle Area volleyball team was well represented on this year’s Laurel Highlands all-star team. Four Eagles made the team, including two first teamers.
On the first team, Bald Eagle seniors Leah Bryan and Nora Eppley were present, earning accolades after prolific campaigns at outside hitter and libero respectively.
Fellow senior Casey Angellotti earned second-team honors at setter, and in just her second season, sophomore outside hitter Emily Smith also made the second team.
Apart from the Eagles, Bellefonte and Penns Valley also had all-star representatives. Penns Valley’s Peyton Wasson made the second team as a hitter while Bellefonte’s Colbie Frailey was named an honorable mention.
2025 LAUREL HIGHLAND VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS
TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Casey Angellotti was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.
FIRST TEAM
HITTERS
Leah Bryan, Bald Eagle; Addi Basenback, Hollidaysburg; Adi Jarrett, Philipsburg-Osceola; Kynlee Budny, Hollidaysburg.
SETTER
Delayni Baird, Hollidaysburg.
TIM WEIGHT/For the Express
Bald Eagle Area’s Emily Smith was named a LHAC volleyball all-star.
LIBERO/DS
Nora Eppley, Bald Eagle; Kenzi McLanahan, Hollidaysburg.
SECOND TEAM
HITTERS
Lily Metz, Huntingdon; Peyton Watson, Penns Valley; Rylan Crowell, Tyrone; Emily Smith, Bald Eagle.
SETTER
Casey Angellotti, Bald Eagle.
LIBERO/DS
Abigail Anthony, Tyrone.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sonny Diehl, Clearfield; Colbie Frailey, Bellefonte; Crosby Holt, Philipsburg-Osceola; Bailey Snyder, Tyrone.
The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a tough loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA National Semifinal on Thursday, ending their season after an incredible postseason run.
One day later, five different players announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal: Freshman setter Addy Horner, sophomore outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres, freshman libero Aniya Warren, sophomore libero Maile Chan, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Tosia Serafinowska.
Horner, a native of Illinois, was considered the No. 1 setter in her class and the No. 2 player in her state coming out of high school last year by PrepDig. She stepped up during a big middle-of-the-season run when Charlie Fuerbringer was out due to injury. But, with the star sophomore still at Wisconsin for the next two years, it makes sense that Horner will look for other opportunities.
Shadd-Ceres played in four matches as a freshman. She saw action in nine games this year, including Wisconsin’s final three matches in the NCAA Tournament, recording three kills against Texas and one against Kentucky, subbing in late in both matches.
Warren was ranked the No. 1 libero in the Class of 2025, and her recruitment had a number of turns before she ended up at Wisconsin. She had seen time in the rotation early in the season and finished playing in 16 sets across nine games.
Chan, considered the No. 1 libero from the state of Oregon in her class, played in 25 matches across two seasons at Wisconsin. With freshman Kristen Simon entrenched at the libero spot to end the year, both Chan and Warren are heading elsewhere.
Lastly, Serafinowska is moving on with three years of eligibility left. She saw action in five games this year.
Those five outgoing transfers join seniors Mimi Colyer, Jada Cerniglia, Carter Booth, and Alicia Andrew as the players departing Wisconsin this offseason.
Dec. 20, 2025, 7:33 a.m. ET
- Coaches from Brevard County public schools have selected the 2025 All-Cape Coast Conference volleyball team.
- Merritt Island High School led the selections with five players named to the team.
- Four players from Edgewood High School were also voted onto the all-conference team.
The selections for the 2025 All-Cape Coast Conference volleyball team has been made by the coaches from Brevard County public schools.
18 athletes from across Brevard County received All-Cape Coast Conference honors. Here are the coaches’ selections to the 2025 All-Cape Coast Conference team:
Harper Lanza, Satellite; Amber Ives, Merritt Island; Kylee Thompson, Merritt Island; Lesleigh Amos, Astronaut; Peyton Riordan, Merritt Island; Reece Loggins, Merritt Island; Lily Wood, Titusville; Anna Ely, Edgewood; Annabelle Jones, Merritt Island; Debbie Walley, Edgewood; Erica Flagg, Edgewood; Emery Hart, Viera; Kyra Davis, Heritage; Bella Taylor, Space Coast; Janay Lin; Macy Feguson, Edgewood; Mattie Russell, Satellite; Peyton Redfern, Astronaut.
Updated Dec. 20, 2025, 10:18 a.m. ET
WEST LAFAYETTE — It had been an emotional year for Dave Shondell, and the 67-year-old’s persistence to see his contract through led to a rejuvenated Purdue volleyball coach.
The details of the four-year contract he announced Dec. 13 following the Boilermakers’ loss to Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight were released this week. He signed the contract five days prior to announcing it. Shondell previously told IndyStar he contemplated retirement before the Boilers’ core helped him decide to continue coaching.
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