Eureka senior Rocco Regnier had two words to describe his opponent in the Class 3 singles championship match of the Missouri boys tennis state championships.
“Too good,” Regnier said Saturday after falling 6-0, 6-1 to John Burroughs junior Shaan Patel at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
Patel has shown the country his abilities, as he reached the No. 1 position nationally in the boys 16 division of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
It appeared for much of the season that the southpaw would not be able to show off his skills in his own state as he was originally declared ineligible by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).
“I got a call on a Tuesday afternoon about two or three weeks before districts that I was eligible,” said Patel, who recently committed to play at Columbia University in New York City. “I was super surprised and super happy.”
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Patel lost just six games in his four matches this weekend in winning his second state singles title. He won as a freshman in 2023 before playing golf last fall.
“I thought this match was my best one for sure here,” said Patel of his win against Regnier, who had given him his biggest challenge two years ago. “I struggled with the wind a little earlier. Today I felt I was able to dictate the points more, and I didn’t have too many unforced errors.”
Regnier played well overall and had some highlight-level points, but he was only able to capture the second game of the second set. The match ended on a service winner by Patel which Regnier barely got his racket on.
“It was good to come back and win again,” Patel said. “But one of the big reasons I wanted to come back was to win as a team. The hardest part of tennis is that it is just you against your opponent. Being on a team is another aspect of tennis that I like. We have a very good team which has a chance to do well next weekend.”
The state team tournament will be played next Friday and Saturday in Springfield.
John Burroughs had a pair of doubles teams which medaled at state. Evan Tang and Jerry Chang finished second while Jasper Schmidt and Avi Patel were fourth.
Both teams lost to eventual champions Bobby King and Henry Stevens of Rockhurst. The win by King, who won state singles last year, and Stevens prevented a St. Louis sweep at individual state this year.
Clayton won both the singles and doubles titles Friday in Class 1. MICDS did the same in Class 2.
Marquette had medalists in both singles and doubles. Arnab Chakraborty was sixth in singles while Sreeyash Peyyeti and Ryan Prys were fifth in doubles.
Two doubles teams from the Gateway Athletic Conference found themselves on the podium Saturday.
Fort Zumwalt West’s Tanner Reese and Tristan Vaughan were seventh, and Francis Howell’s Wesley Troyer and Aaron Burzynski were eighth.
Francis Howell North’s Kai Gustafson and Jace Jameson was the only team to win a set against doubles champions King and Stevens.
Area state medalists
1. Shaan Patel, John Burroughs
6. Arnab Chakraborty, Marquette
2. Evan Tang-Jerry Chang, John Burroughs
4. Jasper Schmidt-Avi Patel, John Burroughs
5. Sreeyash Peyyeti-Ryan Prys, Marquette
7. Tanner Reese-Tristan Vaughan, Fort Zumwalt West
>> The Saint Francis track & field teams competed in its second indoor meet at the Wagner Seahawk Shootout.
>> Saint Francis compiled seven top five performers and 18 top 12 finishes.
>> Sophomore Clark Gulycz took first place in shot put.
FLASH WOMEN NUGGETS
The women’s team accumulated eight top 12 performances.
Olivia Renk finished sixth in the 60-meter dash and eighth in the 300-meter dash on the women’s side. The sophomore ran in a time of 7.73 in the 60-meter and a 39.80 time in the 300-meter.
Morgan McNaughton came in hot during the 3000-meter run. She placed eighth with a time of 10:27.97.
Once again Rylee Nicklas placed in the top 10, this time in ninth place for shot put. The sophomore threw an impressive 11.33 meters. Nicklas also placed ninth in weight throw with a reach of 13.83 meters.
Taylor Foster picked up 12th place due to leap of 10.83 meters.
Two Red Flash placed in the top three for women’s pole vault. Karsyn Ford reached 3.45-meters and Aubrie Wells was right behind her with 3.15-meters.
FLASH MEN NUGGETS
The men’s team registered 10 top 11 finishes on the day.
Gulycz had a standout performance, taking first place in shot put. He threw 16.64m. Wyatt Jumper took 11th place with a throw of 14.05m. Both Gulycz and Jumper placed top seven in the weight throw. Gulycz launched his way into fifth place with 14.16m. Jumper threw 13.62m to put himself into seventh place.
Coming off a huge leap, Tyler Craft finished in eighth place with 6.77 meters. Not far behind him was the freshman, Nehemyah Williams. Williams collected 10th place with a jump of 6.71m in the men’s long jump.
Once again, Craft and Williams placed high in the triple jump. Craft bumped up to fifth place with a takeoff of 14.33m. Williams jumped 13.86m to sit him in the 10th spot.
Sophomore, Ayden Martinage, took fifth in the high jump with a lift of 1.95 meters.
The junior, Dylan Andrews, extended his way into fifth place by a stretch over 4.05 meters.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Saint Francis track and field will head down the road to compete in the Penn State University Nittany Lion Challenge. This will be held at the Ashenfelter III Indoor Track next Saturday the 17.
No. 2 seed Louisville volleyball fell to No. 3 seed Texas A&M in five sets Friday night at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, ending the Cardinals’ season.
The Cardinals finished Dan Meske’s inaugural campaign as head coach 26-7 in Lincoln, where Meske’s collegiate coaching career began as a graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers 18 years ago.
Louisville earned several American Volleyball Coaches Association awards for its performance in the tournament’s first weekend. Four Cardinals made the All-South Region first team: Kalyssa Blackshear (OPP), Nayelis Cabello (S), Chloe Chicoine (OH) and Cara Cresse (MB). Outside hitter Payton Petersen received an honorable mention.
Coverage from the match:
The Cards fall in a reverse sweep to the Aggies.
There have been seven ties in this winner-take-all set. The first to 15, winning by two, advances to the regional final.
Louisville will play its second five-set match in the NCAA Tournament, as it looks to avoid a reverse sweep. Texas A&M had nine blocks alone in the fourth set to UofL’s three.
The Aggies come out strong in a must-win set. They’ve caught up to Louisville’s 12 blocks. Texas A&M has 54 kills to UofL’s 50. The Aggies take a 4-0 run into the media timeout.
In a set that featured 15 ties and four lead changes, the Aggies emerged victorious. If Texas A&M claims the fourth set, both teams will engage in a fifth winner-take-all set, where the first to 15 points (winning by two) will advance to the regional final.
Chicoine has a match-high 15 kills. The Cards have 10 blocks, led by Cresse’s seven.
Louisville clinches the second set with an 8-0 run, featuring two aces from setter Nayelis Cabello. The Cards are one set away from their fifth consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Petersen and Blackshear now have 11 and 10 kills apiece.
The Aggies are the first to 15 again behind a 3-0 scoring run just before the set’s first media timeout. Louisville’s defense is playing tough with six blocks. Petersen is up to a match-high nine kills.
The Cardinals had a well-timed 5-0 scoring run in the middle of the set, taking the lead at 21-20 for the first time since the first point of the match. Payton Petersen leads all players with seven kills (at a 77.8% clip), followed by Chloe Chicoine’s six (60%). Cara Cressee has three blocks.
The Aggies have 10 kills on 15 attempts. Payton Petersen and Kalyssa Blackshear lead Louisville with three kills apiece of the Cards’ eight total.
Today’s match between No. 2 seed Louisville and No. 3 seed Texas A&M is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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No. 2 Louisville versus No. 3 Texas A&M will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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If Louisville wins tonight, it will play the winner of No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas on Sunday in Lincoln. Here’s a look at the tournament schedule:
Regionals: Dec. 11-14
Semifinals: Dec. 18 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
Championship: Dec. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
Click here to view the complete bracket.
Aug. 29: Louisville 3, Auburn 0
Aug. 31: Louisville 3, Morehead State 0
Sept. 1: Louisville 3, St. John’s 0
Sept. 7: Louisville 3, Illinois 1
Sept. 10: Texas 3, Louisville 2
Sept. 12: Louisville 3, Creighton 1
Sept. 13: Louisville 3, UNI 1
Sept. 14: Louisville 3, Rice 1
Sept. 18: Kentucky 3, Louisville 2
Sept. 22: Louisville 3, Western Kentucky 0
Sept. 26: Louisville 3, Boston College 0
Sept. 28: Louisville 3, Syracuse 0
Oct. 3: Louisville 3, California 0
Oct. 5: Louisville 3, Stanford 1
Oct. 10: Louisville 3, Virginia Tech 0
Oct. 12: Louisville 3, Virginia 1
Oct. 17: SMU 3, Louisville 2
Oct. 19: Pitt 3, Louisville 2
Oct. 24: Louisville 3, Duke 0
Oct. 26: Louisville 3, North Carolina 1
Oct. 29: Louisville 3, Notre Dame 0
Nov. 1: Louisville 3, Notre Dame 0
Nov. 7: Louisville 3, N.C. State 0
Nov. 9: Louisville 3, Wake Forest 1
Nov. 13: Louisville 3, Florida State 1
Nov. 16: Louisville 3, Miami 2
Nov. 21: Louisville 3, Georgia Tech 1
Nov. 23: Louisville 3, Clemson 0
Nov. 26: Pitt 3, Louisville 0
Nov. 29: Stanford 3, Louisville 2
Dec. 5: Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0 (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Dec. 6: Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (NCAA Tournament Second Round)
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her “Full-court Press” newsletter here for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports’ biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Southeast Missouri track and field teams opened their season winning eight events at the John Gartland Invitational hosted by Indiana State Friday night.
Included in the event wins was Brianna Dixon who set a new SEMO indoor record in the high jump reaching 5-10 to take the title.
Event Winners
Marshall Swadley won the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 65-9.5 and later captured the shot-put title with another PR of 60-10.5.
John Hartmann claimed first place in the high jump after clearing a personal-best height of 6-9.5.
Clara Billing earned the pole vault victory with a height of 12-11.75.
Kale Clements won the 800 meters in 2:26.4 during her first collegiate meet.
Sydney Burdine captured the 400-meter title with a time of 56.09.
Madelyn Gray won the mile with a time of 5:04.6.
Top Three Finishers
Sullivan Gleason placed third in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-2.75.
Dixon followed up her win with a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, running 8.72.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team of Burdine, Jasmine McClelland, Clements, and Gray finished second in 4:10.1.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Marcus Gordon, Jon’David White, Jackson Witvoet, and Connor Moore placed third with a time of 3:31.4.
Byron Sowerby earned a runner-up finish in the 3,000 meters, clocking 9:02.7.
Jonas Davis finished third in the 200 meters with a time of 22.54.
McClelland placed second in the women’s 200 meters, running 25.77.
Moore finished second in the 400 meters with a time of 50.93.
Trenton Braswell placed second in the weight throw with a mark of 65-4.75.
Liberty Blackburn earned second place in the high jump with a clearance of 5-4.25.
Luke Busateri finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 46-11.
Andreese Ortiz finished in third in the shot put reaching 45-10 for a new personal best throw.
Other Notable Performances
Ortiz placed fourth in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 58-3.25.
Alyssa Repke finished fifth in the weight throw with a mark of 55-5 while competing in her first collegiate meet.
Colin Beers earned a fifth-place finish in the pole vault after clearing 15-11.
Aarion Jackson placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 22-3.5.
Matt Pluff recorded a mark of 22-1 in the long jump during his first collegiate competition.
White placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.33. Marcus Gordon Jr. followed closely with a seventh-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.35.
Jackson Witvoet finished sixth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.8 and also placed sixth in the 60 meters at 7.11.
Micah Grawer earned fifth place in the mile with a time of 4:26.12.
McClelland also finished sixth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.75 and Burdine placed seventh in 7.83.
Zavier Winton finished eighth in the weight throw with a mark of 55-5.
Bailie Hux placed seventh in the weight throw with a throw of 53-11.
Elliana Rhinehart finished ninth in the weight throw with a mark of 51-5.75.
Braswell added a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 52-2.5.
Mark Goldman placed eighth in the shot put with a throw of 47-11.75.
Quinton rounded out the shot put with a ninth-place finish at 46-2.
The meet will wrap up Saturday starting at 11 a.m. The Redhawks will have Luis Schadlich and Kannon Harlow finishing up the men’s heptathlon. Anna Thomason will compete in the women’s pentathlon.
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Two former Big 12 rivals meet with a spot in the regional final on the line, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers play host to the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
The Cornhuskers rolled toward another Big Ten championship. Nebraska has been dominant. Not only are they undefeated, but they have also been nearly untouchable. For two months, the team did not lose a set. The team then went on to win its final five matches in straight sets, clinching a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.
Now, the program that has played in every national tournament since the AIAW days has its sights set on advancing to the final four for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Nebraska looks to avenge last year’s disappointing semifinal exit at the hands of the eventual national champions, Penn State.
Nebraska has yet to lose a set, hammering Long Island and Kansas State in straight sets.
The Jayhawks had a little bit of a tougher time getting to the Sweet 16. After beating High Point in the First Round, Kansas needed four sets to get by Miami last weekend. The J-Birds finished second in the Big 12 during the regular season, four games back of conference champion Arizona State.
Kansas women’s volleyball faced off against Nebraska on Friday during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, and suffered a three-set sweep as KU’s season came to an end.
The Jayhawks, a No. 4 seed, had won its first two postseason matchups against High Point and No. 5-seed Miami (Fl.) coming into this contest. But the Huskers, a No. 1 seed, after defeating Long Island and Kansas State to reach this point, showcased just how talented they were. Nebraska advances to the Elite Eight.
Here is what happened during this matchup, which took place Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska:
UPDATE: 10:47 p.m. (CT): END 3rd Set: Nebraska 25, Kansas 12 — Nebraska wins in 3 sets 3-0
UPDATE: 10:18 p.m. (CT): END 2nd Set: Nebraska 25, Kansas 11 — Nebraska takes 2-0 set lead
UPDATE: 9:49 p.m. (CT): END 1st Set: Nebraska 25, Kansas 12 — Nebraska takes 1-0 set lead
Pregame
Kansas’ starters
Here is when Kansas vs Nebraska is set to begin
Kansas arrives
Kansas women’s volleyball vs Nebraska matchup time
Date: Friday, Dec. 12
Time: 8:30 p.m. (CT)
Location: Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska
What channel is Kansas women’s volleyball vs Nebraska matchup on today?
Kansas women’s volleyball’s NCAA tournament matchup against Nebraska will be broadcast on ESPN2 in 2025. The Jayhawks have another chance to advance in the NCAA tournament. Streaming options include ESPN+.
Kansas women’s volleyball vs Nebraska score
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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No. 1 overall seed Nebraska is taking on No. 4 Kansas in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament Friday after opening the competition with back-to-back sweeps.
The Huskers (32-0) remain undefeated and have lost seven sets all year, with the last coming nearly a month ago, on Nov. 14, against UCLA. The team took down LIU and Kansas State to reach the Sweet 16. The Jayhawks (24-10) swept High Point and beat Miami in four sets to start the tournament.
Live score updates: Nebraska 3, Kansas 0
Set 3 final: Nebraska 25, Kansas 12
Nebraska swept Kansas after winning the third set, 25-12. The Huskers have now won 29 straight NCAA tournament matches at home. Andi Jackson (nine kills on .600 hitting) and Rebekah Allick (nine kills on 1.000 hitting) combined for 18 kills with no errors. Nebraska hit .450 collectively, while holding Kansas to .029 hitting.
Set 3: Nebraska first to 15 vs. Kansas
Nebraska is in the driver’s seat once again and was the first team to reach 15 points in the third se, leading 15-8. The Huskers are hitting .762, while Kansas is hitting .353 in the set so far.
Set 2 final: Nebraska 25, Kansas 11
No. 1 Nebraska went on a 5-0 run to claim the second set, 25-11. The Huskers have been dominant on both sides of the ball, recording 22 kills and 17 total blocks through the first two sets, all while holding Kansas to a negative hitting percentage (-.039).
“Our blocking. That’s probably going to be a season high for us,” Busboom Kelly said when asked what she’s liking from her team. “I just feel like we came out on a mission. Our goal was to block a lot of balls tonight.”
Nebraska’s Rebekah Allick has been the hot hand, with nine kills on nine attempts, hitting a perfect 1.000. Andi Jackson added five kills on .500 hitting, in addition to five blocks.
Set 2: Nebraska 13, Kansas 7
The Huskers cruised through the first set, but the second set started out much closer. Kansas cut Nebraska’s lead to 9–7, but the Huskers responded with a 4–0 run to go up 13–7. Rebekah Allick has been the hot hand, with nine kills on nine attempts, hitting a perfect 1.000.
Set 1 final: Nebraska 25, Kansas 12
Nebraska looked every bit like the No. 1 overall seed in a dominant first set against No. 4 Kansas. The Huskers collectively hit .357 and registered six blocks against the Jayhawks, who were held to a negative hitting percentage (-.024) in the first set. Rebekah Allick led the Huskers with six kills on six attempts, while Andi Jackson added four blocks and three kills.
Nebraska takes 12-3 lead vs. Kansas
It was all Nebraska to start. The Huskers jumped to a 12-3 lead over Kansas. Andi Jackson is already up to four blocks for Nebraska, while Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly each added two blocks. Kansas is hitting -.200.
How to watch Nebraska volleyball tonight vs. Kansas
The game Friday begins at 9:30 p.m. ET.
How to watch, stream Nebraska volleyball play Kansas in NCAA tournament
ESPN2 will broadcast the Nebraska vs. Kansas match.
Live stream Nebraska volleyball on ESPN+ (subscriber only)
Nebraska volleyball’s starting lineup
Nebraska volleyball coaching staff
Head Coach: Dani Busboom Kelly
Busboom succeeded longtime coach and mentor John Cook in January. The Nebraska alum won national titles with the program as a player in 2006 and as an assistant coach in 2015. Nebraska (32-0) has kicked off the Busboom Kelly era with its first undefeated season since 2000. Although Busboom Kelly said, “whoever is (coaching Nebraska) would be doing well,” her players argue otherwise.
“When (Busboom Kelly) came in here, that Nebraska standard wasn’t lost at all. She knew what she wanted and she really pushes us to reach that level,” Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson told USA TODAY Sports.
Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray carefully tapes her hands before every match.
She inscribes ’27’ on the tape binding her left ring finger in honor of her late father Vada Murray, who died when she was 5 years old. He wore No. 27 while playing football at Michigan. Murray then writes former coach John Cook’s initials on her left pointer finger, “a father figure” that helped her grow as a player. She also adds Huskers head coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s initials on her middle finger as a reminder to lay it all on the line.
The initials on her right hand changes every year. She told USA TODAY Sports, “Every year for the past three years, I have written the location of the Final Four. On my pointer finger and my middle finger, I have the letters ‘KC,’ which is Kansas City, which is where the NCAA Tournament is held this year.” Full story here.
Freshman setter Campbell Flynn suffered a broken pinky finger, according to former head coach John Cook’s pregame radio show. Flynn will be out the remainder of the season with the injury. The freshman averaged 4.50 assists per set.
Nebraska has three Player of the Year semifinalists
When the AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists were announced in November, Nebraska had three of the 14 players on the list — Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and junior setter Bergen Reilly. It’s another example of the Huskers’ depth.
“We have arguably the best in each position for the country,” Andi Jackson told USA TODAY Sports. “We have the best setter in the country, we have the best outside in the country. And I think it just shows how strong our team is, especially at that front row that we have. When Harper (Murray), Bergen (Reilly) and I are up, we always give each other a smile because we know what we have to offer.”
The trio led Nebraska to the nation’s top hitting percentage (.353) and fourth-highest kill per set mark (14.72).
Find the full NCAA women’s volleyball tournament bracket on the NCAA website.
Nebraska stats, top players
Nebraska’s nation-leading offense is led by junior outside hitter Harper Murray (347 kills), junior middle blocker Andi Jackson (273) and senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick (235).
Murray also leads the team in service aces (30) and is among the top four on defense for digs. (212). Allick and Jackson lead the team in blocks (121 and 112, respectively).
Setter Bergen Reilly (1,011 assists) runs the show and also is second on the team for digs (264), behind Laney Choboy (276 digs). Olivia Mauch (256 digs) joins them in keeping the ball off the floor.
Kansas stats, top players
Kansas has a trio of heavy hitters with Jovana Zelenovic (369 kills), who also leads the team with 46 serving aces; Rhian Swanson (346 kills); and Reese Ptacek (325 kills).
Senior Katie Dalton (769 assists) and sophomore Cristin Cline (552 assists) anchor the team at the setter position. On defense, Ryan White (5-8 digs) and Grace Nelson (298 digs) lead the way.
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