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Lai Xiang-chen to play for German volleyball team

Lai Xiang-chen became the first Taiwanese woman to play professional volleyball in Germany after a German team announced signing her on Sunday. The VfB Suhl LOTTO Thuringen professional women’s volleyball team announced Lai’s signing on its official Web site and Instagram, saying it was pleased to add the 30-year-old Lai as the team’s libero to […]

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Lai Xiang-chen became the first Taiwanese woman to play professional volleyball in Germany after a German team announced signing her on Sunday.

The VfB Suhl LOTTO Thuringen professional women’s volleyball team announced Lai’s signing on its official Web site and Instagram, saying it was pleased to add the 30-year-old Lai as the team’s libero to strengthen its defense.

“Lai brings international quality to the libero position,” the team wrote. “With her training in Taiwan’s competitive youth programs and several seasons in her home country’s top league, Lai established herself as a key player in reception and defense.”

Photo: CNA

VfB also praised Lai’s previous achievements such as playing for Taiwan’s national team several times at international tournaments, including the Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup, the Asian Volleyball Championship and the Asian Games.

VfB is pleased to welcome Lai for her strong technique, speed and skill in reception and defense, head coach Laszlo Hollosy said.

“Xiang-chen impressed us not only with her game intelligence, but also with her professional attitude and presence on the court,” Hollosy said. “We are convinced that she will play an important role in our defensive structure and be a key figure in the coming season.”

Before Lai, the only other Taiwanese woman to play volleyball professionally in Europe was Yang Yi-chen who joined Italy’s Lardini Filottrano as a setter in 2018.

Lai most recently played for China’s Guangdong Shenzhen Glorious in the China Volleyball League for two seasons from 2023 to this year before getting her German contract.

Lai said she chose Suhl, because she believes it is a great environment for her to develop further as a player and as a person.

“I’m excited about the new challenges and look forward to being part of the team and giving my best in the coming season,” she said over VfB’s Web site.

In another statement, Lai said that she had wanted to play in Europe early on in her career and that she was able to get the opportunity to fulfill the dream after VfB came across her tournament tapes by chance.

The opportunity to play in Germany is not only a career milestone but also a chance to find new excitement and growth, she added.

Lai said she would spend time in Taiwan getting into better physical shape for the start of the new European season in October.



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Women’s Golf Adds Three For 2025-26

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.   Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine   […]

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.
 
Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine
 
Alyson Sor will transfer to Long Beach State after a pair of successful seasons with Black and Blue rivals UC Irvine. Last season, Sor had a 74.29 scoring average and recorded four Top 20 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the Soboba Classic at Soboba Springs Golf Club last spring, helping UC Irvine win the team championship. She has a career Division I low of 68 and had a Top 10 finish at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational as a true freshman. “Aly is our Long Beach local,” said Waite. “We wanted to bring the Wilson High School star back home. She is a long hitter who has big aspirations with golf, and we are excited to help get her to the next level with her game.”
 
Emma Kang | Torrance, Calif. | South Torrance HS | Idaho
 
Emma Kang comes to Long Beach State by way of Idaho, where she spent the last two seasons as a regular part of the lineup. A two-time All-Big Sky selection, she was the Big Sky Player of the Week after winning the Tri-State Invite hosted by Eastern Washington, and she had the lowest scoring average last season for the Vandals at 74.4. “It was time for Emma to come back home,” said Waite. “Her Dad is a Long Beach State alum and she’s from Torrance, so we took the opportunity to welcome her into the team and back to Southern California. She brings great collegiate experience and has the eagerness to learn.”
 
Chloe Park | Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. | Palos Verdes Peninsula HS
 
Chloe Park has an extensive junior golf record and will join Long Beach State as a freshman in 2025. The 2021 Southern California Junior Tour Player of the Year, Park was a winner earlier this year at the Two-Day Spring Series at Morongo, carding a 75 and a 76, and shot a 71 at Bear Creek Golf Club in the TTC Cantlay Series. “We are excited to bring in Chloe as a freshman,” noted Waite. “She is a fierce competitor who knows how to compete.”
 
Former All-Big West golfers Madison Le and Erin Lee are joined by Isabelle Olivas-Lowell in returning to the program, while Olivia Chappell, Summer Schafer, and Kailey Yoon committed to the program in November.

 



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Lobo VB Unveils Complete 2025 Schedule – University of New Mexico Lobos athletics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public. This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this […]

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public.

This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this year’s Lobo Invitational, a multi-team event that will feature matchups between and against Manhattan, Northern Arizona and Houston Christian (Aug. 29-30). Last season, the Lobos averaged over 800 fans a game for the third season in a row, with a season-high 1,387 fans in attendance vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 16.

The Lobos have won at a .585 clip over the past four seasons and are 33-18 at home in that span.

After renewing their rivalry for the first time since 2019 last season, the Lobos will again face New Mexico State twice – they’ll host the Aggies Sept. 16 at the Johnson Center before hitting the road for a match in Las Cruces the following day. UNM is 18-12 against the Aggies at home and 10-19 against them on the road.

Last year, the Lobos defeated NMSU in four sets in Albuquerque (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21) before sweeping them in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-13) two days later in Las Cruces.

The Lobos are looking to return to the Mountain West Tournament after missing out in 2024 to snap a streak of three consecutive tournament appearances. In 2024, UNM found its rhythm late in the season, winning four of their last six after weathering a seven-match skid. The Lobos led the conference in digs per set (15.77) and ranked second in blocks per set (2.53) in 2024, finishing ninth in the conference standings at 13-15 overall and 6-12 in MW play.

Fans will get their first chance to see this years’ Lobos in action when they host D-II New Mexico Highlands in exhibition action on Aug. 23 at the Johnson Center. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for promotions, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.

NONCONFERENCE
After the Lobo Invitational, UNM heads to Stephenville, Texas for tournament action hosted by Tarleton State – they’ll face the Texans on that Thursday (Sept. 4) before meetings with Northwestern State (Sept. 5) and Prairie View A&M (Sept. 6).

They’ll be in Riverside, Calif. the following weekend for one more weekend of round-robin matchups hosted by Cal Baptist, opening up with Portland State (Sept. 11) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 12) in neutral-site action before facing host Cal Baptist on Sept. 13.

MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY
Conference play will include an 18-match format with each MW team playing nine home contests and making nine road trips during league action. League play begins on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 22.

The Lobos will begin conference play with four home matchups in a row, beginning with Utah State (Sep. 25) and Boise State (Sep. 27) in the Johnson Center for Week 1 before matchups with Colorado State (Oct. 2) and Wyoming (Oct. 4).

After a three-game road swing featuring dates at San Diego State (Oct. 9), new conference opponent Grand Canyon (Oct. 11) and UNLV (Oct. 16), UNM returns home for a rematch with the Lopes (Oct. 18) before another road swing to Fresno State (Oct. 23) and San Jose State (Oct. 25).

Another four-match home stretch takes place from Oct. 30-Nov. 8, with UNM hosting Nevada, Air Force, UNLV and San Diego State in that span –  the Lobos’ matchup with the Aztecs will be Senior Day at the Johnson Center.  After heading to Nevada (Nov. 13) and Air Force (Nov. 15), the Lobos close out the season with road dates at Wyoming and Colorado State on Nov. 20 and 22nd, respectively.

If the Lobos qualify for the conference tournament, they’ll be returning to Vegas the following week to begin postseason action. League play will determine the seeding for the 2024 MW Volleyball Championship, which will start Wednesday, Nov. 26, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 29, in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV Campus.





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Women’s Water Polo Team Wins Silver at World Championships

The Hungarian women’s water polo team finished as runners-up at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore after a 12-9 defeat to Greece in Wednesday’s final. Rita Keszthelyi, who was playing in her tenth World Championships, was voted MVP (most valuable player) of the tournament. According to national team coach Sándor Cseh, the silver-winning Hungarian water […]

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The Hungarian women’s water polo team finished as runners-up at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore after a 12-9 defeat to Greece in Wednesday’s final. Rita Keszthelyi, who was playing in her tenth World Championships, was voted MVP (most valuable player) of the tournament.

According to national team coach Sándor Cseh, the silver-winning Hungarian water polo team is very good, but it is not yet ready to win such a tournament. “First of all, I would like to thank the players and the staff, it has been a fantastic six months. I am very happy with the World Championships and the silver medal, but of course not with the final. One thing has become clear: we have a very good team, but we are not yet at the level to win a World Championship. The Greeks were more stable, they played better today and deserved the gold medal,” Sándor Cseh told MTI after the medal ceremony.

Head coach Sándor Cseh during the Hungary-Greece water polo final. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

In the final, a lot of things did not work the way they had before. On the first attack, we threw the ball beyond the baseline, a move that had been effective for weeks, and instead of blocking, we attacked the opponent, and in our reliable zone play, everyone was just looking for their position,”

said Cseh. “We were not stable enough in many aspects of the game today,” he added.

Kamilla Faragó (R) and Plevritu Vasziliki  of Greece. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

The national team coach noted that in the future, both the players and the coaching staff need to continue to improve, and that at the moment, we should be very happy that the national team played two finals in six months.

Hungary’s team captain, Rita Keszthelyi, was voted the most valuable player of the tournament.

“I think it was a very good world championship, and except for today, we performed great in every match. We can go home with our heads held high because we lost to a Greek team that was better today and had luck on their side. Unfortunately, we only played freely when the ship had already sailed,” said the Hungarian athlete, who was competing in her tenth world championship.

She added that this is a new, still-developing team with many players for whom this was their first world championship:

With diligence, humility, and a lot of hard work, it will be even brighter,”

Keszthelyi said.

The Hungarian team finished second for the third time in the last four world championships, losing to the Americans in the final in Budapest in 2022 and in Doha last year. The Greeks celebrated their second world championship title, having previously triumphed in Shanghai in 2011.

On Thursday, the men’s team will compete for gold against Spain, starting at 3:35 p.m. Central European Time.

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Historic Double: Men Reach Water Polo World Final after Women’s Triumph

Historic Double: Men Reach Water Polo World Final after Women’s Triumph

So far, only once have both the men’s and women’s national teams played in the World Championships final.Continue reading

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd





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Colorado State Announces Updated Conference Schedule

FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State volleyball team and the Mountain West league office announced Wednesday the conference updated schedule for the 2025 volleyball season with the inclusion of newest addition Grand Canyon University.   Colorado State’s opening four weeks of play were not effected in the update and will be played as scheduled with highlight […]

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FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State volleyball team and the Mountain West league office announced Wednesday the conference updated schedule for the 2025 volleyball season with the inclusion of newest addition Grand Canyon University.

 

Colorado State’s opening four weeks of play were not effected in the update and will be played as scheduled with highlight games being the Rams’ season opener August 29 against Colgate, the program’s annual White Out game set for September 12 versus Notre Dame and game one of the Battle for the Golden Spike against in state rival Colorado set for September 18 in Moby Arena.

 

Entering Mountain West play, the Rams will open their conference slate against rival Wyoming in Laramie September 25 before hosting their first league game in Moby Arena September 27 against Nevada. This game will also serve as the annual State Pride game and feature the 2024 Mountain West Championship banner raising and the return of Colorado State volleyball alumni to celebrate the 50th season of program history.

 

The Rams will face newest Mountain West addition Grand Canyon on the road October 4 and at home November 20. The four teams Colorado State will only face off against once during the conference slate include hosting Fresno State and San Jose State and traveling to UNLV and San Diego State.

 

The updated schedule format will also eliminate any Tuesday night league games with the entirety of the schedule set for Thursday and Saturday competitions.

 

The Mountain West Championship Tournament is still set to take place November 26-29 in Las Vegas, Nevada with the winner of the tournament earning an automatic bid to this season’s NCAA Tournament. Colorado State will enter the 2025 season as the defending champions of both the Mountain West regular season and the Mountain West tournament.



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Women’s Volleyball Earns 14th Straight AVCA Team Academic Award

Story Links Lexington, Ky. – July 23, 2025 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. This marks the 14th consecutive season that the Pride has been recognized for its academic achievements, which is one of the longest streaks of NCAA […]

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Lexington, Ky. – July 23, 2025 – The Springfield College women’s volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. This marks the 14th consecutive season that the Pride has been recognized for its academic achievements, which is one of the longest streaks of NCAA Division III programs from across the nation.

The award recognizes those programs which maintained at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average on a 4.00 scale. Nearly 1,000 collegiate women’s volleyball programs spanning Divisions I, II and III received the honor, including 369 from the Division III ranks. Springfield College was one of 11 programs from the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) to earn the team recognition. During the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year, the Pride put together a 3.769 team grade point average.

In total eight student-athletes from the Springfield College women’s volleyball program earned spots on the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team, while Natalie Billet (Commack, N.Y.)Maeve Voltz (Bay Shore, N.Y.)Ahunna James (Plainville, Mass.) and Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) were placed on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

Springfield finished its 2024 season with a record of 22-8 and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the second consecutive year and marked the tenth NCAA appearance under head coach Moira Long.

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.





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Ninjas in Pyjamas rally to win IEM Cologne opener – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions

Ninjas in Pyjamas rallied for a 2-1 win over HEROIC as the play-in round of the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne event got underway Wednesday in Germany. The play-in phase of the $1 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament features 16 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket of best-of-three matches. Eight teams will earn spots in the […]

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Ninjas in Pyjamas rallied for a 2-1 win over HEROIC as the play-in round of the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne event got underway Wednesday in Germany.

The play-in phase of the $1 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament features 16 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket of best-of-three matches. Eight teams will earn spots in the group stage, which also will include eight teams that received direct berths: Team Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, Team Falcons, The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, G2 Esports and Natus Vincere.

The group stage, which begins Saturday, will consist of two double-elimination groups contesting best-of-three matches. The two group winners will advance directly to the semifinals, the two runners-up will move to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the two third-place teams will head to the quarterfinals as low seeds.

The playoffs, which will start on Aug. 1, will be single elimination. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be best-of-three ahead of the best-of-five final on Aug. 3.

The winning team will receive $400,000, and the runner-up will get $180,000.

On Wednesday, HEROIC opened with a 13-10 victory on Nuke, but Ninjas in Pyjamas rebounded to claim Overpass and Ancient, both by 13-9 scores.

Ukraine’s Artem “r1nkle” Moroz paced Ninjas in Pyjamas with 58 kills and a plus-20 kill-death differential. Sweden’s Linus “nilo” Bergman and Belarus’ Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich each had 48 kills for HEROIC.

Only one other opening-round match went to a third map, with FURIA edging FlyQuest. FURIA jumped in front by taking Inferno 13-7, but FlyQuest equalized with a 19-17 double-overtime win on Dust II. FURIA sealed the match with a 13-10 decision on Mirage.

Brazil’s Yuri “yuurih” Santos recorded 58 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for FURIA. Australia’s Justin “jks” Savage wound up with 56 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for FlyQuest.

In the other matches, all of which finished 2-0: FaZe Clan beat BIG, Team Liquid topped paiN Gaming, 3DMAX handled MIBR, GamerLegion got past Complexity, Virtus.pro downed TYLOO and Astralis bested B8.

The Thursday schedule:
Upper-bracket second round (winners advance)
–FaZe Clan vs. Team Liquid
–3DMAX vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas
–GamerLegion vs. Virtus.pro
–Astralis vs. FURIA
Lower-bracket first round
–BIG vs. paiN Gaming
–MIBR vs. HEROIC
–Complexity vs. TYLOO
–B8 vs. FlyQuest
Lower-bracket second round (winners advance)
–Four matches, teams TBA

Intel Extreme Masters Cologne prize pool
1. $400,000
2. $180,000
3-4. $80,000
5-6. $40,000
7-8. $24,000
9-12. $16,000
13-16. $10,000
17-20. $4,500
21-24. $2,500

–Field Level Media



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