A career night from freshman Abby Vander Wal helped Texas volleyball stay perfect Friday with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss.
Sports
Live updates from SEC match

Texas Longhorns outside hitter Cari Spears (23) and middle blocker Ayden Ames (5) jump to block a Tennessee attempt in the fourth set as the Texas Longhorns take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at home in Austin, Oct. 8, 2025.
One game after setting a new career high with 15 kills in a win over Oklahoma, Vander Wal fired 21 kills on 45 swings with just two hitting errors. Texas needed all it could get from Vander Wal in what became a personal duel with Ole Miss outside hitter Gabi Placide, who had 22 kills. But the No. 2 Longhorns (17-0, 9-0) have plenty of firepower besides Vander Wal; classmate Cari Spears tallied 16 kills and Torrey Stafford had eight of her 16 kills in the final set as Texas pulled away for the 35-33, 25-18, 21-25, 25-18 win.
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Texas remains half a game ahead of No. 3 Kentucky at the top the SEC standings, with neither team yet to lose in conference play. Last season, Kentucky edged Texas for the conference championship in the Longhorns’ SEC debut, which snapped a streak of seven consecutive conference titles for Texas.
MORE: Texas volleyball: Longhorns seeded No. 2 in initial NCAA selection committee rankings
Read below for a replay and highlights from Texas volleyball’s win over Ole Miss.

Texas Longhorns setter Ella Swindle (1) taps the ball over the net in the fourth set as the Longhorns take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at home in Austin, Oct. 8, 2025.
Feisty Ole Miss delivers some hits, but too much from the Texas freshman tandem of Abby Vander Wal (21 kills) and Cari Spears (16 kills), and too much Torrey Stafford (16 kills) especially in the final set. Texas will try and keep its perfect record intact Sunday at LSU. Texas wins 3-1.
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Set 4: Texas 18, Ole Miss 13
It’s taken 3 1/2 sets, but the Longhorns may finally be wearing down the Ole Miss attack, Texas is hitting .462 this set behind Abby Vander Wal (21 kills) and Cari Spears (16 kills), but Gabi Placide (5 aces) is back at the service line for Ole Miss. Texas leads 2-1.
Texas freshman Abby Vander Wal (20 kills) fires back-to-back kills, and the Longhorns are trying to squeeze this Ole Miss attack that’s reliant on Gabi Placide (20 kills). Texas leads 2-1.
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Ole Miss has 10 blocks, which keeps giving the Texas offense fits. But the Horns are hitting .417 this set after back-to-back kills from Torrey Stafford (10 kills, 11 digs). Texas leads 2-1.
Can Texas get Gabi Placide off the service line? Nope. The Ole Miss talisman serves six straight points to go along with 18 kills as the Rebels win the third set. Texas leads 2-1.
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Can Texas get Gabi Placide off the service line? The Horns will have to if they want to avoid a fourth set. She fires her third ace as the Rebels trying to stay alive. Texas leads 2-0.
Freshmen Abby Vander Wal and Cari Spears have combined for 30 kills. That’s a heckuva one-two punch for Texas, but Ole Miss is hanging tough after an ace from Gabi Placide (18 kills). Texas leads 2-0.
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The Rebels have committed two straight errors, and they talk things over and try and prevent the Longhorn sweep. Texas leads 2-0.
Abby Vander Wal has a new career-high with 16 kills for Texas, but Ole Miss isn’t going away behind 15 kills from Gabi Placide. These two attackers are having a nice duel. Texas leads 2-0.
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Abby Vander Wal has reached a career-high 15th kill for the second consecutive match for Texas, and the Longhorns are trying to find one spurt to give them a cushion in the third set. Texas leads 2-0.
The Longhorns reel off a 7-0 run late to seize control of the second set. Abby Vander Wal has been the star with 14 kills and just one attacking error for Texas, but Devin Kahahawai has been an unsung hero with lots of good swings and strong rotations And she helped settle down the Texas defense at the net. Texas leads 2-0.
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Ace from Rella Binney, and Texas finally has some breathing room. Ole Miss takes a timeout. Texas leads 1-0.
Abby Vander Wal had a career-high 15 kills in Sunday’s win over Oklahoma, and the Texas freshman is on pace to top that tonight. She has 11 kills, and Texas has a lead late in another taut set. Texas leads 1-0.
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Gabi Placide has 12 kills with just two errors on 28 swings for Ole Miss. The Longhorn blockers need to find an answer if they hope to avoid another nail-biter of a set. Texas leads 1-0.
Ole Miss has come to play. The Longhorn block is getting its hands on a lot of swings, but the Rebels are covering their attackers. Abby Vander Wal (10 kills) and Cari Spears (9 kills) are leading the Texas attack. No sign of Taylor Harvey at middle. Texas leads 1-0.
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Oh, my. An epic first set ends in heartbreaking fashion for Ole Miss, which commits a rotation error to give Texas its final point. That may have been the Rebels’ best set of the season behind nine kills from Gabi Placide. But Texas freshman Abby Vander Wal hammers nine of her own as the Longhorns survive the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead.
What a battle in the opening set. A dig of sorts by Emma Halter – she took a rocket from Gabi Placide off the chest and chin – led to a point for Texas, but the Longhorns are in a dogfight.
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Credit the Ole Miss defense for getting the Longhorns completely out of system. The Rebels are hitting. 296 to .269 for Texas, and Ole Miss star Gabi Placide has six kills on 11 swings. Let’s see what Jerritt Elliott can do to get Texas back on track.
A service ace by Bella Bonnano and a hitting error by Texas’ Cari Spears, and the Rebels are suddenly on a 3-0 spurt. Texas coach Jerritt Elliott is challenging a non-call on a net violation by Ole Miss. Anything to slow the momentum.
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Ole Miss attacker Gabi Placide is showing her quality against the Longhorns’ big block with four kills. But she’s going to need some help against the balanced Texas attack. The Longhorns have eight kills and have yet to commit an attacking error on 20 swings.
Two kills from Torrey Stafford and a kill and a block from Nya Bunton have the Longhorns off to a fast start. It’s not a big crowd at cozy Gillom Center, and the fans are pretty quiet early.
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Middle blocker Nya Bunton will get the start for Texas over freshman Taylor Harvey, who has started over the past month. Setter Ella Swindle, defensive specialist Ramsey Gary, middle blocker Ayden Ames and libero Emma Halter also join outsider hitters Torrey Stafford and Cari Spears in the starting lineup. Ole Miss will start Cammy Niesen, Mikihana Tufono, Gabi Placide, Carson Eickenloff, Tessa Jones, Melia Johnson and Shayla Meyer in the starting lineup.
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Where: Gillom Center in Oxford, Miss.
Sports
Isaiah Cadengo Posts Pair of Top 10 Marks as Vikings Close Season-Opening Silver & Blue Invitational
RENO, Nev. — Isaiah Cadengo sat and watched as two of his teammates set top 10 marks on the first day of the Silver & Blue Invitational Friday. Saturday, Cadengo ran like a man eager to put his own name in the record books as the freshman sprinter posted a pair of top 10 marks to lead the Vikings on the second day of the meet at Reno Sparks Convention Center.
Cadengo opened the day in the men’s 400 meters where he placed second overall in 48.56 seconds. The time set a freshman record and moved him up to No. 2 overall in the indoor 400 meters at Portland State, all in his first-ever race as a Viking. Freshman Zach Payne followed at fourth in 49.80 seconds, moving him up to fifth in the freshman top 10.
Cadengo wasn’t done, however. He returned to the track for the 200 meters later in the day, and finished fifth in the event in 21.91 seconds. The time moved him up to second in the freshman rankings and fourth overall at Portland State.
Fellow freshman Jack Macdonald – one of the two stars for the Vikings Friday alongside Emma Stolte – nearly bettered Cadengo in the 200. Running in a later heat, Macdonald finished in 21.95 seconds, putting him third in the freshman rankings and fifth overall. Macdonald may have been able to push for a faster time but won his heat by more than half a second.
It was the second top 10 mark of the weekend for Macdonald. He got his first with a time of 6.93 seconds in the 60 meters Friday, moving him up to second in the freshman rankings and sixth overall.
Payne, meanwhile, followed his classmates with a time of 22.38 seconds in the 200 meters, earning him a second freshman top 10 of the day. Payne now ranks sixth in the 200 in the freshman record book.
Stolte, like Macdonald, followed a top 10 mark Friday with another Saturday. Fifth all-time in the mile after Friday, Stolte moved up to second all-time in the 800 meters with her finish in 2:11.99.
Stolte came within 0.34 seconds of the school record that Katie Camarena set at 2:11.65 in 2022. Camarena set seven school records that season, none of which have fallen since. Stolte came as close as anyone has to bettering one of Camarena’s records Saturday, however.
The Vikings also got a pair of event wins out of their field athletes Saturday. One didn’t come with much suspense as Edward Niyongere was the only athlete in the men’s triple jump after another athlete scratched. Even still, Niyongere jumped 46-07.50 (14.21m) on his second attempt, a mark that would have put him in the top 10 if he wasn’t already ranked sixth all-time.
Freshman Natalie Fisher, meanwhile, had a more dramatic win in the women’s shot put. She passed Nevada’s Johanna Haas on her final attempt with a personal-best throw of 40-00.00 (12.19m). Fisher, who improved on all six attempts during the competition, added close to 15 inches to her overall best in the shot put with the winning mark.
The winning throw also moved Fisher up to third in the freshman rankings in the shot put. She entered the freshman top 10 in the weight throw Friday, moving up to eighth with a throw of 38-04.00 (11.68m).
A number of other Vikings competing Saturday showed improvement over their season openers a year ago. That group included all four Vikings competing in the women’s 200 meters. Tori Forst and Sienna Rosario led that group at third and fourth overall, respectively, while finishing in 25.36 and 25.66 seconds. Forst’s time was better than her first two 200-meter times last season. Rosario’s, meanwhile, was close to two seconds faster than their season opener a year ago.
Savannah Beasley placed 14th in the women’s 200 meters in 26.76 seconds, setting a personal best by 1.7 seconds. Ashley Peterson placed 16th in 26.90 seconds, eleven-hundredths of a second faster than her season opener in 2025.
Dillon Brost did the same thing on the men’s side of the 200 meters. The sophomore placed 17th overall in 22.98 seconds, not a personal best but two and a half seconds better than his season opener as a freshman.
Aidan Sweeney set an overall personal best with his 200-meter finish in 23.71 seconds.
Freshman Farhan Ibrahim shaved close to eight seconds off his indoor best in the 3k while finishing second in the event in 8:56.79. Luke Gillingham followed at fourth in 9:03.13, shaving 13 seconds off his best in the 3k.
The Vikings will be back in action next week when they head to Seattle, Wash., for the UW Preview next Friday and Saturday.
Silver & Blue Invitational
Reno Sparks Convention Center
Reno, Nev.
Jan. 9-10, 2026
Women’s Results:
60m (Prelims): 3. Tori Forst, 7.74; 7. Sienna Rosario, 7.94; 11. Aida Wheat, 8.14. 60m (Final): 2. Tori Forst, 7.67; 7. Sienna Rosario, 7.92. 200m: 3. Tori Forst, 25.36; 4. Sienna Rosario, 25.66; 14. Savannah Beasley, 26.76; 16. Ashley Peterson, 26.90. 400m: 4. Ashley Peterson, 1:00.85. 600m: 6. Hannah Butterfield, DQ. 800m: 2. Emma Stolte, 2:11.99. 1,000m: 1. Hannah Butterfield, 3:07.26. Mile: 1. Emma Stolte, 4:54.25; 9. Sam Sharp, 5:33.24; 11. Libby Fox, 5:45.67. 3,000m: 7. Sam Sharp, 10:59.76; 10. Libby Fox, 11:26.42. 60H (Prelims): 15. Savannah Beasley, 9.66. Shot Put: 1. Natalie Fisher, 40-00.00 (12.19m). Weight Throw: 3. Natalie Fisher, 38-04.00 (11.68m).
Men’s Results:
60m (Prelims): 4. Jack Macdonald, 6.99; 16. Dillon Brost, 7.25. 60m (Final): 4. Jack Macdonald, 6.93. 200m: 5. Isaiah Cadengo, 21.91; 7. Jack Macdonald, 21.95; 9. Zach Payne, 22.38; 17. Dillon Brost, 22.98; 21. Aidan Sweeney, 23.71; Preston Jones, DNF. 400m: 2. Isaiah Cadengo, 48.56; 4. Zach Payne, 49.80; 5. Preston Jones, 51.36. 1,000m: 1. Amir Ahmed, 2:41.49. Mile: 5. Luke Gillingham, 4:29.48; 6. Farhan Ibrahim, 4:31.46. 3,000m: 2. Farhan Ibrahim, 8:56.79; 4. Luke Gillingham, 9:03.13. 60H (Prelims): 4. Aidan Sweeney, 8.66; 5. Deghlan Johnson, 8.68. 60H (Final): 4. Deghlan Johnson, 8.60; 5. Aidan Sweeney, 8.68. Triple Jump: 1. Edward Niyongere, 46-07.50 (14.21m). Weight Throw: 1. Daniel Coppedge, 50-10.75 (15.51m); 3. Carter Green, 36-05.75 (11.12m).
Sports
Meet The Journal’s high school girls volleyball All-State teams
Jan. 11, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET
The Providence Journal is proud to announce the 2025 All-State Girls Volleyball first and second teams. The Journal Sports staff, with some help from the coaches associations, determines the first- and second-team members.
2025 Providence Journal All-State Girls Volleyball Team
First Team
Lyla Auth, Westerly
Senior, Outside hitter
Auth steered Westerly to its second girls volleyball championship as the best player in Division II. The Manhattan University commit finished with 268 kills and a 49.8 kill percentage this fall. The Bulldogs finished the year undefeated and Auth’s near-perfect play on the outside was the biggest reason.
Sports
Virat Kohli Creates History at 38, Smashes Three World Records in First ODI Against New Zealand
With this feat, Kohli surpassed the record of legendary Sachin Tendulkar by becoming the fastest player to reach 28,000 international runs, achieving the landmark in just 624 innings. In comparison, Sachin Tendulkar took 644 innings, while Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara reached the mark in 666 innings.
Kohli reached the milestone with a boundary, needing just 25 runs before the match to complete 28,000 international runs. Earlier, only Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara had entered this elite club.
The New Zealand ODI also saw Kohli become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket history. By scoring 42 runs in the match, he overtook Kumar Sangakkara, who has 28,016 international runs to his name. Sachin Tendulkar remains at the top of the list.
In Test cricket, Virat Kohli has scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches, while in T20 Internationals he has amassed 4,188 runs across 125 matches. Before the New Zealand series, Kohli had played 556 international matches, scoring 27,975 runs in 623 innings at an impressive average of 52.58, including 84 centuries and 145 half-centuries.
Adding to his rich vein of form, Kohli has registered two centuries and three half-centuries in his last five matches, underlining his consistency and match-winning ability.
Virat Kohli’s latest achievement not only reinforces his place among the greatest cricketers of all time but also highlights his unmatched longevity and hunger for excellence on the international stage.
Sports
Long Beach State vs. McKendree, Men’s Volleyball – The562.org
Rasheed, also known as Casper, is a sports photographer who interned for The562 throughout his senior year of high school and is currently attending CSULB while continuing to freelance. To access his work, you can check his Instagram and site below:
Instagram: @visuals.casper
https://casper-visuals.com/
Sports
No. 3 Long Beach State Sweeps McKendree to Close Opening Weekend – The562.org
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The No. 3 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team didn’t need to drop a set on opening weekend to shake off any early-season jitters.
The defending national champions opened the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid with a pair of sweeps, dispatching Lindenwood on Friday before closing the weekend with a straight-set win over McKendree on Saturday night. While the Beach never dropped a set, Saturday’s match provided a sterner test, highlighted by a thrilling second set in a 25–22, 35–33, 25–16 victory.
“We’re proud of how our guys responded after last night,” head coach Nick MacRae said. “Tonight we played a good McKendree team, who we could very well see later in the season. We say in our locker room that we can learn as much from a win as we can from a loss. Last night was halftime, and we got our third-quarter response today.”
The Beach trailed by their largest margin of the night at three points during the second set and went on to fight off a preposterous eight McKendree set points. First-year setter Jake Pazanti led a balanced attack during that stretch and nailed an ace to give the Beach their final set point, followed by a McKendree hitting error that secured a two-set lead.
“It’s good for us long term,” said standout senior Skyler Varga of the second-set rally. “I think we needed to go through that, and even if we didn’t pull out the win in that set, I think it still would’ve been good for us to show that we can come back after being down. It definitely shows our team values, and we really need to go through those moments to be a national championship–level team this year.”
Varga had himself a match, finishing with nine kills on a team-high .368 hitting percentage along with five assists and 11 digs. Perhaps the most impressive stat came from behind the service line, where Varga accounted for seven of the Beach’s 10 aces with just one service error.
The senior outside hitter is coming off a stint as the youngest member of Team Canada in the Volleyball Nations League this past summer, where he emerged as one of the go-to options and capped the season with a 24-kill performance. Varga spoke about his experience and how it has prepared him for his future in the sport.
“Things are faster in international volleyball, and people are consistently hitting harder and making fewer errors,” he said. “It’s forced me to focus more on error management and helped me read the game better. No disrespect to NCAA volleyball, but it’s a little slower, which has made it easier for me to read.”
Opening weekend also gave the Beach a chance to flex some of its depth at opposite, where freshman Wojciech Gajek made his home debut on Friday before Daniil Hershtynovich got the start on Saturday night. Hershtynovich is coming off an injury last season and had a productive night, finishing with a game-high 12 kills.
“We flex our depth yet again, and you’re going to constantly see that,” MacRae said. “[Hershtynovich] got 30 swings and hit nearly .400—that’s a shoutout to him. Maybe early on he wasn’t able to find his serve, but that was part of the process tonight of building him up and letting him be himself, knowing that he’s been in those moments again and again. He was very physical tonight, and that’s exactly what this team needs him to be, and we’re very proud of him.”
Long Beach State also showed its depth on the outside, where Alex Kandev got the start and finished with seven kills. Connor Bloom entered the match permanently while the Beach trailed midway through the second set and chipped in a pair of kills.
At the net, the Beach totaled just 6.5 blocks after recording 12 on Friday night, but Saturday provided the middle blockers opportunities to make an impact elsewhere. Ben Braun had a solid night with seven kills on .500 hitting, while freshman Jackson Cryst finished with four kills on .500 hitting.
“They’re in charge of our entire unit at the net,” MacRae said. “Just because we don’t have the block stat, it’s about being on the other side of the net as much as possible. It was a good response by McKendree, so instead of saying we have to get 20 blocks, it’s about saying, ‘Ok, we had six blocks, but how many balls did we dig?’ It’s a credit to them. They did their job getting across the net.”
Long Beach State will now go on the road next to Ohio, where they’ll face a trio of games next week. That trip will conclude with a match at Ohio State on Saturday, before the Beach returns home to host Fort Valley State on Jan. 23.
Sports
Beach Earn Back-to-Back Home Wins with Sweep of McKendree
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State continued its strong start to the 2026 season Saturday night, earning a straight-set victory over McKendree inside the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid. The win gave the Beach back-to-back home victories before heading on the road next week for a three-match stretch away from Long Beach.
Long Beach State 3, McKendree 0
(25-22, 35-33, 25-16)
The Beach opened the match with aggressive serving and balanced offense in the first set. After early exchanges between the two teams, Long Beach State used a five-point scoring run to create separation, highlighted by back-to-back aces and steady play in transition. McKendree trimmed the deficit late, but the Beach remained composed, closing the set with an ace to secure a 25-22 win.
Set two turned into a marathon battle, featuring numerous ties and momentum swings. Neither team was able to pull away as both sides traded sideouts deep into the set. Long Beach State fought off multiple set points behind timely kills and disciplined defense. A late service ace helped shift momentum, and the Beach eventually claimed the extended frame, 35-33, on a McKendree attacking error to take a 2-0 match lead.
Long Beach State carried that momentum into the third set, quickly establishing control with strong serving pressure and consistent defensive play. The Beach put together a five-point run midway through the set to open up a lead and never looked back. Solid net play and clean sideout execution allowed Long Beach State to close out the match with a 25-16 victory.
Skyler Varga led the Beach with nine kills and a match-high seven aces, while Daniil Hershtynovich added a team-high 12 kills. Ben Braun contributed seven kills on .500 hitting, and Jake Pazanti directed the offense with 34 assists. Defensively, Long Beach State recorded 48 digs in the three-set match, an impressive effort that fueled transition scoring throughout the night. At the net, the Beach finished with 6.5 team blocks.
Long Beach State will return to action next week when the Beach hit the road for three matches as the 2026 season continues.
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