The Metropolitan State University of Denver women’s volleyball team capped a historic season by winning its first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship with a 3-1 victory over Concordia Saint Paul over the weekend.

It was a marquee moment for the college, which has a total enrollment over 18,000 students in downtown Denver.

“It’s huge, I think it puts us on the map in a lot of ways. So it’s just great to see the support we have out here and the way that people are coming behind us,” head coach Jenny Glenn said after the game. “MSU Denver’s a great place, and we love our volleyball. So it’s great to have a national championship to go along with all that.”   

The Roadrunners finished the season with a 32-3 record, the most wins in program history. They’re the first team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to win a volleyball national title. The team gave the school its first national title since the women’s soccer team won in 2006. 

MSU Denver won the final match by taking three of four sets at 25-22, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21. But they had to overcome a slow start during the first set to get rolling at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., 

MSU Denver trailed 19-15 late in the first set. But, the team was able to get back on track with a series of defensive stops, keeping them alive and closing out the set with a 10-3 run.

Glenn said her team displayed fearlessness throughout the last three matches of the season. But after dropping the third set to the Golden Bears, she wanted to finish the job.

“I thought it was a really fun battle of two high-powered offenses and gritty defense at different times. And that fourth set got a little tight,” Glenn said after the match. “I was thinking, we need to get this thing done now. I saw the look in my athletes’ eyes at one of those last timeouts, and I was like, we’re in. We’re going to get this thing done.”

After All-American Annika Helf went down with an injury, Megan Hagar turned in a clutch performance with her first career double-double with 18 kills and digs. The junior outside hitter from Casper, Wy., led the team in kills in both the semifinal and national championship matches.

“Megan has been grinding this entire season. I have nothing but great things to say about that girl on and off the court and off the court,” said Skyler Michael, junior outside hitter from Loveland.  “She is there for every single person, no matter how she feels. Her identity is literally, she brings value to the team and she brings value to each one of us, and she brings out our value as well.”

Hagar earned Tournament MVP honors, totaling 39 kills and averaging 3.25 kills per set, while adding 39 digs and four block assists over the final three matches of the tournament. Alyssa Boyte, Brooke Gennerman, and Karyna Werley joined Hagar on NCAA Division II All-Tournament Team.

BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU placed a program-record four student-athletes on the 2025 CSC Volleyball Academic All-District Team, as announced Tuesday by College Sports Communicators.

Setter Lauren Brooker (mass communication), middle blocker Jessica Jones (mechanical engineering), libero Aly Kirkhoff (management) and middle blocker Angelina Lee (industrial engineering) earned recognition, marking the fourth consecutive season LSU has had multiple players selected to the Academic All-District Team.

Lee became a two-time CSC Academic All-District selection and is the third Tiger in program history to earn multiple academic honors, joining Lauren DeGirolamo and Anna Zwiebel. She started 24 of the 26 matches she appeared in this season and ranked second on the team with 0.83 blocks per set and 78 total blocks, including a team-high 11 solo blocks. Lee also hit .286 with 128 kills.

Brooker directed the LSU offense with 6.27 assists per set (640 total) and added 29 kills, 31 blocks, 11 aces and 142 digs. The California native recorded three double-doubles and posted a career-high 56 assists against Ole Miss on Nov. 12.

Jones was one of two players to appear in all 104 sets this season and led LSU with 1.03 blocks per set, 107 total blocks and a .313 hitting percentage. She recorded nine matches with at least five blocks, highlighted by a season-high nine blocks at Arkansas on Sept. 28. Jones also hit a career-best .688 with 11 kills on 16 errorless swings against No. 19 USC on Sept. 18.

Kirkhoff led the Tigers with 2.19 digs per set (199 total) and recorded 10 matches with double-digit digs, including five in the final six matches of the season. She posted the first double-double of her career with a career-high 11 assists and 15 digs against Auburn on Nov. 14.

For the latest news and information on Tiger volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can follow the team on its social media outlets, such as www.facebook.com/lsuvolleyball and @lsuvolleyball, as well as on Instagram and X.

Reaching the national semifinals in women’s volleyball is no small task. Since Dec. 4, teams have battled through a demanding NCAA tournament, with every match bringing them one step closer to a national title. Let’s take a look at how Texas A&M and Pitt powered their way into the Final Four.

👉 Check out the full schedule, scores from the 2025 women’s volleyball tournament

Texas A&M (27-4)

No. 3 Texas A&M punched its ticket to the semis with a stunning 5-set upset of unbeaten Nebraska. The 3-2 victory not only marked the Aggies’ first Final Four appearance in program history, but it also etched them into the record books, becoming the first team since 2015 to eliminate a No.1 overall seed before the national semifinals. 

MUST-SEE: Texas A&M upsets unbeaten Nebraska in regional final

Pitt (30-4) 

No. 1 Pitt continued its dominant postseason run with a 3-1 win over No. 3 Purdue at home, earning a spot in the Final Four and its fifth straight national semifinal appearance. Despite their sustained success, Pitt is still chasing their first national title. The Panthers reached the semis in 2024, ultimately losing to Louisville in four sets. Now, with another shot at reaching the championship, Pitt is determined to flip last year’s narrative.

Neither program has taken home the trophy, and now only one question remains: Who wants it more? We will find out on Thursday, Dec. 18. Follow along here for live updates throughout the exciting match and live stats.