Sports
Morning Buzz
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Joe Lemire: Liberty shares F1 financials and MotoGP plans; international travel to US hit with new fee on eve of World Cup; newly merged Paramount/Skydance to emphasize sports content and tech stack; MLB gets first woman umpire
The Mountain West’s conference realignment legal fight “gained a new layer” Thursday when three departing schools “accused the league of improperly withholding tens of millions of dollars — including Boise State’s College Football Playoff money — and misleading them about a covert plan to speed up the addition of Grand Canyon University as a member.” Those complaints are from “an updated Colorado district court lawsuit” filed against the Mountain West by members Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State. All three are among the schools leaving for the Pac-12 next year. The filing “also adds” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez as a defendant. The suit said the league and commissioner “intentionally and fraudulently” deprived the schools of their membership rights and “caused millions of dollars in harm.” The schools’ complaint said “travel reimbursements have been unpaid, as have NCAA payments for financial aid, academic programs and athlete welfare” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/7).
St. Petersburg City Council members voted Thursday “to spend another roughly” $16M “to continue repairing Tropicana Field, even as they expressed frustration the cost has surpassed initial estimates.” The council approved $1.3M “to install turf” in the ballpark, and in the same vote approved just more than $14.4M “for other repairs to the stadium, including to drywall, light fixtures, fire alarms, baseball netting and field padding.” A November city report estimated repairs would cost at least $55.7M, but costs “are now nearly” $60M. City Architect Raul Quintana added that workers are “looking to evaluate whether the stadium’s seating should be repaired or replaced.” He said he’s “expecting the first panels for the roof to come in the next week or so” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/7).
Flutter Entertainment posted higher Q2 revenue that “beat Wall Street’s expectations, citing increased customers as it completes its purchase of the remaining stake of FanDuel.” It reported earnings per share of 59 cents a share, down from $1.45 share a year earlier. Adjusted earnings were $2.95 per share, topping analyst expectations of $2.39. Flutter posted $4.19B in revenue, up from $3.61B last year and analyst expectations of $4.13B. A company spokesperson said that Flutter’s average revenue per monthly unique player was about $170 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/7).
Flutter said in a statement that revenue is “expected to grow” 23% to $17.3B. EBITDA will jump 40% to about $3.3B, both numbers being up from previous guidance of $17.1B and $3.18B, respectively. The company “will be hit by tax costs in Illinois, New Jersey, Louisiana and Maryland in the second half.” As a result, Flutter plans to “introduce a new 50-cent transaction fee in Illinois and offset New Jersey and Louisiana with ‘locally optimized’ marketing” (BLOOMBERG, 8/7).
Hard Rock Bet has signed on as the official sportsbook of the Buccaneers, expanding its portfolio of sports sponsorships in the state in which it is the only legal, regulated operator. The deal includes stadium signs, digital advertising and social promotion, as well as premium hospitality for Hard Rock Bet account holders at games and other events.Hard Rock also gets branding on the popular Bucs Beach activation area for some games, including the home opener against the N.Y. Jets on Sept. 21. It also has sponsorship deals with the Dolphins, Jaguars, Heat, Florida Panthers and Daytona International Speedway.Hard Rock bettors have made the Bucs their No. 1 choice to win the Super Bowl and Bucs QB Baker Mayfield their top choice to win the MVP in early futures wagering.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is hosting the ceremony that “will last about 15 to 20 minutes,” and Brady is slated to “address the gathered guests.” Getty Images A statue honoring former NFLer and Patriots legend Tom Brady “will be unveiled ahead of Friday night’s preseason opener” against the Commanders. A “large black box” covered the 12-foot statue as “a truck brought it in front of Gillette Stadium” early Thursday morning. The ceremony, kicks off at 6pm ET. Patriots owner Robert Kraft said last week that the organization “wanted to unveil the statue last year, but Brady’s busy broadcasting schedule with Fox Sports prevented that from happening.” Brady “is set to appear at Gillette on Friday evening.” Kraft is “set to host a ceremony that the Patriots say will last about 15 to 20 minutes.” Brady is also slated to “provide his reaction and address the gathered guests.” Parking lots will open at 3:30pm “with stadium gates opening early” at 5pm “to accommodate ticketed fans attending both the game and the ceremony.” The ceremony will also be streamed on Patriots.com, the team’s official social media channels and broadcast locally on WBZ-TV (BOSTON HERALD, 8/7).
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is “set to spend” $20M to sponsor the 2026 and 2027 F1 Las Vegas GP races. A two-year sponsorship agreement for $10M per year will be “up for a vote” at Tuesday’s LVCVA board meeting. The deal “would be an increase” from the LVCVA’s prior three-year sponsorship deal, which was priced at $6.5M per year. Both F1 and LVCVA officials have “stated that they expect” the GP to be a “permanent fixture the weekend before Thanksgiving in Las Vegas” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/7).
LIV Golf has announced a format change to its season-ending Team Championship “that will see a play-in match and teams no longer receiving byes.” The $50M tournament, which will conclude LIV’s fourth season, is Aug. 22-24 in Plymouth, Mich. It will feature “a Wednesday play-in match between the 12th- and 13th-seeded teams followed by all of the remaining teams competing at match play on Friday and Saturday followed by a Sunday stroke-play finish.” The Friday matches will see teams “square off with two singles matches and one foursomes match,” with the six winning teams advancing to Saturday’s championship bracket. But “the six losing teams are not eliminated and will instead play” in the rankings bracket, “with three matches taking place as they did Friday.” The “three winning teams advance to Sunday’s final.” The winning team gets $14M from the purse and all teams are paid (SI, 8/7).
The 49ers held an event Thursday night called “Levi’s Under the Lights” to show off some of the offseason work done as part $200M in overall upgrades being completed ahead of the venue hosting the Super Bowl and FIFA Men’s World Cup matches in 2026.
The star of the unveiling for several hundred season ticket members was the venue’s two new 4K video boards and a demonstration of their game day entertainment capabilities. Levi’s Stadium is the first in the NFL with a “glass to glass” 4K content system, spanning from capture of content in 4K to its display. The team worked with ANC on the project. The two main video boards, which each measure more than 16,000 square feet — 70% larger than the previous boards — possess a combined 40.4M pixels, four times their predecessors.
The LED project included thousands of other new screens spread around the building and ranging in size, as well as new LED field lights. And the venue’s WiFi and DAS systems are being improved with assistance from Comcast and Cisco (on the former) and Verizon and DGP.
IMG Arena has selected microbetting tech firm nVenue to develop a live-betting product for MLS through its AI-powered predictive modeling. Financials of the deal were not provided to SBJ. IMG Arena is the data rights holder for MLS.
This comes less than a month after nVenue announced a suite of soccer-related products — which included microbetting coverage of many top-flight leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga, as well as 2026 FIFA World Cup competition.
nVenue, an NBA Launchpad and the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator graduate, also offers microbetting on NBA, MLB, NHL and WNBA competitions.
Learfield is looking for a Senior NIL Operations Specialist. The Dallas-based position is responsible for developing onboarding documentation, including user guides, toolkits, video tutorials, and FAQs tailored to different stakeholder groups — NIL Impact group, athletes, administrators, brands (Learfield).
Overtime is looking for a Lifecycle Marketing Manager. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for developing and executing automated lifecycle marketing journeys and one-off campaigns across all CRM channels (Overtime).
Legacy Motor Club is looking for a Dir/Licensing. The Statesville-based position is responsible for sourcing and managing licensees, negotiating agreements, ensuring brand compliance, and launching product-driven campaigns (Legacy Motor Club).
UFC are looking for a Senior Counsel. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for advising and negotiating on a wide range of commercial contracts for the UFC and TKO business, including contracts relating to outbound & inbound content distribution, social media, sponsorship, consumer products, licensing, production, event operations & logistics, venues, marketing, consulting, services, talent, influencers, vendors, contractors, real property, releases and waivers (UFC).
Speed Reads…
Acushnet Holdings Corp. “posted record quarterly sales” on Thursday as sales reached $720.5M — meeting market expectations — in the company’s Q2 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 8/7).
Barbie Tim Hortons PWHL dolls will be available to buy starting today as part of the league’s partnership with Mattel started in 2024 (ADWEEK, 8/7).
Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish has “arrived” in Lausanne, Switzerland, to “present the club’s case for reinstatement to the Europa League” at the Court of Arbitration for Sport today (THE ATHLETIC, 8/8).
The City of Chicago yesterday “approved the first official open-water swim” to take place in the Chicago River in “almost a century.” A city spokesperson said that the permit process was “still in progress” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/7).
Quick Hits….
“It’s a saleable product and [Caitlin] Clark’s done a really good job selling it. It’s enjoyable. My son-in-law is from Indiana and he’s a Clark fan. She’s exceptional. She’s had a tremendous impact on that league and their earning potential. They should be kissing the ground she walks on, not trying to foul her and get her out of the game” — NBA HOFer Bob Cousy, on the impact of Fever G Caitlin Clark on the WNBA (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/8).
Morning Hot Reads: A New Life
BLOOMBERG NEWS goes with the header, “Dan Snyder Builds Life in London After $6 Billion NFL Team Sale.” Snyder “spent more than two decades as one of Washington’s richest residents.” Now he’s “secured that title in another city about 4,000 miles away.” The former owner of the Commanders and his wife Tanya “have built a new life in London” since they began lining up a sale of the sports franchise in 2022, “returning to a nation where Snyder spent time as a youth.”
Also:
Social Scoop…
Raiders-Seahawks ends in a tie on a blocked kick, “much to Pete Carroll’s chagrin.”
Kate Scott with the Seattle TV call alongside Michael Robinson. 🏈🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/3gdghDGjh8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 8, 2025
I’d like to host the NFL Preseason RedZone.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) August 7, 2025
“Wadi al-Malekat in Arabic, this site near a similar & better known location was the burial place of Nefertari & others.”
Off the presses…
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back pages and sports covers from some of North America’s major metropolitan newspapers:
Final Jeopardy…
“What is the Valley of the Queens?”
Dec. 5, 2025, 4:08 a.m. CT
The Nebraska volleyball team (30-0) was selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the 2025 NCAA tournament on Sunday night. The Cornhuskers will open the tournament on Friday against the Long Island Sharks (20-8) at the John Cook Arena.
The other first-round game in Lincoln will see San Diego face Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. CT. The Huskers will host the first and second rounds this Friday and Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The second round game is Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .352 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .125.
Junior Harper Murray leads the team with 3.55 kills and 2.15 digs per set and a team high 28 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.31 assists and 2.73 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.75 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.13 blocks per set.
The Sharks enter the tournament with an automatic bid after winning the Northeast Conference tournament. LIU is led by Sara van Gisteren, who averages 3.92 kills per set. She was also named the NEC tournament MVP. Karly Klaer was named the NEC setter of the year with 10.06 assists per set.
Nebraska will be playing Long Island for the second time ever. The teams met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with the Huskers winning 25-13, 25-16, 25-22.
Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island live on ESPN+
Here’s how to watch the Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island game on Friday, including time, TV schedule, and streaming information:
What channel is Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island on?
TV Channel: N/A
Livestream:ESPN+ (subscriber only)
Nebraska-Long Island volleyball in the first round of the NCAA tournament can be seen on ESPN+. Huskers Radio Network will have audio coverage of all Nebraska matches on Huskers Radio Network affiliates, Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+.
Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island time today
- Date: Friday, Dec. 5
- Start time: 7 p.m. CT
The Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island first-round NCAA tournament game starts at 7 p.m. CT from the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, NE.
Nebraska volleyball 2025 schedule (30-0, 20-0)
Aug. 22 – vs. Pittsburgh – WIN 3-1 (25-22, 25-11, 20-25, 25-23)
Aug. 24 – vs. Stanford – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14)
Aug. 29 – at Lipscomb – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15)
Aug. 31 – vs Kentucky – WIN 3-2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8)
Sept. 5 – vs. Wright State – WIN 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20)
Sept. 7 – vs. California – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-12)
Sept. 12 – vs. Utah – WIN 3-1 (21-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-13)
Sept. 13 – vs. Grand Canyon – WIN 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-18)
Sept. 16 – at Creighton – WIN 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9)
Sept. 20 – vs. Arizona – WIN 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18)
Sept. 24 – vs. Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)
Sept. 27 – vs. Maryland – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-14)
Oct. 3 – at Penn State – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)
Oct. 4 – at Rutgers – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-16)
Oct. 10 – vs. Washington – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16)
Oct. 12 – at Purdue – WIN 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-15)
Oct. 17 – at Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20)
Oct. 19 – at Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-18)
Oct. 24 – vs. Northwestern – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17)
Oct. 25 – vs. Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-18)
Oct. 31 – at Wisconsin – WIN 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-13)
Nov. 2 – vs. Oregon – WIN 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-12)
Nov. 6 – vs. Illinois – WIN 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-14)
Nov. 8 – at Minnesota – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-20)
Nov. 14 – at UCLA – WIN 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15)
Nov. 16 – at USC – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-20)
Nov. 20 – vs. Iowa – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-18)
Nov. 22 – at Indiana – WIN 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-22)
Nov. 28 – vs. Penn State – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-14)
Nov. 29 – vs. Ohio State – WIN 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-20)
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Updated Dec. 4, 2025, 9:00 p.m. ET
Tennessee volleyball chose a bad time to play its worst volleyball of the season.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols were on their heels in the beginning of the match against Utah State, and they didn’t have enough to complete the reverse-sweep. Tennessee (20-8) fell 3-2 to the Aggies (24-7) in a shocking upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona, on Dec. 4.
The Lady Vols won two straight sets to make it a five-set thriller, and they battled from behind the entire fifth set, which they ultimately lost 15-11. In the end, it wasn’t enough to recover from their poor start.
By the time Tennessee started playing like its season was on the line, it was staring down a reverse sweep to advance. But against a red-hot Utah State team, which entered the tournament on a 21-game winning streak, the late push wasn’t enough.
In the first two sets, the Aggies picked apart the Lady Vols defense at the net and on the floor – it was a clinical dismantling by Utah State, which made all the scrappy, game-winning plays of a team that swept the Mountain West championships.
The Lady Vols made a fierce comeback attempt, turning the tide with sharper, more aggressive serving in the third and fourth sets to force a five-set thriller. They found their footing on defense, and they got a spark from Sydney Jones to launch and more balanced attack.
Outside hitter Starr Williams was a bright spot in the offense, especially while Tennessee looks all out of sorts the first two sets. She continued to be a focal point all match, and she logged 15 kills with a .387 hitting percentage, along with seven digs and four blocks.
Jones was a difference-maker as a reserve, and she continued to score points for the Lady Vols when they needed them. Jones ended the night with 12 kills, and Hayden Kubik also added 12 kills.
The Lady Vols’ offense hit just .228 as a team, while they allowed Utah State to hit .312. They struggled to slow down the Aggies’ attack between Tierney Barlow, who ended the match with 16 kills, and Loryn Helgesen and Andrea Simovski, who both had 14 kills.
Tennessee middle blocker Zoe Humphrey did not travel with the team, according to the ESPN broadcast.
Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State: Live score updates
When does Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State start?
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona.
What TV channel is Tennessee vs. Utah State on today?
Tennessee volleyball schedule 2025
Last 10 games
- Dec. 4: vs. Utah State in Tempe, Arizona, 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
- Nov. 24: vs. Kentucky in SEC tournament, L 1-3
- Nov. 23: vs. Florida in SEC tournament, W 3-1
- Nov. 16: Oklahoma, W 3-1
- Nov. 14: Arkansas, W 3-0
- Nov. 9: at Kentucky, L 1-3
- Nov. 7: at Vanderbilt, W 3-0
- Nov. 2: Texas A&M, L 1-3
- Oct. 31: Missouri, L 1-3
- Oct. 26: at Mississippi State, W 3-1
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
The DI women’s volleyball championship is here. The tournament continues Friday, Dec. 5 with both first and second round matches and lasts until the national championship on Sunday, Dec. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The full 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Thirty-one conference champions earned automatic bids to the tournament, with the NCAA DI women’s volleyball committee selecting 33 other teams as at-large picks.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball championship.
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship bracket
👉 Click or tap to see the interactive bracket
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship schedule
All times listed in ET
- First round: Dec. 4-5
- Second round: Dec. 5-6
- Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
- Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
- National championship: 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21 | ABC
- Selection show: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30
- First round:
- Thursday, Dec. 4
- No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0
- No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2
- No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
- No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 3, Tulsa 1
- No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0
- No. 6 UNI 3, Utah 2
- North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1
- Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2
- No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0
- No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0
- No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0
- Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2
- No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2
- No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
- No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0
- No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0
- Thursday, Dec. 4
DI women’s volleyball championship history
Here is the complete history of DI women’s volleyball champions:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field is set to begin its indoor slate with a three-meet split-squad weekend. The Nittany Lions will start their week in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Penn Opener, also competing on Saturday, Dec. 6. On Saturday, there will also be Nittany Lions competing at the Bucknell Opener in Lewisburg, and the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday. Dec. 6.
Penn State is set to begin the 2025-26 indoor season while continuing to build off its success from a season ago. The men’s squad finished 12th in the Big Ten last indoor season while the women finished seventh. The squad returns six All-Americans from last year’s indoor team including 2024 First Team All-Americans Handal Roban and Hayley Kitching.
Head Coach John Gondak enters his 12th season leading the Nittany Lion track & field program. His coaching resume includes 62 First Team All-Americans and 11 Big Ten team titles.
PENN OPENER – Friday-Saturday, December 5-6
Live Results | Watch on Saturday (ESPN+)
Penn State will send seven athletes to compete at the Penn Opener. Maddie Pitts will be the lone competitor on Friday in the pentathlon.
BUCKNELL OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results
The largest group of Nittany Lions will be headed to Lewisburg to compete in the Bucknell Opener. 36 athletes in field events and sprints will be the main competition group for PSU this weekend at Bucknell.
SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)
Penn State will be sending 10 athletes to Boston for season opening action. The middle distance/distance group will make up the group competing against some of the top talent in the nation.
FULL 2025-26 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.
Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.
Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.
Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.
Sports
#11 Creighton Volleyball Outlasts Northern Colorado to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy of Rob Anderson, Creighton Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 Creighton Volleyball was pushed to the brink but survived to win its 21st straight match on Thursday evening, opening up NCAA Tournament play with a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8.
Creighton earns itself a Second Round match-up against Northern Iowa (26-5) after the sixth-seeded Panthers finished off their first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2022 with a 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 win over Utah. Creighton defeated the Panthers at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 14 to close out play at the Bluejay Invitational.
Five women had multiple kills in the first set as Creighton powered past Northern Colorado, led by six kills from Ava Martin. Martin also had a pair of aces late in the set to solidify CU’s 25-12 victory. The Jays hit .438 and had 17 kills to UNC’s six kills on .000 hitting and never trailed in the frame.
UNC snapped Creighton’s 17-set win streak with a 25-23 victory in the second set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Isabel Bennett had go-ahead kills to make it 23-22 and 24-23 and Alayna Tessena put down the winner on set point. Northern Colorado had 15 kills and 18 digs in the second set and held the Bluejays to 11 kills and .200 hitting. Martin had seven kills for CU in the second set, while Sydney Breissinger added six digs.
The Bears won the first three points of the third set and moved in front 8-4 to force an early timeout from CU head coach Brian Rosen. The stoppage did little to improve the fortunes for the hosts, who called another timeout six points later after falling behind 12-6 to the Big Sky Tournament champions. The second timeout did the trick, as the Bluejays countered with an 8-2 burst to even the score at 14-all. Northern Colorado settled down, never surrendering the lead, and led 23-20 before one last push from the hosts. Martin pounded her 18th kill of the night, and Nora Wurtz followed with her 56th ace of the fall to cut CU’s deficit to 23-22 and lead UNC coach Lydnsey Oates to call timeout. Martin slammed a cross-court kill to tie the score at 23-all, but UNC answered with a Zoe Gibbs kill for a set point opportunity. The Bears won the set on a Bluejay attack error, 25-23.
The Bluejays got off to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set thanks in part to three early UNC hitting errors, then extended the advantage to 14-6. The Jays won the set 25-17, with freshman Abbey Hayes stepping up with a team-best four kills. CU had 4.5 blocks in the set, including one of set point from Reinhardt and Martin.
Creighton got off to a quick start in the fifth frame, scoring the first three points on two Martin kills and a UNC attack error. CU led 8-3 at the changeover
Martin was dominant with 30 kills on 65 swings, while Jaya Johnson finished with 12 kills. Reinhardt rounded out the Bluejays in double figure kills with 10. Annalea Maeder closed the match with a double-double, delivering 53 assists and 20 digs.
Tessena led Northern Colorado with 14 kills, while Brynn Reines finished with 11 kills
First serve of tomorrow’s Second Round match is at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton improved to 18-14 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round … Creighton has won 21 straight matches, its third-longest streak in program history … Creighton is now 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight victories … Creighton has won its last 11 home matches this fall … Creighton is now 4-1 all-time against Northern Colorado … Creighton has won 68 straight matches over unranked foes and 56 non-televised matches in a row … Ava Martinmoved into third place in CU history in career service aces with 126 … Ava Martinhad her 25th straight match with 10 or more kills and 108th in a row with five or more kills … Ava Martin had her 13th career match with 20+ kills, and seventh this season.
Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island: TV channel, time, streaming
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