Nebraska Volleyball Sweeps Kansas in Spring Scrimmage
The unofficial first match of the Dani Busboom Kelly era was dominance from the home side. Nebraska volleyball swept Kansas over four sets Saturday: 25-20, 18, 21, 22. The teams had agreed before the match to play at least four sets, even if one side swept the first three. The Huskers hit .285 for the […]
The unofficial first match of the Dani Busboom Kelly era was dominance from the home side.
Nebraska volleyball swept Kansas over four sets Saturday: 25-20, 18, 21, 22. The teams had agreed before the match to play at least four sets, even if one side swept the first three.
The Huskers hit .285 for the match, holding the Jayhawks to .214. NU added eight blocks and six aces.
Box score (sets 1-3) | Gallery
With so many players seeing action and different lineups being used, there can be some difficulty gauging some of the performances. Still, here are a few takeaways from the match.
Harper Murray is a legitimate national player of the year candidate
Maybe a little early to begin the campaign, but Murray continues to make major offseason improvements. This time she added a jump serve. That new weapon resulted in an ace as she consistently kept the Jayhawk serve receive off balance.
Harper Murray (27) tips the ball over the net. / Amarillo Mullen
For the match, Murray finished with five kills and five digs. With another way to impact matches this fall, the two-time All-American should be someone that makes all the preseason watch lists.
Middles dominate
No surprise here, but Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick remain really good. The pair each had 11 kills and four blocks, hitting .556 and .524, respectively. Jackson had one of the best swings on a ball out of the back row the Devaney Center has ever seen and Allick added a service ace to her offensive production.
The Huskers celebrate a kill from Rebekah Allick (5). / Amarillo Mullen
That back row attack from Jackson is something that Busboom Kelly is happy to have after seeing the talented middle dominate a practice drill.
“We’re like, ‘we should probably do that in a game’,” Busboom Kelly said. “So we just started having her play right back when she serves and gave Bergen (Reilly) the green like to set her.
“That was really fun to see it work and it really worked. It wasn’t just kind of worked.”
A total of 13 Huskers saw time in the match, including all five freshman: Teraya Sigler, Keri Leimback, Ryan Hunter, Campbell Flynn, and Skyler Pierce.
Skyler Pierce attempts a kill in the first set. / Amarillo Mullen
Two that jumped out offensively were Sigler and Hunter. Sigler had six kills over two sets, hitting .556. Hunter tallied 11 kills and hit .563.
“Super aggressive for a freshman to come out there and swing away, and some of those out of system swings were pretty insane,” Busboom Kelly said of Hunter. “I told her… ‘your job is to block ball and kill balls and let’s not worry about anything else’ and she did that tonight.”
Don’t expect a 6-2, but the Huskers have two solid setters
The job remains Bergen Reilly’s, but if something were to happen (knock on wood), the Huskers have a good one in the reigning High School Gatorade Player of the Year Campbell Flynn. Flynn ran the offense for the third and fourth sets, which were the best (.395) and worst (.156) hitting percentage sets for the Big Red. The true freshman had 23 assist and three digs.
Reilly orchestrated the offense for the first two sets. She finished with 19 assists, one kill, one service ace, and eight digs.
Bergen Reilly sets the ball in the second set. / Amarillo Mullen
New libero in flux
Replacing the legend that was Lexi Rodriguez is no easy task, and it appears that the competition is ongoing.
Laney Choboy celebrates winning the third set. / Amarillo Mullen
Both Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch spent time at the position Saturday, getting two sets each. Choboy finished with18 digs while Mauch had 12.
“Going in and out of being libero is not easy and their stats might not be easy when we look at them tomorrow morning, but I thought their play was very, very good,” Busboom Kelly said. “It’s one of the deepest groups of liberos I’ve ever coached.”
What needs work
DBK was honest in her assessment of the match during postgame, noting that she would like to keep the middle attacking going next week but also clean up a couple other spots.
Coach Dani Busboom Kelly smiles (center) after a rally on the court. / Amarillo Mullen
“If we serve tougher and can smooth out our blocking, those would be two big areas of improvement,” Busboom Kelly said.
Next up
Nebraska heads west for another spring match. The Huskers will take on South Dakota State next Saturday at 2 p.m. CDT at Ord High School. The match will be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media and the Huskers Radio Network.
Nebraska Athletics Set Synopses
Set 1: Nebraska used a 4-0 run to take a 7-4 lead, keyed by Murray’s jump serve. She had an ace, and Landfair and Jackson each had kills. Allick pounded two kills to help NU to an 11-6 lead, and kills by Murray and Jackson made it 15-11 at the media timeout. After Kansas cut it to 15-13, Jackson had a kill and Allick had a solo block to help NU back to an 18-13 lead. But the Jayhawks answered to get within 19-18 after a 5-1 spurt. Allick terminated to keep the Huskers in front, 20-18. Allick and Jackson posted back-to-back kills to make it 23-19, and Pierce and Jackson combined for a block for set point. The Huskers won 25-20.
Set 2: NU got off to a hot start with kills by Allick and Murray. Freshman Ryan Hunter then had a kill and a block with Allick in her first collegiate action to make it 4-1. Murray and Jackson recorded kills to keep NU on top, 8-6, and Hunter tacked on two more kills for a 12-8 Husker advantage. Murray and Jackson put NU up 15-10 at the media break. Jackson smashed back-to-back kills for an 18-13 advantage, and Reilly served an ace before a kill by Allick made it 21-15. The Huskers closed out a 25-18 win to go up 2-0.
Set 3: The Huskers fought to a 9-6 lead with Hunter posting three kills, Sigler two, and Choboy serving an ace. Landfair’s second kill of the set and another by Sigler made it 11-7. Sigler tacked on another before Ryan followed suit for a 13-10 lead. But the Jayhawks answered with a 5-1 run to go ahead 15-14. Kansas then served long and Landfair tipped a kill to NU back in front. With the score tied 16-16, Allick posted a kill, and Hunter and Sigler stepped up once again for the Big Red to make it 19-17. Allick terminated again, and a block by Sigler and Jackson put the Huskers up 22-18. Hunter notched her ninth kill, and Jackson’s 10th earned set point. NU won 25-21.
Set 4: Kansas came out strong, taking a 12-8 lead. Murray stepped up with two kills and a block with Jackson to help NU rally to tie the score at 12-12 with Choboy serving the 4-0 run. Grace Nelson answered with two kills for KU to put the Jayhawks back up 14-12, but Jackson combined with Flynn for a block and tallied a kill before a Mauch ace sparked the Huskers to a 19-15 lead. Kansas stormed back to tie the score at 20-20, but the Huskers were up to the task, scoring a 4-0 run with an ace by Keri Leimbach, a block by Allick and Hunter, and a kill by Murray. Another Murray kill ended the match, 25-22.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue volleyball head coach Dave Shondell has unveiled the 2025 non-conference slate, highlighted by four home showdowns, six road matchups, all kicking-off with a preseason exhibition in West Lafayette on August 15. The Boilermakers will welcome Georgia Tech to Holloway Gymnasium for a highly anticipated home opener on Wednesday, September 3. […]
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue volleyball head coach Dave Shondell has unveiled the 2025 non-conference slate, highlighted by four home showdowns, six road matchups, all kicking-off with a preseason exhibition in West Lafayette on August 15. The Boilermakers will welcome Georgia Tech to Holloway Gymnasium for a highly anticipated home opener on Wednesday, September 3.
Purdue will take on four NCAA tournament teams during non-conference play, including three teams that appeared in the NCAA Second Round last year: Georgia Tech (9/3), Kansas (9/5) and SMU (9/14). Meanwhile, three teams were ranked in the top-22 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) final poll: No. 12 Kansas, No. 15 SMU and No. 22 Georgia Tech.
“Our team looks forward to another challenging non-conference schedule that will encourage our athletes to develop daily and entertain our fans each gameday,” said Shondell. “With four NCAA tournament teams in our first five matches, our players and coaches understand the magnitude of the off-season training and I know our 18 athletes will embrace the journey. Our non-conference schedule is brutal for a crew of young players, but the docket is designed specifically to enhance growth and provide our amazing fans with convenient opportunities to watch the Boilermakers compete.”
The Boilermakers will host the Valparaiso Beacons for an exhibition match on Friday, August 15 before the season officially begins.
Coming off one of its best seasons in program history with a 27-7 (16-4 Big Ten) record and a fourth-place finish in the league standings, the Boilermakers return 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten honoree Taylor Anderson, who not only ranked No. 8 in the nation in assists per set (11.25), but guided Purdue to its third-highest hitting % in single-season history (.280%). In addition to returning rising stars, which include Kenna Wollard, Ryan McAleer and Grace Heaney, Shondell’s incoming freshmen and transfer class set Purdue up to tie the tallest team in over 22 years, with an average front court height of 6’2″.
Checking in at No. 8 in the nation in average attendance in 2024, Purdue’s season ticket holder renewals will begin June 3 and will close July 18. Fans looking to join the waiting list can do so by contacting the Hayes Family Ticket Office at 765-494-3194. The single-season ticket on-sale date will be released at a later time.
THE WEEK-BY-WEEK BREAKDOWN
The 2025 season will begin in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Friday, August 29, where the team will take on South Florida before traveling to Nashville for the Broadway Block Party, which Purdue will face Tennessee at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET (30 minutes following the Nebraska vs. Kentucky match at 12 p.m.) on ESPN2.
Purdue will spend Week 2 in West Lafayette, hosting Georgia Tech, Bowling Green and Kansas for the Stacey Clark Classic from Wednesday, September 3 through Friday, September 5. The tournament features two top-22 ranked teams with Georgia Tech finishing last season ranked No. 22 in the AVCA poll and Kansas No. 12.
The Boilermakers will have a Tuesday midweek at Butler on September 9 before traveling to Lexington, Kentucky to take on Houston on Saturday, September 13 and SMU on Sunday, September 14, a team that finished No. 15 in the AVCA final poll in December.
The non-conference season will wrap up with an away/home pairing for Week 4, which will begin with a Friday evening match at Ball State followed by hosting IU Indy at home on Sunday, September 21.
There will be four chances to catch Purdue at home during the non-conference season, hosting Georgia Tech, Bowling Green and Kansas for the Stacey Clark Classic and IU Indy as the final match before Big Ten action begins.
Purdue’s Big Ten slate and television selections will be released at a later date.
Home Opponents: Georgia Tech (9/3), Bowling Green (9/4), Kansas (9/5), IU Indy (9/21)
True Road Opponents: Butler (9/9), Ball State (9/19)
OKC Adventure District ready for big boom from WCWS
PEOPLE. MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE WILL BE FILLING THIS AREA FOR THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, AND THOSE AT THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SAYS IT’S THE IMPACT GOES BEYOND THESE GATES. SOFTBALL IN GENERAL BRINGS OVER $40 MILLION A YEAR IN ECONOMIC IMPACT TO OUR CITY. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS COMING IN ANNUALLY. THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SEES […]
PEOPLE. MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE WILL BE FILLING THIS AREA FOR THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, AND THOSE AT THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SAYS IT’S THE IMPACT GOES BEYOND THESE GATES. SOFTBALL IN GENERAL BRINGS OVER $40 MILLION A YEAR IN ECONOMIC IMPACT TO OUR CITY. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS COMING IN ANNUALLY. THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SEES ABOUT 10 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR. THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES BRINGS IN OVER 110,000 OF THOSE VISITORS, AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, ALL TO WATCH. THE TOP EIGHT TEAMS COMPETE FOR A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. IT’S AN EVENT OKC MAYOR DAVID HOLT CALLS ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS IN SPORTS TAKING PLACE AT THE WORLD CAPITAL OF SOFTBALL. IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST, AND THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SAYS BUSINESSES PREPARE EARLY FOR THE INFLUX OF PEOPLE FROM FAN FAVORITE ATTRACTIONS. RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, WE HAVE THE FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM, WHICH HAS A LOT OF INTERESTING INFORMATION. WE HAVE THE OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO, SCIENCE MUSEUM, OKLAHOMA. THE NATIONAL COWBOY AND WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM TO NEW PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO TRY. THIS YEAR I WANT TO STOP BY BOOMBOX BEACH CLUB. IT’S OUR NEWEST ATTRACTION AND IT IS OPEN LATE NIGHT. SO AFTER YOU WRAP UP YOUR GAMES, GO BY THERE AND PLAY A COUPLE ROUNDS OF INDOOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL. THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES STARTS THURSDAY, MAY 29TH THROUGH A BEST OF THREE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES JUNE 4TH THROUGH SIXTH, AND THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES COULD OVERLAP WITH THE THUNDER IN THEIR RUN TOWARD THE NBA FINALS. THOSE WITH THE ADVENTURE DISTRICT SAY THEY’RE READY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSAN
OKC Adventure District ready for big boom from Women’s College World Series
There are only two more days until the Women’s College World Series, one of the biggest annual events in Oklahoma City, returns.
Updated: 6:08 PM CDT May 27, 2025
There are only two more days until the Women’s College World Series, one of the biggest annual events in Oklahoma City, returns. Preparations are underway at the Devon Park, and businesses in the area are also prepared for the influx of people flocking to the area. More than 100,000 people will come to Adventure District during the softball showdown. “Softball in general brings over $40 million a year in economic impact to our city,” Tiarra Harper, marketing coordinator of the OKC Adventure District, said. “Annually, the Adventure District sees about 10 million visitors a year. The Women’s College World Series brings in 110,000 of those visitors.” Hundreds of thousands of people will watch the top eight teams compete for an NCAA National Championship. >> Video Below: Sooners look to defend title as field is set for the Women’s College World SeriesIt is an event that Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt calls “one of the greatest events in sports.” “It’s one of the biggest,” Harper said. The Adventure District said businesses prepare early for the influx of people, from fan-favorite attractions to new places for people to try this year. “We have right across the street the Firefighters Museum, which has a lot of interesting information. We have the Oklahoma City Zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum,” Harper said. “You might want to stop by Boombox Beach Club. It’s our newest attraction, and it is open late night, so after you wrap up your games, go by there and play a couple rounds of indoor beach volleyball.” The Women’s College World Series starts Thursday and will run through a best-of-three championship series from June 4 to 6. The event could overlap with the Thunder if the NBA team continues its run toward the NBA Finals. Those with the Adventure District said they are ready for the opportunity to serve hundreds of thousands of visitors. Top Headlines Police identified a man fatally stabbed in OKC, prompting a search for a suspect who tried fleeing the state Severe storms brought intense winds, large hail to Oklahoma Overturned semitruck blocks inside lanes of I-44 in northeast Oklahoma City Person rushed to hospital after fire sparks at northwest Oklahoma City apartment Thunder just 1 win away from NBA Finals after Game 4 win over Timberwolves
OKLAHOMA CITY —
There are only two more days until the Women’s College World Series, one of the biggest annual events in Oklahoma City, returns.
Preparations are underway at the Devon Park, and businesses in the area are also prepared for the influx of people flocking to the area. More than 100,000 people will come to Adventure District during the softball showdown.
“Softball in general brings over $40 million a year in economic impact to our city,” Tiarra Harper, marketing coordinator of the OKC Adventure District, said. “Annually, the Adventure District sees about 10 million visitors a year. The Women’s College World Series brings in 110,000 of those visitors.”
Hundreds of thousands of people will watch the top eight teams compete for an NCAA National Championship.
>> Video Below: Sooners look to defend title as field is set for the Women’s College World Series
It is an event that Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt calls “one of the greatest events in sports.”
“It’s one of the biggest,” Harper said.
The Adventure District said businesses prepare early for the influx of people, from fan-favorite attractions to new places for people to try this year.
“We have right across the street the Firefighters Museum, which has a lot of interesting information. We have the Oklahoma City Zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum,” Harper said. “You might want to stop by Boombox Beach Club. It’s our newest attraction, and it is open late night, so after you wrap up your games, go by there and play a couple rounds of indoor beach volleyball.”
The Women’s College World Series starts Thursday and will run through a best-of-three championship series from June 4 to 6.
The event could overlap with the Thunder if the NBA team continues its run toward the NBA Finals. Those with the Adventure District said they are ready for the opportunity to serve hundreds of thousands of visitors.
15 Buffs Set for NCAA Outdoor Track and Field West Regional First Rounds
COLLEGE STATION — The University of Colorado track and field program will send 15 student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, held May 28–31 in College Station, Texas, and hosted by Texas A&M. The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+. Buff fans can track live results on Flash Results throughout the competition. The men […]
COLLEGE STATION — The University of Colorado track and field program will send 15 student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, held May 28–31 in College Station, Texas, and hosted by Texas A&M.
The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+. Buff fans can track live results on Flash Results throughout the competition.
The men will open competition at the NCAA West Preliminary meet on Wednesday, May 28. Gustavo Alfonso will get things started for the Buffs in the javelin, qualifying with a seventh-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Isaiah Givens, Lukas Haug, and Grady Rauba will represent Colorado in the first round of the 1,500 meters, while Cole Romig will compete in the 400-meter hurdles. James Overberg will close out the day for CU in the 10,000 meters. On Friday, May 30, Noah Bouchard (high jump) and Kole Mathison (3,000-meter steeplechase) will compete for the men.
Thursday, three CU women are set to begin the competition. Helen Carlson will race in the 800 meters, and Alaina Fantaski will throw in the javelin, while Abbey Nechanicky will aim to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters.
Two Buffs, Hannah Prosser and Dean Casey, also qualified for the regional but scratched due to injuries sustained during the season.
Buffaloes’ scheduled events:
Wednesday, May 28
Thursday, May 29
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
If the Buffs qualify, they will continue with the men’s semifinal races on Friday and the women’s semifinal races on Saturday. Those who punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships will compete from June 11 to 14 in Eugene, Oregon.
A-State volleyball, basketball season ticket renewal process announced, new season tickets on sale
Jonesboro, AR — (Contributed) — May 27, 2025 — The Arkansas State University Athletics Department has launched its 2025 volleyball and 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball season-ticket renewal process, as well as announced that new season tickets are on sale for all three sports coming off Sun Belt Conference championships. The Red Wolves’ volleyball and […]
Jonesboro, AR — (Contributed) — May 27, 2025 — The Arkansas State University Athletics Department has launched its 2025 volleyball and 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball season-ticket renewal process, as well as announced that new season tickets are on sale for all three sports coming off Sun Belt Conference championships.
The Red Wolves’ volleyball and men’s basketball teams both claimed Sun Belt regular season titles this past year while advancing to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship (NIVC) and National Invitational Tournament (NIT), respectively. A-State’s women’s basketball program won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2024-25 before making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Season-ticket prices for the 2025 volleyball campaign remain unchanged, while changes to the pricing structure for men’s and women’s basketball are being implemented for the first time in over a decade. The season-tickets renewal deadline for all three sports is set for Aug. 1, 2025.
Lower-level men’s basketball tickets will continue to require a per-seat donation to the Red Wolves Foundation (RWF). Those donations count toward the rewards-based priority points system to provide better opportunities for not only home ticket options, parking locations and activities surrounding home A-State game days, but also ticket options for future postseason appearances. Information about priority points can be found by clicking here.
Information and pricing for men’s and women’s basketball suites at First National Bank Arena can be obtained by contacting the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401.
New this season, a 5% “One Pack” fee will be applied to ticket prices only (not the per-season donation to the Red Wolves Foundation) for all ticketed A-State sports. The minimal fee will allow A-State Athletics to be more aligned with various initiatives being implemented by peer institutions across the country with sweeping changes occurring within the college athletics landscape.
New season ticket purchases can be made by clicking here. Renewals can be completed by clicking here and logging into the ticket holder’s account. Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to the Red Wolves Foundation by e-mailing redwolvesfoundation@astate.edu or calling 870-972-2401.
Ex-Arkansas guard Johnson brings big-game experience
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Grand Canyon head coach Winston Gandy and the women’s basketball program added a veteran piece to Gandy’s first Lopes roster in 5-foot-9 shooting guard Karley Johnson. Johnson, who hails from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, spent the past three seasons at Arkansas and enters GCU as a senior for the 2025-26 season. […]
Grand Canyon head coach Winston Gandy and the women’s basketball program added a veteran piece to Gandy’s first Lopes roster in 5-foot-9 shooting guard Karley Johnson.
Johnson, who hails from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, spent the past three seasons at Arkansas and enters GCU as a senior for the 2025-26 season.
Johnson’s playing time increased throughout her career in the Southeastern Conference, playing in 30 games last season with nine starts in 15.4 minutes per game. She averaged 2.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals during her junior season while playing significant minutes against the nation’s best teams, including Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and UCLA.
Prior to Arkansas, Johnson was a 2022 McDonald’s All-American nominee and earned Oklahoman’s Super 5 Honorable Mention choice four times from 2019-22. She was named to the All-City (Little City) First Team in 2021 and Second Team in 2019 and 2020, along with VYPE Top 100 selection in 2020 and 2021. She transferred to Mustang High School prior to her junior year, helping lead the Broncos to a No. 12 state ranking.
Johnson’s name joins six other incoming Lopes who have been signed this offseason, including:
Stanford Women’s Basketball, Softball Appear Set Up For Future Dominance
Softball and women’s basketball. Even with golf, water polo and a number of terrific women’s sports programs on campus, those two often come to mind when people think of women’s sports at Stanford. For decades, women’s basketball has been in the upper echelon of the NCAA, with legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer guiding the program […]
Softball and women’s basketball. Even with golf, water polo and a number of terrific women’s sports programs on campus, those two often come to mind when people think of women’s sports at Stanford.
For decades, women’s basketball has been in the upper echelon of the NCAA, with legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer guiding the program to 13 Final Fours and three national titles during her 38 years in charge.
Softball saw extreme success from the late 1990s until the early 2010s and after half a decade of struggle, have since returned to national prominence under current head coach, Jessica Allister. But are both of these programs well equipped for future success?
When it comes to the Cardinal women’s basketball program, you can never count them out. Even though they experienced their worst season since the 1980s by going 16-15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1987, it all came during a major time of change–with the program being in a new conference and having a new head coach in Kate Paye.
But, the Cardinal have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation coming in for 2025-26, bringing in three five-star prospects in Hailee Swan, Lara Somfai and Alex Eschmeyer and two four-stars in Nora Ezike and Carly Amborn.
Most of Stanford’s teams have had superstar players, from the Ogwumike sisters to Cameron Brink. However, this season saw the program really struggle to figure out who that headlining player was, but having Somfai, Swann and Eschmeyer enter the mix for next season could see the Cardinal reestablish that star-studded identity that made them so good for all those years and return to the NCAA tournament after a one season absence.
When it comes to softball, more dominance could be on the horizon. A large number of the key contributors from this season, such as Joie Economides, River Mahler, Emily Jones, Kyra Chan and Zoe Prystajko, among a slew of others are slated to return for next season and beyond.
Assuming a limited number of those players enter the portal, the Cardinal have the opportunity to put together a lineup with a lot of continuity.
Despite a strong 42-13 record and being ranked in the Top 25 for almost the entire season, this season can actually be considered a down year for the Cardinal in many regards, losing in the NCAA regional and falling just short of a third straight Women’s College World Series appearance–a good sign that the best is still yet to come.
This was the first season that the Cardinal were in the ACC and they still did very well. Now they will enter 2026 with a season under their belt in the conference and a largely familiar roster, the ceiling of success for Stanford could be very high.
Both programs have invested a lot in their futures and have high expectations for themselves on a yearly basis. From what they have shown historically, it would not be surprising at all if both softball and women’s basketball return to be being among the best in the country as soon as next season.
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