Sports

NJIT Men's and Women's Tennis Joins Big South Conference

Published

6 months ago

June 26, 2025

New Jersey Institute of Technology has accepted an invitation from the Big South Conference and will join the NCAA Division I league as an associate member in the sports of men’s and women’s tennis, effective for the 2025-26 academic year.

“We are immensely excited to welcome three highly competitive tennis programs to the Big South Conference while continuing to provide optimal student-athlete experiences in the sports of Men’s and Women’s Tennis,” stated Big South Conference Commissioner Sherika A. Montgomery. “With the recent addition of a Fall Individual Championship and championship expansion opportunities, our membership has remained committed to supporting the sport of tennis. We look forward to welcoming the tennis student-athletes from Bryant University and NJIT.”

Big South Conference Homepage | Big South Conference Official Release

With the Big South Conference adding NJIT men’s and women’s tennis and Bryant men’s tennis, next season the conference will have six women’s teams: Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Longwood, NJIT, Presbyterian and UNC Asheville and have six men’s team: Bryant, Gardner-Webb, Longwood, NJIT, Presbyterian and UNC Asheville.

“We are very excited for our men’s and women’s tennis teams to be joining the Big South Conference,” said Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan. “Our tennis student- athletes deserve a conference in which to compete. I am glad to have been able to connect with Commissioner Montgomery early on in our search for a new home, and we are excited to compete for a Big South Conference tennis championship this upcoming year.”

The NJIT men’s tennis team was ranked fifth in the ITA Northeast Region as a team, coming off a tremendous season with an 18-4 overall record in 2025 and a second consecutive trip to the Southland Conference Championship Match. Pablo Perez Ramos and Nejc Skorjanc were ranked the eighth-best doubles tandem in the region, while Perez Ramos landed ninth on the regional list in singles play.

“We’re really excited to be joining the Big South Conference for men’s tennis and starting a new chapter in NJIT Tennis,” said Marco Matteucci who will be entering his fifth season as head coach. “We are very happy to be able to keep competing at a high level, face new challenges and have the opportunity to compete for a championship. Thank you to the conference for welcoming us—we’re looking forward to the future ahead of us!”

NJIT women’s tennis was ranked seventh in the ITA Northeast Region after posting a 13-6 overall record this season. Additionally, Irene Cocero and Laura Wipfli were ranked #10 in the Northeast Regional rankings in doubles competition. NJIT concluded the 2024-25 season with its fourth consecutive trip to the Southland Conference Tournament and second Southland Conference semifinal appearance. The 13 overall wins this season marks the fourth straight season of double-digit victories.

“We are truly honored and grateful to join the Big South Conference,” said Patricia Piorkowski McDonald who will enter her fourth season at the helm of the Highlander women. “It’s an exciting step forward for the NJIT tennis program. I am looking forward to growing together in competition, sportsmanship, and shared excellence.

The NJIT men’s and women’s tennis programs will participate in the Big South’s Championship Tournaments (top 4 teams in the standings) and will be eligible for the league’s automatic berths to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Tournaments.

The 2026 Big South Conference Championship dates are October 24-26, 2025 (Tennis Individual Singles & Doubles) and April 15-18, 2026 (Tennis Championships) in Lexington, SC at the Lexington County Tennis Complex.

About the Big South Conference
For more than 40 years, the Big South Conference has been an exemplary leader in college athletics since its founding in 1983, dedicated to developing student-athletes through the pursuit of excellence in the classroom, community and field of play. The league’s growing presence as an NCAA Division I athletic conference is made evident by its multitude of athletic accomplishments, innovative marketing and media partnerships, increased television packages and most importantly, its commitment to fostering the academic, personal, social, athletic and leadership development of its student-athletes. Comprised of nine full member institutions sharing a common geographic region and similar academic values and purposes, the Big South’s remarkable history of achievement is characterized by the league’s 19 championship sports and the profound academic and life successes of its more than 3,200 student-athletes. This has evolved into the conference’s “Where Winners Are Made” mantra as part of a strategic emphasis through its six Core Values of Academic Centrality; Athletic Excellence; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Integrity; Sportsmanship & Fair Play; and Student-Athlete Welfare. For more information, visit www.BigSouthSports.com.

Related Topics:academic athlete athletic big coach college competition complex happy history marketing media Men new rankings season social sports team technology tennis university

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No. 3 Volleyball Faces No. 1 Pittsburgh in Final Four – Texas A&M Athletics

Published

16 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 3 seed Texas A&M volleyball team faces No. 1 seed Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament Final Four Thursday evening at the T-Mobile Center with first serve set for 5:30 p.m.

The Aggies punched their first ticket to the national semifinals following a pair of five set victories at the Lincoln Regional. They faced No. 2 seed Louisville in the Sweet 16, reverse sweeping the Cardinals to secure the program’s third Elite Eight berth. They followed that up the next day handing the undefeated No. 1 overall seed Nebraska Cornhuskers their first loss of the season and first home loss since 2022 to go further than any team in Texas A&M history had gone.

In the opening contest of the regional the Aggies embodied their team saying, ‘grit’, as they came back from a two-set deficit to defeat Louisville. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla set the tone for the weekend, blocking a program postseason record 12 swings in the match. Offensively, three Aggies hit double-digit kills paced by Logan Lednicky’s 20 and followed by Kyndal Stowers and Emily Hellmuth who added 17 and 12, respectively.

Following that up two days later, the Maroon & White took down the top-ranked Cornhuskers marking the second time in program history they had defeated the nation’s best and first time in 30 years. In what was an instant classic, Texas A&M secured the victory thanks to a complete team performance which included team postseason records in kills (75), blocks (17) and aces (9).

The Matchup
Thursday’s matchup versus Pittsburgh will be the seventh all-time meeting between the programs. The Panthers hold an advantage in the series at 4-2, but that margin shrink by one when they face off on a neutral court to 3-2. Pittsburgh claimed the most recent matchup between the teams, winning in three sets in 2022.

Texas A&M holds the slight advantage in games played on a neutral court this year at 4-1 compared to the Panthers’ 3-1. When playing away from in totality the Aggies boast a 16-3 record, while Pittsburgh is 13-4.

Looking at the stat sheet, the Maroon & White lead Pittsburgh in three of the seven team statistical categories including kills per set, assists per set and digs per set, while the Panthers leads in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, aces per set and blocks per set.

Tracks and Trends
Logan Lednicky has recorded double-digit kills in her last 21 matches and passed Hollann Hans for the rally-scoring kills record and ranks third overall in career kills at Texas A&M.

Ifenna Cos-Okpalla has logged five or more blocks in her last five games and is six blocks away from tying the program record for career blocks of 562. She is also one block from the single season record.

The Aggies have recorded 10 or more blocks as a team in five-consecutive games.

Streaming & Stats
Fans can watch the match on the ESPN and follow stats on 12thman.com.

Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.

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No. 3 Volleyball earns three AVCA All-America honors

Published

31 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 3 Texas Volleyball saw three athletes earn All-America honors on Wednesday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced.

Junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford was named a First Team All-American for the second-straight season, first with Texas. Stafford led the Longhorns this season in kills (516), service aces (33) and points (580.5). After 30 matches, Stafford averaged 4.69 kills per set and hit for .360. On top of her offense, the AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist added 52 blocks and a team-leading 11 solo blocks.

Her 516 kills in her first year as a Longhorn is the sixth-most in a single season in UT history, while her 4.69 kills per set ranks eighth. Stafford later climbed to No. 5 on the Individual Match Records list with 32 kills.

Freshman Cari Spears was named a Third Team All-American after starting all 30 matches as a rightside. The Frisco, Texas native was named the SEC Freshman of the Week five times, was a two-time SEC player of the Week and AVCA Player of the Week once. It was the first time in two years a freshman earned the weekly honor. Spears ended the year with the second-most kills on the team (358) and combined for 3.25 kills per set and hit .295.

Senior libero Emma Halter earned Honorable Mention in her final year as a Longhorn. Halter ended the season with 396 digs, 167 assists and 24 service aces. In four years, Halter totaled 1,307 digs – the eighth-most in Texas history for an individual’s career. She also broke the Texas record in digs in a three-set match against Florida A&M with 25.

Wednesday’s honors gave the Longhorns their 62^nd All-American and 115^th honor.

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Four Members of Pack Volleyball Earn Academic All-District Honors

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1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

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GREENWOOD, Ind. – Four members of the NC State volleyball team earned Academic All-District Honors as announced by College Sport Communicators (formerly known as CoSIDA) Tuesday afternoon.

The award recognizes student-athletes for their performance in the classroom in addition to on the court. To qualify, one must have a grade point average of 3.5 and be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically.

Lily Cropper, Sydney Daniels, and Elaisa Villar earn the honor for the first time in their career while Courtney Bryant earns it for the second year in a row.

Bryant is the first student-athlete to earn the honor consecutively since Brie Merriweather did so in 2012 and 2013.

Cropper, Villar and Byrant appeared in all al 30 matches for the Wolfpack this season, while stuffing the stat sheet for their respective positions.

Daniels also appeared in all 30 matches for the Pack as a defensive specialist and wore the libero jersey for eight of those matches.

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Catherine Burke Brings Depth at Middle Blocker for Demon Deacons Volleyball

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest volleyball program and head coach Jeff Hulsmeyer announced the signing of Catherine Burke on Wednesday.

Burke will join the Demon Deacons’ roster for the 2026-27 school year with one final season of eligibility remaining.

Catherine Burke | 6-3 | Middle Blocker | Glenview, Ill. | Penn State

Competing as a middle blocker, Burke comes to DEACTOWN from Penn State, where she spent the last three years. In 2024, she was a member of the Nittany Lions’ national championship roster while also landing a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten Team. An Illinois native, Burke ranked as the No. 86 recruit overall and No. 4 in the state by PrepDig.com as a four-year standout at Loyola Academy. Within club volleyball, she played multiple years with both Wildcat Juniors and Adversity VBC.

Personal

Catherine is the daughter of Jim and Erin Burke, as her father, Jim, played lacrosse at Colby College. She has one older brother, Jack, who played hockey at Navy, one older sister Annabelle, who played lacrosse at Michigan, and three younger sisters: Emma, Nora, and Lily.

From Coach Hulsmeyer

“I’m very excited about the addition of Catherine to our program. She has consistently performed at the highest level against the best players in the country. It is all those players like her who work behind the scenes that create championships as it did for Penn State. A special thanks to Tina Readling on our staff, who was able to see the contributions Catherine made and what she brings to Wake Forest as a graduate student.”

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Baylor’s Ezekiel one of three finalists for The Bowerman

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

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GRAPEVINE, Texas – Baylor’s first-ever finalist for college track & field’s most prestigious honor, reigning NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles champion Nathaniel Ezekiel will join the two other male finalists and three female semifinalists for The Bowerman Presentation on Thursday at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.

Hosted by ESPN broadcaster and former University of Indiana runner Larra Overton, The Bowerman Presentation will be streamed live by RunnerSpace beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the red-carpet entrance to the Grapevine Ballroom. The Bowerman is given annually to the top collegiate track and field men’s and women’s athlete of the year.

A nine-time All-American and six-time Big 12 champion, Ezekiel capped off his collegiate career by winning the NCAA outdoor 400-meter hurdles title with a school-record time of 47.49. He also broke the school indoor mark in the 400 meters (44.74), winning the silver medal at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Ezekiel, who represented his native Nigeria at the 2024 Olympics in the 400 hurdles, turned pro this summer and finished fourth at the World Track and Field Championships with a Nigerian-record time of 47.11.

The other male finalists are Ja’Kobe Tharp from Auburn, who won NCAA championships in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles; and Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony, who swept NCAA titles in the indoor 60 meters and outdoor 100 meters.

On the women’s side, the finalists are distance runner Pamela Kosgei from New Mexico, 3,000-meter steeplechaser Doris Lemngole from Alabama and 400-meter hurdler Savannah Sutherland from Michigan. Five of the six schools have finalists for the first time in their programs’ history.

Last year’s winners were University of Texas decathlete Leo Neugebauer and record-setting distance runner Parker Valby from Florida.

The RunnerSpace live stream is available at: https://the-bowerman-presentation.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=14920&do=videos&video_id=436664

For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

– BaylorBears.com-

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Three-Time National Champion Sits Atop Women’s Volleyball Postseason Poll

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2025 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Postseason Poll is topped by Indiana Wesleyan after the Wildcats won their third Red Banner in three years.

Both Indiana Wesleyan and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) made moves up seven spots in the postseason poll. Nine other teams made a move up, including Cornerstone (Mich.) and Huntington (Ind.), who joined the Top 25 from receiving votes. Three teams remained at the same rank as the final season edition of the Top 25: Concordia (Neb.), Corban (Ore.) and Mobile (Ala.).

Receiving Votes: Northwest (Wash.) 44, Park (Mo.) 43, Taylor (Ind.) 35, Southern Oregon 29, Walla Walla (Wash.) 28, Marian (Ind.) 20, Montana-Northern 19, Nelson (Texas) 14, Columbia International (S.C.) 14, Grand View (Iowa) 12, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3, OUAZ(Ariz.) 3, Bethel (Kan.) 2

Poll Methodology

The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
For the Preseason Poll, there is no “previous ranking” column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.