Sports

Simone Biles Tells Riley Gaines She's 'Sick' In Spat Over Trans Softball Champion

Published

7 months ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Simone Biles Tells Riley Gaines She's 'Sick' In Spat Over Trans Softball Champion

Topline

Olympic gymnast Simon Biles and former collegiate swimmer turned-right-wing activist Riley Gaines traded barbs Friday over a transgender softball champion, whom Gaines called a boy before Biles stepped in to defend the player on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Key Facts

Gaines, an outspoken critic of transgender athletes in women’s sports, pointed out the Minnesota State High School League removed comments from a post showing the winners of a softball state championship, with Gaines insisting the turned-off comments were to “be expected when your star player is a boy.”

Biles responded to Gaines’ tweet a few hours later, calling her “truly sick” and saying her campaigning against transgender athletes was all because she lost a race in college, referring to Gaines’ fifth-place tie with trans swimmer Lia Thomas in a NCAA freestyle championship event in 2022.

Biles said Gaines should be finding ways to make sports more inclusive for trans athletes or advocating for a trans category in all sports, saying in a follow-up tweet “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

“It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,” Gaines said.

Gaines later made a comparison between Biles “when she had to endure a predatory man,” showing a clip of her testimony speaking out against convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar, and Biles “when other girls have to endure predatory men,” showing her original tweet defending the trans softball champion.

Gaines continued referencing Biles Saturday morning, saying the Olympic champion “just personally attacked someone who stands up for women and girls.”

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Who Is Riley Gaines?

Gaines was a 12-time All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky before becoming a right-wing activist in the wake of her tie with Thomas. Gaines, alongside more than a dozen collegiate athletes, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA last year alleging the organization violated her civil rights by allowing Thomas to compete in the 2022 women’s swimming championship. The lawsuit is still in dispute. Gaines also hosts a podcast about identity politics in sports and other political topics.

Key Background

While transgender athlete laws have traditionally varied state to state, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February banning trans athletes from women’s sports and threatening federally funded schools at all levels with a loss of funding if they allowed trans athletes to participate in women’s categories. The NCAA complied with the order shortly after its signing, restricting competition in women’s sports to those assigned female at birth. The men’s category remains eligible to all athletes under the change, which also allows student-athletes assigned male at birth to still practice with women’s teams and receive benefits such as medical care while practicing. Of the NCAA’s over 530,000 student athletes, less than 10 are transgender, according to a testimony NCAA president Charlie Baker gave to a Senate panel last year.

Cedar Rapids wrestler chases her dream, from a volleyball player to a young star in the sport

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – When Maggie Peters is home, she’s locked in.

She lifts weights at a gym in her hometown of Cedar Rapids. But it’s not just for strength – it’s for safety.

“One things goes wrong, and you’ve got people’s lives in your hands,” she said. “I mean, you don’t want to drop somebody on their head.”

But more often than not, Peters is on the road. Her sport is professional wrestling.

She’s performed performed in front of thousands in arenas and on television. Her fights may be scripted, but her dream of reaching WWE is real.

Peters has a background in volleyball, playing at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy. But her dream has always been in the wrestling ring.

“I wanted to do it right when I started watching I wanna say I was eight or nine I would just go wrestle on my trampoline,” Peters said.

She went from the volleyball court at Mount Mercy to a wrestling school in Davenport.

“We would have a show on a Thursday night, so I would leave class early,” said Peters. “But at that point, I will say, my senior year was my worst year of school. Once I got the wrestling training done, I was like, ‘ooh, this is what I want to do.’”

In professional wrestling, the winner and loser are predetermined, unlike traditional sports.

“Pro wrestling, I will say, is like a dance,” Peters said.

But there’s nothing fake about the pain wrestlers endure, what they call “bumps.”

“Any time you get put down on the mat, you’re taking a bump. You’re hitting the top of your back,” Peters said. “Higher on your neck, sometimes, (is) not good.”

Maggie wrestles in independent shows across the Midwest under the ring name Maggie Lee. She also performs in front of thousands in TNA Wrestling as the villainous character “M By Elegance.”

“Yeah, I do like being the bad guy,” Peters said. “I’ve worked a mix of both the bad guy and the good guy on the independents. But everybody was like, ‘you look more like you as the bad guy.’ I was like, ‘gee, thanks,” Peters said.

TNA – Total Nonstop Action – is high-level televised professional wrestling, one step below WWE.

“I actually really love the whole TV aspect. It’s very organized. Being able to see myself on TV is really cool,” Peters laughed.

Maggie hopes a full-time contract with WWE is next. She’s banking on it, writing a card to her mother labeled “open when I’m in the WWE.”

“And it was one of many letters. I made them for her birthday,” Peters said.

When asked about the letter’s contents, Peters said she doesn’t remember what she wrote as a girl.

“I don’t even remember what’s in it, so I’m kind of like scared,” she said. “When she does open it, I feel like it’s going to be a big deal and I might get embarrassed.”

Sometimes she’s flying high, sometimes she’s taking bumps.

Either way, she’s racing towards her dream.

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Sports

Men’s Volleyball vs Jessup on 1/6/2026 – Box Score

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

—

UCSD subs: Chandler, Luke; Stewart, Tyler; Hornyak, Ethan.

—

JU subs: Petesch, Riley.

0-1

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

1-1

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Henning, Owen (from Marks, Colin).

1-2

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

2-2

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Knudsen, Jacob (from Marks, Colin).

2-3

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

3-3

[Wiemelt, Leo] Kill by Knudsen, Jacob (from Marks, Colin).

3-4

[Depue, Carter] Service error.

UCSD

4-4

[Luers, John] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

4-5

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

5-5

[Ewert, Josh] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

6-5

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Henning, Owen.

6-6

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

7-6

[Selcho, Peter] Kill by Marks, Colin (from Lopuch, Jan).

7-7

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

7-8

[Pravednikov, Leo] Attack error by Depue, Carter (block by Wiemelt, Leo; Luers, John).

UCSD

7-9

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Wiemelt, Leo).

UCSD

8-9

[Pravednikov, Leo] Bad set by Luers, John.

8-10

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

UCSD

8-11

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service ace (Marks, Logan).

UCSD

9-11

[Sani, Sebastiano] Service error.

9-12

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

9-13

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Osahon Jr., Clement (from Marks, Colin).

UCSD

10-13

[Wiemelt, Leo] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

10-14

[Depue, Carter] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

11-14

[Luers, John] Service error.

12-14

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Osahon Jr., Clement.

12-15

[Knudsen, Jacob] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

13-15

[Ewert, Josh] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

13-16

[Osahon Jr., Clement] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

—

UCSD subs: Hornyak, Ethan.

UCSD

13-17

[Hornyak, Ethan] Kill by Wiemelt, Leo (from Luers, John).

UCSD

14-17

[Hornyak, Ethan] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

14-18

[Marks, Colin] Kill by Sani, Sebastiano (from Luers, John).

UCSD

15-18

[Pravednikov, Leo] Kill by Henning, Owen (from Marks, Colin).

—

JU subs: Mueller, Jonas.

16-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Depue, Carter; Henning, Owen).

17-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Attack error by Sani, Sebastiano (block by Depue, Carter; Henning, Owen).

18-18

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Logan).

18-19

[Lopuch, Jan] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

19-19

[Sani, Sebastiano] Kill by Mueller, Jonas (from Marks, Colin).

20-19

[Henning, Owen] Kill by Depue, Carter (from Marks, Colin).

20-20

[Henning, Owen] Service error.

—

UCSD subs: Stewart, Tyler; Chandler, Luke.

UCSD

21-20

[Stewart, Tyler] Attack error by Chandler, Luke (block by Depue, Carter; Mueller, Jonas; Osahon Jr., Clement).

22-20

[Depue, Carter] Attack error by Selcho, Peter (block by Osahon Jr., Clement).

23-20

[Depue, Carter] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (from Luers, John).

23-21

[Depue, Carter] Kill by Ewert, Josh (from Luers, John).

UCSD

23-22

[Luers, John] Kill by Pravednikov, Leo (from Ewert, Josh).

UCSD

24-22

[Luers, John] Kill by Lopuch, Jan (from Marks, Colin).

25-22

[Knudsen, Jacob] Attack error by Pravednikov, Leo (block by Marks, Colin).

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Sports

Former CU volleyball star Sis Tebrake glad to be back in Omaha

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

OMAHA (KMTV) — She might have a new name, but Norah (Sis) Tebrake still brings the same infectious smile to the court.

The former CU volleyball star is now married to former Creighton baseball standout Dylan Tebrake.

“He’s always encouraging me and challenging me,” said Norah. “And I try to do the same for him. I think it’s such a cool dynamic.”

After spending her first pro season helping Orlando to a league title, Norah had now returned to Omaha to play for the Supernovas. But returning to her hometown actually did take some getting used to again.

“I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold,” Tebrake said. “But now coming back after spending just one winter away, I feel like I can’t handle the cold.”

Along with reuniting with some former Bluejays, Tebrake has also formed friendships with her former rivals and now current teammates, including ex-NU star Merritt Beason.

“She’s just so joyful and leads with so much grace and so much love,” said Beason. “You can see that in her play. She’s one of the best people that I’ve ever met and it’s been so fun getting to know her.”

“To have people that know just kind of what makes you tick and what you need on the court and off the court is super helpful,” Tebrake said. “Obviously we’re all learning that about each other but just to come in knowing that there’s people that already know that about me has been super comforting.”

The Novas host San Diego in the season opener on Thursday at 7 PM at CHI Health Center.

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South Shore High School Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics for 2025

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 7, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET

After a strong 2024 fall season, high school girls volleyball on the South Shore had an even better one in 2025.

There were two local state-championship-winning teams on the court this year. Oliver Ames finished off the best season in program history by winning it’s first-ever Division 2 state title in it’s second ever appearance (which came last season). On the same day, East Bridgewater followed that up with a program-first of their own, winning it’s first-ever Division 4 state championship in it’s first appearance.

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Who is the volleyball player of the year in the Montgomery area, vote

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 7, 2026, 4:05 a.m. CT

The high school volleyball season in the Montgomery area ended in late October with two area teams making pushes for state finals in Class 4A and 5A.

Prattville Christian and Montgomery Catholic ultimately fell short in the respective title matches, but it highlighted what was a successful season in the Montgomery area.

What made the high school volleyball season successful in the Montgomery area was the talent on the court.

With the calendar year turning to 2026, the Montgomery Advertiser wants to hear from the readers on which player is the best in the Montgomery area. Voting will last through Jan. 14 till noon.

2025 Montgomery area volleyball player of the year nominees

Joi McGuire, Montgomery Catholic

McGuire recorded 448 kills in the 2025 season despite the fact that she’s considered undersized at her position at 5-foot-6. McGuire was a well-rounded player on the court, not only did she chip in on the offensive side, but she contributed 512 digs on the season.

Kaci Armistead, Montgomery Academy

Armistead reached the milestone of 1,000-career digs and broke the school record in the 2025 season. Her defensive expertise led to 648 digs and 70 assists on the year. From the serving line, Armistead landed 108 aces to round out her performance.

Baylee Rogers, Prattville Christian

Rogers became the first player in school history to record 5,000 assists, landing on the AHSAA leaderboard at sixth in career assists. In the 2025 season alone, Rogers contributed 1,247 assists along with three other state lines that touched triple digits.

Elaisa Vazquez, Pike Road

As a setter, Vazquez checked all the boxes necessary in the 2025 season, grabbing 405 assists and 206 digs. Vazquez chipped in on the scoreboard with 48 kills and 26 aces, winning Pike Road’s Hard Hat award for the 2025 season.

Ellie Causey, Trinity Presbyterian

Causey played her role as a setter for the Wildcats very well, notching 890 assists and 283 digs in the 2025 season. Causey brought her career totals to 1978 assists, 525 digs, 140 aces and 121 kills.

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Asya Akbulut Signs with Vikings Ahead of 2026 Season

Published

3 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball program added an experienced setter to its 2026 roster in Asya Akbulut Tuesday.

Akbulut, a native of Ankara, Turkey, will be a senior for the Vikings this coming fall after spending her first three years at Southern Utah (one year) and Eastern Arizona (two years).

Akbulut led Southern Utah with 5.0 assists per set last season when she ranked seventh in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the category. As a sophomore at Eastern Arizona, Akbulut averaged 5.16 assists and 0.42 aces per set when she was named to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference D1 All-Region First Team.

“Asya has the experience and skills to have an impact on our program immediately,” Portland State head volleyball coach Michael Seemann said. “She has reliable hands and location and understands how to put her hitters in good situations.”

Akbulut joins a setter group that includes returning starter Ava Blascziek and junior Elisabeth Levick.

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