CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men’s volleyball team recorded historic performances, faced some of the top teams in the nation, and again reached the EIVA Tournament as it had a strong showing in 2025. 

The Crimson opened its season 5,000 miles from home and set high expectations for its season as it pushed the No. 4 nationally ranked University of Hawaii to five sets in its second match up. 

After the trip, Harvard returned home for several straight weeks and added five wins to its record.  Of those wins were a historic victory over No. 17 Penn State and two sweeps of Sacred Heart to start EIVA 3-1 for the second straight season. 

The Crimson eventually clinched the No. 6 seed in the EIVA Tournament to earn a spot in the postseason for the fourth straight year.  Harvard’s season then came to an end as it battled against Penn State in the opening round. 

Harvard finished the year with an overall record of 9-15 and had four players earn All-EIVA honors.  James Bardin and Logan Shepherd represented the Crimson on the second team while Zach Berty and Owen Woolbert received honorable mention honors. 

At the conclusion of the 2025 season the Crimson says goodbye to seven seniors including Andrew Lobo, James Bardin, Callum Diak, Xuanthe Nguyen, Cooper Ribman, Logan Shepherd, and Owen Fanning.  The seven made impacts both on and off the court that have impact Harvard immensely over the past four season and will continue to show in the coming years. 

 

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic football announced on Monday morning that the Owls will travel to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, to face the University of Florida.
 
The meeting will be the fifth time that the two teams have squared off, each being played in “The Swamp”. The first two were played under the direction of Florida Atlantic’s inaugural Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger. In 2007 the Owls’ first championship season, FAU fell 59-20 to the then-defending National Championship team. Schnellenberger also led the Owls into Gainesville in 2011, the legendary coach’s final season to roam the sideline. A 2015 Charlie Partridge-led team would force the Gators into overtime, ultimately falling 20-14. Their most recent meeting was in 2021 when a Willie Taggart-led team fell to UF by a score of 35-14.

COMPLETE 2025 SCHEDULE

Click HERE.

  

2026 NON-CONFERENCE

Sept. 5 at Florida in Gainesville, Fla.

Sept. 19 vs FIU in Boca Raton, Fla.

Sept. 26 at ULM in Monroe, La.

 

2027 NON-CONFERENCE

Sept. 18 at FIU in Miami, Fla.

Sept. 25 vs. ULM in Boca Raton, Fla.

Oct. 2 at Missouri in Columbia Mo.

 

SEASON TICKETS

To purchase season tickets, click HERE.

GROUP TICKETS

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Valley City State University has two track and field athletes headed Marion, Ind. to compete at the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship from May 21-23.
 
VCSU’s senior Kendra Odegard is set to compete in the javelin on Wednesday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
 
Odegard nationally qualified with the ‘B’ standard in the Javelin at the Marauders Open on Saturday, March 22 with a 42.10-meter throw. She has now nationally qualified in the javelin in each of her four years at VCSU. Entering nationals Odegard ranks ninth in the nation in the javelin.
 
Viking sophomore Olivia Backus is set to compete in the high jump on Friday, May 23 at 1:00 p.m. CT.
 
Backus qualified at the NSAA conference championships after hitting the ‘B’ standard successfully clearing 1.66-meters. She ranks T22 in nation in the high jump. This marks Backus’s first trip to nationals.
 
There will be live results and a live stream provided by the NAIA to cover the National Championships.
 
View Schedule of Events | Watch Live
 

The San Diego Mesa College women’s beach volleyball team triumphed in the 3C2A Championship, showcasing exceptional skill and teamwork throughout the tournament held at Long Beach City College.

With a perfect record throughout the tournament and crucial contributions from all team members, with pairs Gomez and Mojica, Kiefer and Go Soco, Coronado and Luna all having perfect records in the tournament, the Olympians solidified their status as a powerhouse in collegiate beach volleyball.

In their opening match against the 10th-seeded Cerritos College Falcons, the Olympians delivered a commanding performance, winning decisively 4-1. Star pairs Myah Gomez and Jaiden Mojica, and Halen Kiefer and Lia Go Soco both contributed with impressive 2-0 victories. Maria Coronado and Eva Luna also won 2-0 for a collective 4-1 win over the Falcons.

In the quarterfinal match against Feather River College, Gomez and Mojica recorded a win, while Kiefer and Go Soco and Coronado and Luna maintained their perfect records, leading the Olympians to a 3-1 victory. Gomez and Mojica won 2-1, and both Kiefer and Go Soco and Coronado and Luna secured 2-0 victories. The team advanced to the championship match against Fresno City College, where Gomez and Mojica won 2-0, and Coronado and Luna and Nguyen and Town also claimed victories with 2-0 scores, resulting in a 3-1 team win and clinching the championship title.

After the impressive performance in the team championship match the team had one more goal and that was to win the pairs star championship. Undoubtedly the women showed grit and determination but ended up falling short in the semi finals against Santa Monica College.

Mojica and Gomez entered the tournament with determination, showcasing their skills in the championship bracket. In the opening round, they faced off against Mira Costa College, emerging victorious in a tightly contested match. The pair kicked off the contest with a strong performance, claiming the first set 21-15. However, Mira Costa rallied back, winning the second set by the same score of 21-15. The match reached a thrilling conclusion in the third and final set, where Mojica and Gomez showed their resilience, clinching a narrow 15-12 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, the Mesa women’s duo faced Palomar College. They continued their impressive form, and determination to make a name for themselves displaying strategic plays, clear and concise communication and strong teamwork. Mojica and Gomez dominated the first set, winning 21-16, and they maintained their momentum in the second set, edging out Palomar 21-18, thereby securing a spot in the semifinals. As the journey would end there as they fell to Santa Monica College.

‘The Plague’ captures the suffocating dread of being young, isolated, and targeted by other peers.

We’re inside the pool, looking up. Everything is still. A body plunges in. It shatters the calm. Bubbles explode like fireworks. Another splash follows, then another. Heads dip under and rise again. Legs kick furiously, desperate and uncoordinated. The kids kick their feet to stay above the water. Their movements aren’t graceful. It’s pure survival. Each kick is a plea to stay above, to breathe. We quickly realise they’re kids in a water polo practice who have been tossed into the deep end of the pool. Twelve is the age when life stops being still. It’s when the calm ends and the struggle begins.

It’s hard to believe ‘The Plague’ is Charlie Polinger’s first feature film. His direction is remarkably confident, distinct, and entirely his own. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard to rapturous applause, and I’m sure it will go down as one of the most promising debuts of the year. A chilling descent into the horrors of bullying, ‘The Plague’ captures the suffocating dread of being young, isolated, and targeted by other peers. It’s one of the most effective horror films on the subject ever made. And yes, that includes Brian DePalma’s Carrie. This is no light compliment.

“I wanted to explore the violence and vulnerability of boyhood in a way I hadn’t seen on screen. Many coming-of-age films, particularly about boys, tend to be comedic or nostalgic, but for me, being 12 felt more like a living hell of social anxiety,” Polinger tells CairoScene.

In the film, this anxiety stems mostly from the fear of getting acne. Only the kids in this water polo team refer to it as “the plague”.

It’s something we’ve all felt at that age. That feeling when you wake up and go straight to the mirror. You’re afraid of what you’ll see. Your fingers already reaching for skin that might betray you. And then you spot it. A red bump forming on your forehead, cheek, or chin. You feel that slow panic build up. The way your confidence vanishes in seconds. The walk to class feels longer. Every glance feels like judgment. You keep your head down, avoid eye contact, and pray no one notices. It’s not just about skin. It’s about shame, exposure, and the unbearable feeling that everyone’s looking. Even when they’re not.

Polinger shoots this very specific stage of puberty like a body horror film, and it works brilliantly. It’s one of those ideas that feels so obvious in retrospect, you wonder why no one’s done it before. Even if this ground has been explored, it’s never been shot quite like this. The cinematography is incredibly stylised, and the score is deeply unsettling. Together, they turn adolescence into something monstrous.

The film focuses on Ben, a quiet and observant newcomer who becomes the target of increasing cruelty and humiliation from his peers. At the centre of their fixation is “the plague,” a slang term they use to describe acne. It’s treated like a contagious curse. What begins as teasing escalates into ritualistic torment. The kids unite against whoever shows signs of the infection. The story explores how fear, shame, and group dynamics contribute to the brutal enforcement of conformity. With haunting visuals and a disturbing sound design, ‘The Plague’ captures the suffocating anxiety of being young, vulnerable, and different.

The coach, played by Joel Edgerton, is a steady presence on the sidelines. He’s there to keep things in order. When he suspects bullying, he confronts Ben and tells him that this, like everything in life, will eventually pass. But kids don’t have the patience to wait. When they’re being bullied, time doesn’t move forward. It slows down. Every second stretches. What adults call “a phase” feels, in the moment, like forever.

The cast of child actors is incredible, especially Everett Blunck in the lead role and Kayo Martin as Jake, the ringleader of the bullies. Jake has a way of spotting the tiniest flaw. You see a smirk creep across his face. He’s like a lion who’s just spotted a wounded prey. The moment he realises Ben has a lisp, he locks onto it. Calls it out, mocks him, and turns it into a nickname that sticks like a scar.

The film also explores how you can find yourself on both sides of the line, bullied or bully. And when you do it just to fit in, being the bully can feel frustrating and painful. There’s a particular kind of ache that comes from betraying your own sense of right and wrong just to avoid becoming a target yourself. It’s the slow burn of shame. The quiet guilt that lingers long after the laughter fades. It’s not the pain of being hurt. It’s the pain of hurting someone else. The film doesn’t let you look away from that. It shows you the ugly side of both ends and makes you sit with it.

Just when you think you know where the film is headed, it surprises you. The ending, in particular, stayed with me. It’s cathartic in a way that sneaks up on you. It felt raw, emotional, and beautifully earned. A big part of that impact comes from its killer soundtrack, which features a perfectly placed Moby track that elevates the final moments into something unforgettable.