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Standout WNBA tech partnerships in the early season

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Standout WNBA tech partnerships in the early season

The WNBA started its regular season last week, and with it came the tipping off of a few tech partnerships for teams that stood out as innovative — not just among their league peers but throughout the industry.

Let’s cover a lot of ground in quick fashion by diving into three that touched many aspects of sports business: the Storm and data firm Kraft Analytics Group; the Liberty and muscular-imaging startup Springbok Analytics; and the Mercury and Fortress.

The partnership: The Storm became the first WNBA client to begin using KAGR’s data warehouse and analytics solution.

The reason it stands out: This is a move to set a tech foundation that will ultimately connect data sets for more personalized fan messaging and offerings.

Rohre Titcomb, the Storm’s COO, told me that one of her primary tasks since joining the franchise roughly two years ago was taking the handoff on building a more connected digital infrastructure for the organization to continue capitalizing.

The Storm, according to Titcomb, experienced significant growth last year on top of the rising popularity of the WNBA and other women’s sports in North America. KAGR stood out among the handful of companies the Storm vetted as a partner due to the consulting expertise KAGR could provide on top of the connective digital tissue that webbed the Storm’s info stores.

“They already have the relationships and know-how, from a platform standpoint, based on the strategic consulting services to build out something that really can serve ticketing partnerships, merch, our youth basketball program,” Titcomb said. “For us, we really wanted to have an approach that was going to allow us to really have all of our systems talking together and have a unified look at our fans.”

Added KAGR CEO Jessica Gelman: “I’m just really proud to be partnering with this brand, with this leadership team, that has been setting the benchmark in women’s sports for a long time.”

The partnership: The Liberty and Springbok Analytics, one of SBJ’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Tech Companies in 2023. The team is the first WNBA client for the AI-powered body-scan startup.

The reason it stands out: Liberty players will receive support from a firm with a constantly growing expertise in analyzing professional women athletes. Springbok Analytics, which takes 2D MRI scans and turns them into 3D digital twins for interactive muscular breakdowns, has steadily built a women’s athlete database to better cater to the varying body types across the total spectrum. With more data comes the capability to personalize training, injury management and recovery.

The move comes on the heels of Springbok’s season-long deployment with Unrivaled, which helped in the day-to-day care of athletes but also maintained a health monitoring regimen that kept the stars of the 3-on-3 league healthy for the WNBA season as well.

“Most of what we’ve learned about how muscles work and how they relate to performance is based on studies of men,” said Dr. Silvia Blemker, chief science officer and co-founder of Springbok Analytics, to me earlier this year. “… At the outset, we need to be able to advance the field to account for the differences in how the bodies are essentially deigned or shaped between males or females.”

The partnership: The Mercury tap fan experience company Fortress for the creation of PHX ID experience inside its ecosystem.

The reason it stands out: PHX ID is going to exist in the combined app for the Mercury, Suns and PHX Arena, which will lean on a QR code that can serve multiple purposes (scanning tickets, paying at concessions/merch stands, and house rewards). PHX ID features integrations with Ticketmaster and PayPal for Fortress, which has worked in the arena since 2023, starting with self-scanning ticketing kiosks.

Fan ID programs and loyalty platforms have all worked toward creating reward mechanisms for fans, no matter if they’re cheering from in-venue or at home. This is a unique engagement deployment that will work toward better snapshots of fans that are connected to the Mercury.

“We have a lot of new season ticket members this season, so it’s a great opportunity to show them how we continue to innovate and elevate the fan experience through new initiatives like PHX ID,” said Aaron Jerz, CFO for the Mercury and Suns. “We introduced PHX ID to fans in advance through exclusive member events leading up to the start of the season. We saw huge success with PHX ID at the Mercury home opener, and fans had the opportunity to see how seamless it made their gameday experience.”

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Indiana volleyball vs Colorado NCAA tournament final score, game updates, next

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7:57 pm ET December 5, 2025

When does Indiana volleyball play next? Indiana volleyball next game, opponent in NCAA tournament

Aaron Ferguson

Details are still to come on the next weekend of the NCAA tournament. The certainties: IU is headed to Austin, Texas as UT hosts that quadrant as the No. 1 seed. The first and second rounds in Austin will finish Saturday night. No. 8-seed Penn State awaits the winner of Texas and Florida A&M in Saturday’s second round match.

7:55 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball celebrates Sweet 16 berth

Aaron Ferguson

Here’s how it looked as IU won its second-round match against Colorado:

7:50 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball highlights in win vs Colorado

Aaron Ferguson

Here’s a look inside Wilkinson Hall for IU’s win:

7:42 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball stats in win vs Colorado

Aaron Ferguson

The Hoosiers hit .378 for the match and had an 11-2 blocking advantage against the Buffs. The serving pressure wasn’t there like it was against Toledo, but IU played solid defensively and were able to clinch its second Sweet 16 appearance — its other was 15 years ago in 2010.

Candela Alonso-Corcelles led the way with 16 kills with just one error on 27 swings, an efficient .556. Freshman Jaidyn Jager added 15 kills (.375). The middles did plenty of work with Madi Sell having seven blocks and Victoria Gray adding four. Avry Tatum also had five blocks with eight kills. Setter Teodora Krickovic had 29 assists, eight digs and three blocks.

Colorado hit .208 for the match, led by Ana Burilovi’s 19 kills (.239) and an efficient seven on 11 swings for Cayla Payne (.545). But nine service errors did not help the Buffs, particularly with five in the first set.



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Kansas women’s volleyball vs Miami (Fl.): NCAA tournament final result

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Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 8:26 p.m. CT



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Former UH volleyball player, youth coach accused of producing child porn

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A former youth volleyball coach who played on the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team was arrested and charged with production of child pornography, allegedly with a former player.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, announced Friday that Elias David, 37, of Waimanalo, was charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 3.

He was employed as a firefighter for the Department of Defense and worked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Federal Fire Station 9.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the FBI, a 17-year-old told her aunt she was having sexual intercourse with David, who was a family friend and her volleyball coach since she was 13 years old.

Court documents said the teen’s relationship began with David in 2023 after a volleyball trip to Las Vegas. She was 16 at the time.

The teen told investigators that David was providing extra training to prepare her for college. She also admitted to engaging in different types of sexual contact with David that including oral and vaginal sex, documents said.

She also said that their sexual activities occurred at the fire station where he worked, at a nearby warehouse, as well as at David’s home and vehicle, documents said.

David was arrested in July of 2024 for sexual assault in the second degree. He waived his Miranda rights and was interviewed.

During his interview with investigators, David said they “began to develop feelings for each other and ‘fell in love,’” and admitted that he and the teen engaged in a sexual relationship, documents said.

David said that the romantic phase of the relationship began around March 2023, and admitted to ordering ride share services for the teen so she could leave her house to meet him at or near his workplace, documents said.

Investigators said they found 97 graphic videos of the two of them on her phone and 78 emails referring to ride share trips and GPS location data.

David played for the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team in 2009.

If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.



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Iowa State Tops St. Thomas, Advances to Second Round

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 23 Iowa State (23-7, 12-6 Big 12) won in five against St. Thomas (21-10, 11-5 Summit) in the NCAA Championship First Round Friday night. No. 5-seed ISU advances to the second round to meet the winner of No. 4-seed Minnesota vs. Fairfield tomorrow at 7 p.m.

After St. Thomas took the first 25-21, ISU answered outhitting UST .552-.143 in the second to tie up the match with a set score of 25-13. The Cyclones took the match lead after another dominant set score of 25-16, but St. Thomas would win the fourth 25-21 to extend the match to a fifth. ISU used a 7-0 run in the fifth to flip the momentum and seal the victory.

Big 12 Libero of the Year Rachel Van Gorp was her usual self and had her third-straight match with 20 or more digs, ending the night with a career-high 33. The total is the second-most in an NCAA Tournament match by a Cyclone, and most since 2012. It was also match No. 35 in a row with double-figure digs and her 50th-career match in double figures.

Iowa State had a dominant night at the service line, serving to the fourth 10-plus ace match this season, and 28th of Christy Johnson-Lynch‘s career with 12 through the night. ISU was led by Nayeli Ti’a with five aces to tie the NCAA Tournament school record, while Van Gorp had four, now the second-most in a tournament match.

Alea Goolsby had her 15th match this season with 10-plus kills, leading ISU with 15. Ti’a delivered 14 kills for her 13th match this season with 10-plus, and Lilly Wachholz (12) and Amiree Hendricks-Walker (10) made for four in double figures.

SET ONE

At 6-6, Morgan Brandt tricked St. Thomas with a setter kill while Tierney Jackson served up an ace but UST followed to again knot the score. The Tommies flipped the lead at 11-10 and took the next two as Iowa State called the first timeout. Ti’a slammed down her second kill out of the timeout, but St. Thomas kept with the lead reaching 20 first (20-17). ISU cut its deficit to one at 22-21, but the Tommies ended the first on a run of three for the set win.

SET TWO

Ti’a had a no-doubt kill to make it 1-1, while the Tommies denied ISU the lead while going up 4-2. Goolsby’s third kill tied it, and the Cyclones took their first lead at 6-5 on a block. UST flipped the advantage in its favor briefly, but ISU set out on an 11-0 run to take it right back and run ahead 18-8. A Brandt ace put the Cyclones at set point and an attack error by the Tommies sealed the set at 25-13. ISU did not have a single attack error in the frame.

SET THREE

Back-to-back aces by Ti’a brought Iowa State ahead 6-2, while Ti’a delivered another bringing the scoreboard to 9-2. Goolsby’s seventh kill at .400 capped a Cyclone run of seven on the next play, but a UST scoring run of four came soon after as the Tommies came within three (13-10). Iowa State had a run of four of their own to keep command of the lead, while the Cyclones took the match lead on Goolsby’s 10th kill at 25-16.

SET FOUR

A 4-0 scoring run took the Tommies ahead 7-3 as ISU then called an early timeout. Iowa State would go on to knot the score at 13s on yet another ace by Ti’a, while a UST attack error gave ISU its first lead of the set. That lead was not safe as the Tommies went ahead 19-15 to cause Iowa State’s final timeout of the set. The Cyclones had a late run of three, but St. Thomas pushed on to force a fifth at 25-21.

SET FIVE

Iowa State took the first point on a kill by Ti’a, but St. Thomas followed going ahead 5-2. ISU did not let up, hitting a run of four to take a 6-5 lead and cause a UST timeout. The run stretched to seven as Iowa State switched sides with the lead of 8-5, and Goolsby capped the run next with a kill. ISU would go on to win it 15-8 after a St. Thomas service error.



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Updates, highlights as Wisconsin advances with sweep vs North Carolina

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9:43 pm CT December 5, 2025

See some highlights from Wisconsin’s NCAA tournament win vs North Carolina

John Steppe

9:39 pm CT December 5, 2025

Mimi Colyer’s stats vs. North Carolina in second round of NCAA tournament

John Steppe

  • 22 kills
  • 5 attack errors
  • 42 total attacks
  • .405 hitting percentage
  • 13 digs
  • 3 blocks

9:37 pm CT December 5, 2025

Wisconsin vs. North Carolina NCAA tournament final stats comparison

John Steppe

  • Kills: Wisconsin 60, North Carolina 37
  • Hitting percentage: Wisconsin .365, North Carolina .233
  • Service aces: Wisconsin 2, North Carolina 0
  • Service errors: North Carolina 5, Wisconsin 8
  • Digs: Wisconsin 56, North Carolina 40
  • Total team blocks: North Carolina 6, Wisconsin 5

9:33 pm CT December 5, 2025

Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield comments on Badgers’ NCAA tournament win vs. North Carolina

John Steppe



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2025 NCAA volleyball tournament: Bracket, schedule, results

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Dec. 5, 2025Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 12:22 a.m. ET



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