Sports

Taiyo Watanabe loses hair but not heart, as he leads Japan’s water polo revival

Published

5 months ago

July 12, 2025

SINGAPORE – Bearing a passing resemblance to Hollywood star Vin Diesel, Japan water polo driver Taiyo Watanabe is just as fast and furious in the pool.

While the American actor shaves his head to maintain his trademark look, Watanabe has alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes complete loss of hair on the scalp and body.

Although he shared with The Sunday Times that he was never bullied because of his condition, he was still perturbed when it first surfaced when he was eight, which was when he started playing water polo.

The cheery 23-year-old said: “I hated being seen by other people at the time and I was so negative. But as I became better in water polo, I started having more confidence in myself.

“I hope others in a similar situation can find something they enjoy doing. I felt it was important to show what I can do, and for me it is through water polo.

“At age eight, I enjoyed being able to throw a ball in the water, and I still do, and my success in the sport really cheered me up. I have met great teammates, and feel great joy when I score. I realised that playing with energy is a lot of fun, and I want people to see me doing well.”

In and out of the pool, Watanabe is hard to miss.

As his team lined up for the national anthem at the OCBC Aquatic Centre ahead of their World Aquatics Championships (WCH) opener against World Cup winners Spain, he stood out among his teammates, who all have full heads of black hair.

In the water, he was equally eye-catching, winning two sprints to help his 12th-ranked team start the first and third quarters with ball possession. He finished the match with four goals in their 22-16 loss to world No. 2 Spain. In the other Group B match, world No. 3 Hungary beat 11th-ranked Australia 18-6.

In an earlier interview with World Aquatics, Japan coach Yoshinori Shiota said: “Taiyo is one of the most talented water polo players in the world. He has a super-fast swimming speed and a brilliant shooting sense that no one can imitate. I believe he will lead Japan to the top of the world.”

After becoming a national team regular at 21, Watanabe has used his qualities to help Japan regain the Asian Games gold in 2023 after a 53-year wait. They also posted an eighth-placed finish at the Men’s Water Polo World Cup in January.

The five-time Asian Games champions’ re-emergence has led to several Japanese players being picked up by professional European teams, with captain Yusuke Inaba playing in Romania and Italy before returning to Montenegro to sign for Primorac Kotor.

Watanabe is also making waves in Europe, signing for Spain’s Barcelona after helping French side Pays d’Aix finish third and second in the last two seasons.

He said: “In Japan, we have just a three-day national championship and don’t have a national league. In the European leagues, we learn how to defend and control the match better, and this is good for the players and the national team.”

Aptly, his first name is the Japanese word for sun, and Watanabe noted that it is time for the Land of the Rising Sun to shine as the gap between Japan and the world’s elite has narrowed.

“Everyone knows Japanese players are not tall, but we have good speed and defend well,” he said.

“At the Paris 2024 Olympics group stage, we lost 15-16 to champions Serbia and 13-14 to France in matches we could have won. Against Spain here, we tried to be more aggressive.

“Personally, I want to shine brightly as Japan’s top player and top scorer. As a team, we have never made the top eight at the world championships, so that’s our goal here.”

Earlier in the day, Olympic champions and world No. 5 Serbia trounced South Africa 27-3 in Group A, while Italy beat Romania 17-5.

In Group D, defending champions and world No. 1 Croatia also eased to a 25-6 win over China, before world No. 8 Montenegro upset Greece (fourth) 10-9.

Croatia goalkeeper Marko Bijac attempting a save during their Group D match against China on July 12.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

In Group C, the United States comfortably beat Canada 18-9, while hosts Singapore (38th) were defeated 19-8 by Brazil in their championship debut.

A mix of nerves and wanting “very badly to score the first goal” saw the hosts trail 0-8 before they finally got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter. They eventually put on a more organised display in the second half, notching a scoreline of 7-10.

Singapore’s Sanjiv Rajandra taking a shot during their Group C match against Brazil on July 12.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Rating the team’s performance a four out of 10, Singapore coach Kan Aoyagi said: “We were playing quite aggressively but we made some wrong decisions in the first half.

“Once we got our confidence back, and started to understand how to play against players who are two metres and 100kg, we played well. We needed time to adapt, but once they got used to it, it was too late. I hope we can do better in our next game against Canada (on July 14).”

Sanjiv Rajandra, 23, who scored a joint game-high three goals, shared that their coach had prepared them for their opponents during training sessions, but that “when nerves and fatigue set in, that slipped out of our mind”.

He added: “We made individual mistakes we don’t usually make. Over the next few games, it’s our duty to stop them from happening again and make sure the improvement will be there.”

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Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island: TV channel, time, streaming

Published

5 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 5, 2025, 4:08 a.m. CT

The Nebraska volleyball team (30-0) was selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the 2025 NCAA tournament on Sunday night. The Cornhuskers will open the tournament on Friday against the Long Island Sharks (20-8) at the John Cook Arena.

The other first-round game in Lincoln will see San Diego face Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. CT. The Huskers will host the first and second rounds this Friday and Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The second round game is Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .352 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .125.

Junior Harper Murray leads the team with 3.55 kills and 2.15 digs per set and a team high 28 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.31 assists and 2.73 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.75 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.13 blocks per set.

The Sharks enter the tournament with an automatic bid after winning the Northeast Conference tournament. LIU is led by Sara van Gisteren, who averages 3.92 kills per set. She was also named the NEC tournament MVP. Karly Klaer was named the NEC setter of the year with 10.06 assists per set.

Nebraska will be playing Long Island for the second time ever. The teams met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with the Huskers winning 25-13, 25-16, 25-22.

Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island live on ESPN+

Here’s how to watch the Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island game on Friday, including time, TV schedule, and streaming information:

What channel is Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island on?

TV Channel: N/A

Livestream:ESPN+ (subscriber only)

Nebraska-Long Island volleyball in the first round of the NCAA tournament can be seen on ESPN+. Huskers Radio Network will have audio coverage of all Nebraska matches on Huskers Radio Network affiliates, Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+.

Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island time today

Date: Friday, Dec. 5
Start time: 7 p.m. CT

The Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island first-round NCAA tournament game starts at 7 p.m. CT from the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, NE.

Nebraska volleyball 2025 schedule (30-0, 20-0)

Aug. 22 – vs. Pittsburgh – WIN 3-1 (25-22, 25-11, 20-25, 25-23)

Aug. 24 – vs. Stanford – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14)

Aug. 29 – at Lipscomb – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15)

Aug. 31 – vs Kentucky – WIN 3-2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8)

Sept. 5 – vs. Wright State – WIN 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20)

Sept. 7 – vs. California – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-12)

Sept. 12 – vs. Utah – WIN 3-1 (21-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-13)

Sept. 13 – vs. Grand Canyon – WIN 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-18)

Sept. 16 – at Creighton – WIN 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9)

Sept. 20 – vs. Arizona – WIN 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18)

Sept. 24 – vs. Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)

Sept. 27 – vs. Maryland – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-14)

Oct. 3 – at Penn State – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)

Oct. 4 – at Rutgers – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-16)

Oct. 10 – vs. Washington – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16)

Oct. 12 – at Purdue – WIN 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-15)

Oct. 17 – at Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20)

Oct. 19 – at Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-18)

Oct. 24 – vs. Northwestern – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17)

Oct. 25 – vs. Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-18)

Oct. 31 – at Wisconsin – WIN 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-13)

Nov. 2 – vs. Oregon – WIN 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-12)

Nov. 6 – vs. Illinois – WIN 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-14)

Nov. 8 – at Minnesota – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-20)

Nov. 14 – at UCLA – WIN 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15)

Nov. 16 – at USC – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-20)

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Tennessee volleyball vs Utah State, Lady Vols upset in first round

Published

21 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 4, 2025, 9:00 p.m. ET

Tennessee volleyball chose a bad time to play its worst volleyball of the season.

The No. 7 seed Lady Vols were on their heels in the beginning of the match against Utah State, and they didn’t have enough to complete the reverse-sweep. Tennessee (20-8) fell 3-2 to the Aggies (24-7) in a shocking upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona, on Dec. 4.

The Lady Vols won two straight sets to make it a five-set thriller, and they battled from behind the entire fifth set, which they ultimately lost 15-11. In the end, it wasn’t enough to recover from their poor start.

By the time Tennessee started playing like its season was on the line, it was staring down a reverse sweep to advance. But against a red-hot Utah State team, which entered the tournament on a 21-game winning streak, the late push wasn’t enough.

In the first two sets, the Aggies picked apart the Lady Vols defense at the net and on the floor – it was a clinical dismantling by Utah State, which made all the scrappy, game-winning plays of a team that swept the Mountain West championships.

The Lady Vols made a fierce comeback attempt, turning the tide with sharper, more aggressive serving in the third and fourth sets to force a five-set thriller. They found their footing on defense, and they got a spark from Sydney Jones to launch and more balanced attack.

Outside hitter Starr Williams was a bright spot in the offense, especially while Tennessee looks all out of sorts the first two sets. She continued to be a focal point all match, and she logged 15 kills with a .387 hitting percentage, along with seven digs and four blocks.

Jones was a difference-maker as a reserve, and she continued to score points for the Lady Vols when they needed them. Jones ended the night with 12 kills, and Hayden Kubik also added 12 kills.

The Lady Vols’ offense hit just .228 as a team, while they allowed Utah State to hit .312. They struggled to slow down the Aggies’ attack between Tierney Barlow, who ended the match with 16 kills, and Loryn Helgesen and Andrea Simovski, who both had 14 kills.

Tennessee middle blocker Zoe Humphrey did not travel with the team, according to the ESPN broadcast.

Watch Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State

Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State: Live score updates

When does Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State start?

Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona.

What TV channel is Tennessee vs. Utah State on today?

Tennessee volleyball schedule 2025

Last 10 games

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Sports

2025 DI women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

Published

37 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The DI women’s volleyball championship is here. The tournament continues Friday, Dec. 5 with both first and second round matches and lasts until the national championship on Sunday, Dec. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

The full 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Thirty-one conference champions earned automatic bids to the tournament, with the NCAA DI women’s volleyball committee selecting 33 other teams as at-large picks.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball championship.

2025 DI women’s volleyball championship bracket

👉 Click or tap to see the interactive bracket

2025 DI women’s volleyball championship schedule

All times listed in ET

First round: Dec. 4-5
Second round: Dec. 5-6
Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
National championship: 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21 | ABC

Selection show: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30
First round:
- Thursday, Dec. 4
  - No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0
  - No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2
  - No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
  - No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 3, Tulsa 1
  - No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0
  - No. 6 UNI 3, Utah 2
  - North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1
  - Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2
  - No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0
  - No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0
  - No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0
  - Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2
  - No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2
  - No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
  - No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0
  - No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0

DI women’s volleyball championship history

Here is the complete history of DI women’s volleyball champions:

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Sports

Track & Field Opening Indoor Season with Split-Squad Weekend – Penn State

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field is set to begin its indoor slate with a three-meet split-squad weekend. The Nittany Lions will start their week in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Penn Opener, also competing on Saturday, Dec. 6. On Saturday, there will also be Nittany Lions competing at the Bucknell Opener in Lewisburg, and the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday. Dec. 6.

Penn State is set to begin the 2025-26 indoor season while continuing to build off its success from a season ago. The men’s squad finished 12^th in the Big Ten last indoor season while the women finished seventh. The squad returns six All-Americans from last year’s indoor team including 2024 First Team All-Americans Handal Roban and Hayley Kitching.

Head Coach John Gondak enters his 12^th season leading the Nittany Lion track & field program. His coaching resume includes 62 First Team All-Americans and 11 Big Ten team titles.

PENN OPENER – Friday-Saturday, December 5-6

Live Results | Watch on Saturday (ESPN+)

Penn State will send seven athletes to compete at the Penn Opener. Maddie Pitts will be the lone competitor on Friday in the pentathlon.

BUCKNELL OPENER – Saturday, December 6

Live Results

The largest group of Nittany Lions will be headed to Lewisburg to compete in the Bucknell Opener. 36 athletes in field events and sprints will be the main competition group for PSU this weekend at Bucknell.

SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER – Saturday, December 6

Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)

Penn State will be sending 10 athletes to Boston for season opening action. The middle distance/distance group will make up the group competing against some of the top talent in the nation.

FULL 2025-26 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE

Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.

Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.

Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.

Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.

Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.

Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.

Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.

Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.

Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.

Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.

Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.

Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS

Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.

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Women’s Volleyball vs University of Alaska Anchorage on 12/4/2025 – Box Score

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

—

UAA subs: Hansen, Elena; Trotter, Hannah; Byrne, Trinity.

—

UAF subs: Flynn, Kellan; Smith, Ainsley.

UAF

0-1

[Henderson, Cynphany] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (block by Beck, Emma; Riba, Martina).

[Henderson, Cynphany] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (block by Beck, Emma; Riba, Martina).

—

UAA subs: Hansen, Elena.

UAA

1-1

[Hansen, Elena] Kill by Henderson, Mikala (from Henderson, Cynphany).

—

UAF subs: Flynn, Kellan.

UAF

2-1

[Flynn, Kellan] Kill by Guc, Elena (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAF

3-1

[Flynn, Kellan] Attack error by Ivakina, Lee (block by Engelauf, Presley; Guc, Elena).

UAF

3-2

[Flynn, Kellan] Kill by Burney, Bella (from Malikova, Johana).

—

UAA subs: Trotter, Hannah; Byrne, Trinity.

UAA

4-2

[Trotter, Hannah] Kill by Lyons, Haylee (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAF

5-2

[Onaga, Tessa] Kill by Lyons, Haylee (from Byrne, Trinity).

UAF

6-2

[Onaga, Tessa] Attack error by Byrne, Trinity (from Galloway, Madison).

UAF

6-3

[Onaga, Tessa] Kill by Byrne, Trinity (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAA

6-4

[Ivakina, Lee] Attack error by Guc, Elena (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAA

7-4

[Ivakina, Lee] Kill by Guc, Elena (from Henderson, Cynphany), block error by Burney, Bella.

—

UAF subs: Smith, Ainsley.

UAF

8-4

[Smith, Ainsley] Kill by Henderson, Cynphany (from Onaga, Tessa).

UAF

8-5

[Smith, Ainsley] Kill by Byrne, Trinity (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAA

9-5

[Galloway, Madison] Service error.

UAF

9-6

[Lyons, Haylee] Kill by Riba, Martina (from Trotter, Hannah), block error by Henderson, Cynphany.

UAA

10-6

[Malikova, Johana] Attack error by Riba, Martina (block by Hoshock, Peri).

UAF

11-6

[Hoshock, Peri] Kill by Engelauf, Presley (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAF

12-6

[Hoshock, Peri] Kill by Henderson, Mikala (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAF

12-7

[Hoshock, Peri] Kill by Allen, Tia (from Malikova, Johana).

UAA

12-8

[Allen, Tia] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAA

13-8

[Allen, Tia] Attack error by Riba, Martina.

UAF

14-8

[Henderson, Cynphany] Attack error by Beck, Emma (from Galloway, Madison).

UAF

15-8

[Henderson, Cynphany] Kill by Engelauf, Presley (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAF

15-9

[Henderson, Cynphany] Kill by Beck, Emma (from Malikova, Johana).

UAA

16-9

[Hansen, Elena] Kill by Henderson, Cynphany (from Onaga, Tessa).

UAF

16-10

[Flynn, Kellan] Kill by Beck, Emma (from Engelauf, Presley).

UAA

17-10

[Trotter, Hannah] Kill by Guc, Elena (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAF

17-11

[Onaga, Tessa] Kill by Byrne, Trinity (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAA

17-12

[Ivakina, Lee] Attack error by Hoshock, Peri (from Henderson, Cynphany).

UAA

18-12

[Ivakina, Lee] Service error.

UAF

18-13

[Smith, Ainsley] Attack error by Lyons, Haylee (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAA

19-13

[Galloway, Madison] Kill by Henderson, Cynphany (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAF

20-13

[Lyons, Haylee] Attack error by Allen, Tia (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAF

21-13

[Lyons, Haylee] Attack error by Byrne, Trinity (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAF

21-14

[Lyons, Haylee] Kill by Allen, Tia (from Trotter, Hannah).

—

UAA subs: Sapon, Eleasha.

UAA

21-15

[Sapon, Eleasha] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAA

21-16

[Sapon, Eleasha] Kill by Allen, Tia (from Trotter, Hannah).

UAA

21-17

[Sapon, Eleasha] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAA

22-17

[Sapon, Eleasha] Kill by Henderson, Mikala (from Onaga, Tessa).

UAF

23-17

[Hoshock, Peri] Kill by Henderson, Mikala (from Lyons, Haylee).

UAF

24-17

[Hoshock, Peri] Kill by Henderson, Cynphany (from Smith, Ainsley).

UAF

24-18

[Hoshock, Peri] Attack error by Henderson, Mikala (from Hoshock, Peri).

UAA

25-18

[Allen, Tia] Kill by Henderson, Cynphany (from Smith, Ainsley).

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#11 Creighton Volleyball Outlasts Northern Colorado to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Courtesy of Rob Anderson, Creighton Athletics

OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 Creighton Volleyball was pushed to the brink but survived to win its 21st straight match on Thursday evening, opening up NCAA Tournament play with a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8.

Creighton earns itself a Second Round match-up against Northern Iowa (26-5) after the sixth-seeded Panthers finished off their first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2022 with a 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 win over Utah. Creighton defeated the Panthers at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 14 to close out play at the Bluejay Invitational.

Five women had multiple kills in the first set as Creighton powered past Northern Colorado, led by six kills from Ava Martin. Martin also had a pair of aces late in the set to solidify CU’s 25-12 victory. The Jays hit .438 and had 17 kills to UNC’s six kills on .000 hitting and never trailed in the frame.

UNC snapped Creighton’s 17-set win streak with a 25-23 victory in the second set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Isabel Bennett had go-ahead kills to make it 23-22 and 24-23 and Alayna Tessena put down the winner on set point. Northern Colorado had 15 kills and 18 digs in the second set and held the Bluejays to 11 kills and .200 hitting. Martin had seven kills for CU in the second set, while Sydney Breissinger added six digs.

The Bears won the first three points of the third set and moved in front 8-4 to force an early timeout from CU head coach Brian Rosen. The stoppage did little to improve the fortunes for the hosts, who called another timeout six points later after falling behind 12-6 to the Big Sky Tournament champions. The second timeout did the trick, as the Bluejays countered with an 8-2 burst to even the score at 14-all. Northern Colorado settled down, never surrendering the lead, and led 23-20 before one last push from the hosts. Martin pounded her 18th kill of the night, and Nora Wurtz followed with her 56th ace of the fall to cut CU’s deficit to 23-22 and lead UNC coach Lydnsey Oates to call timeout. Martin slammed a cross-court kill to tie the score at 23-all, but UNC answered with a Zoe Gibbs kill for a set point opportunity. The Bears won the set on a Bluejay attack error, 25-23.

The Bluejays got off to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set thanks in part to three early UNC hitting errors, then extended the advantage to 14-6. The Jays won the set 25-17, with freshman Abbey Hayes stepping up with a team-best four kills. CU had 4.5 blocks in the set, including one of set point from Reinhardt and Martin.

Creighton got off to a quick start in the fifth frame, scoring the first three points on two Martin kills and a UNC attack error. CU led 8-3 at the changeover

Martin was dominant with 30 kills on 65 swings, while Jaya Johnson finished with 12 kills. Reinhardt rounded out the Bluejays in double figure kills with 10. Annalea Maeder closed the match with a double-double, delivering 53 assists and 20 digs.

Tessena led Northern Colorado with 14 kills, while Brynn Reines finished with 11 kills

First serve of tomorrow’s Second Round match is at 6:30 p.m.

NOTES: Creighton improved to 18-14 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round … Creighton has won 21 straight matches, its third-longest streak in program history … Creighton is now 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight victories … Creighton has won its last 11 home matches this fall … Creighton is now 4-1 all-time against Northern Colorado … Creighton has won 68 straight matches over unranked foes and 56 non-televised matches in a row … Ava Martinmoved into third place in CU history in career service aces with 126 … Ava Martinhad her 25th straight match with 10 or more kills and 108th in a row with five or more kills … Ava Martin had her 13th career match with 20+ kills, and seventh this season.

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