The 2025 Women’s College World Series field will reach the final four teams on June 1.
A pair of elimination games will be played to determine who plays in the semifinal round on June 2 for a chance to qualify for the championship series. The first of the two elimination games will feature No. 9 UCLA taking on No. 7 Tennessee from Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
The winner of that game will advance to take on No. 6 Texas in the semifinal at noon on June 2. They would need to defeat the Longhorns twice to advance to the best-of-three-game championship series, which is scheduled to start on June 4.
UCLA is coming off a 3-1 loss to NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech in the winner’s bracket on Saturday. While the Bruins scored the first run off Canady in the WCWS, it was not enough, as the Red Raiders’ million-dollar arm continued her hot postseason.
Tennessee avoided elimination by defeating its SEC rival Florida by a run-rule 11-3 margin on May 30. The Vols left no doubt by plating seven runs in the opening inning and then doing enough to finish the game in five innings. The best part for them, ace Karlyn Pickens, threw one inning and then earned a much-needed rest.
Follow along here for live updates, scores and highlights from the WCWS elimination game between UCLA and Tennessee:
UCLA vs Tennessee live score
TEAMS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
F
UCLA
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
―
TENN
2
0
0
0
2
0
―
―
UCLA vs Tennessee live updates
Top of seventh inning: Tennessee 4, UCLA 4
Tennessee challenes if Megan Grant touched home plate after home run
Tennessee is challenging if Megan Grant touched home plate after hitting her home run. It appears she missed the plate on the first look but then went back and touched the plate. But according to the rules expert, she could be called out if she received assistance from her teammate to touch home.
Megan Grant ties game with two-run home run
Down to its final out, Megan Grant takes a first pitch swing from Karlyn Pickens and knocks it out of the park to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning.
Jordan Woolery collected a two-out single to set up the heroics from Grant.
End of sixth inning: Tennessee 4, UCLA 2
Tennessee 3 outs away from WCWS semifinal
Despite getting the lead-off hitter on via a hit-by -pitch, the Lady Vols are not able to add any insurance runs in the inning after Taylor Tinsley records three straight outs.
Karlyn Pickens and Tennessee will face the top of the UCLA order in the top of the seventh inning.
Taylor Tinsley relieves Kaitlyn Terry in circle for UCLA
Kaitlyn Terry hits Alannah Leach on an 0-2 count to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Taylor Tinsley will come on to relieve Terry in the circle. Terry will actually move to right field instead of being removed altogether.
Emma Clarke is up for the Lady Vols.
Tennessee challenge ends UCLA threat in sixth
Tennessee successfully challenges that Kaitlyn Terry was out of the runner’s lane, causing an error on a throw from pitcher Karlyn Pickens to the first baseman and allowing Terry to reach. That results in the third out of the inning.
UCLA would have had runners on first and third with two outs for the top of the order if the challenge had not been successful. The Bruins are down to their final three outs.
End of fifth inning: Tennessee 4, UCLA 2
Tennessee is 6 outs away from CWS semifinal appearance
Following a two-run home run from Taylor Pannell in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tennessee is ahead of UCLA 4-2. The Lady Vols need to record six more outs to get back to the WCWS semifinals vs. No. 7 Texas.
That was a good bounce back by Kaitlyn Terry to get Laura Mealer to ground out to end the inning with runners on second and third.
Taylor Pannell gives Tennessee lead with 2-run home run
Taylor Pannell takes the first pitch she sees in the bottom of the fifth inning to left field for a two-run home run to give Tennessee a 4-2 lead. The ball flies 69.5 mph off the bat. Gabby Leach had a single up the middle with one out preceding the homer.
UCLA leaves bases loaded
UCLA potentially misses out on a huge scoring opportunity. Karlyn Pickens strikes out Alexis Ramirez with the bases loaded and two outs to escape the jam and strand three runners on base. Pickens walked Megan Grant with runners on second and third to load the bases.
It was a bold move considering Ramirez went deep off Pickens earlier in the game, but it did set up a righty vs. righty situation.
End of fourth inning: Tennessee 2, UCLA 2
Kaitlyn Terry, Karlyn Pickens in pitcher’s duel
Following a fast start for both offenses, both Kaitlyn Terry and Karlyn Pickens have settled in for a pitcher’s duel.
Terry has retired seven straight batters and 10 of the last 11 she has faced since a two-RBI single by Laura Mealer in the first inning. Terry has six strikeouts and one walk (an intentional walk) in four innings of work.
Meanwhile, Pickens has five strikeouts and two walks in her four innings. Sofia Mujiica’s home run in the second inning was the last hit she allowed.
End of third inning: Tennessee 2, UCLA 2
Kaitlyn Terry strikes out pair in 1-2-3 third inning
Kaitlyn Terry strikes out Sophia Nugent and McKenna Gibson back-to-back in a 1-2-3 bottom of the third inning. Terry has retired four straight batters and seven of the last eight hitters since the Laura Mealer two-RBI single in the first inning.
Alexis Ramirez, who hit a solo home run in the second inning, leads off the fourth for the Bruins.
Karlyn Pickens bounce back in third inning
A nice bounce back inning for Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens after allowing two home runs in the second inning. Pickens works around a one-out walk to Jordan Woolery for a scoreless third inning.
End of second inning: Tennessee 2, UCLA 2
Sofia Mujica ties game with home run
Freshman DP Sofia Mujica takes another high riseball and hits it over the center field wall to tie the game at 2-2 with a home run. This is the first time Karlyn Pickens has allowed two home runs in an inning this season.
Alexis Ramirez hits home run for UCLA
Alexis Ramirez takes a riseball from Karlyn Pickens and drives it out to left field for a solo home run to get one run back for the Bruins.
End of first inning: Tennessee 2, UCLA 0
Tennessee strikes first vs UCLA
Tennessee’s offense strikes first off a two-RBI single by Laura Mealer with the bases loaded and two outs. UCLA opted to walk McKenna Gibson with two runners in scoring position.
Taylor Pannell and Ella Dodge had back-to-back singles with one out and advanced to scoring position on a flyball to center field, in which outfielders Jessica Clements and Liesl Osteen nearly collided.
Laura Mealer gives Tennessee early lead
Laura Mealer makes UCLA pay for walking McKenna Gibson to load the bases. With two outs, she hits a two-RBI single to center field.
Infield flyball rule ends UCLA inning with double play
UCLA’s Jessica Clements had a leadoff single, and Jordan Woolery added a one-out single, but the UCLA threat ends due to the infield fly rule. Megan Grant popped out behind short, but Laura Mealer struggled with the sun and dropped the ball. The umpire called it an infield fly, which means the batter is out and runners can advance at their own risk.
Tennessee center fielder Kinsey Fiedler threw out Clements trying to advance to third base for the third out.
Tennessee-UCLA WCWS matchup underway
Karlyn Pickens fires the first pitch of the Tennessee-UCLA matchup for a strike and we are underway here at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Pregame
UCLA-Tennessee first pitch is set for 2:15 p.m.
UCLA will bat first, serving as the designated away team. That means the Bruins will begin the game at the plate against Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 p.m.
Tennessee starting lineup
Here’s a look at the Lady Vols’ starting lineup for today’s elimination game against UCLA:
Gabby Leach, RF
Taylor Pannell, 3B
Ella Dodge, 2B
Sophia Nugent, C
McKenna Gibson, 1B
Laura Mealer, SS
Alannah Leach, LF
Emma Clarke, DP
Kinsey Fielder, CF
Starting pitcher: Karlyn Pickens
UCLA starting lineup
Here’s a look at the Bruins’ starting lineup for today’s elimination game against Tennessee:
Jessica Clements, CF
Savannah Pola, 2B
Jordan Woolery, 3B
Megan Grant, 1B
Alexis Ramirez, C
Rylee Slimp, LF
Kaniya Bragg, SS
Sofia Mujica, DP
Kaitlyn Terry, P
Liesel Osteen, RF*
* Won’t be in the batting lineup.
Karlyn Pickens’ tournament stats
Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens has been in top form in the NCAA softball tournament, allowing 10 earned runs on 23 hits in 37 1/3 innings of work to go along with 59 strikeouts and 13 walks.
Pickens lasted just one inning against Florida in her last outing, being relieved after the Lady Vols built up a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
UCLA defeated Tennessee in an early-season tournament game
The Bruins earned a 4-3 win over the Vols in the most recent meeting in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California on Feb. 22. Tennessee scored three first inning runs and held the lead into the fifth inning.
Karlyn Pickens limited the Bruins’ offense until the fifth inning when they loaded the bases against her. Karen Weekly pulled Pickens for Sage Mardjetko, who allowed all four runs to score, including a three-run homer by Jordan Woolery to give UCLA the lead.
UCLA vs Tennessee softball history
UCLA leads the all-time series against Tennessee softball 10-4. The Bruins have won four in a row against the Lady Vols. They have split their two previous matchups in the WCWS: The Lady Vols defeated the Bruins 4-3 in 2006, while UCLA earned a 3-1 win in 2005.
What time does UCLA vs Tennessee softball start?
Date: Sunday, June 1
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Where: Devon Park (Oklahoma City)
First pitch for UCLA and Tennessee’s softball game in the 2025 Women’s College World Series is set for 3 p.m. ET from Devon Park in Oklahoma City on June 1.
What TV channel is UCLA vs Tennessee softball WCWS game today?
Sunday’s WCWS elimination game between UCLA and Tennessee will air on ESPN. Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will have the call, while Holly Rowe serves as the sideline reporter.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and ESPN+, the latter of which serves as ESPN’s subscription streaming service.
UCLA softball schedule 2025
Below is UCLA softball’s postseason schedule. For the Bruins’ full schedule, click here.
Los Angeles Regional
Friday, May 16: No. 9 UCLA 9, UC Santa Barbara 1 (6 innings)
Saturday, May 17: No. 9 UCLA 10, San Diego State 0 (6 innings)
Sunday, May 18: No. 9 UCLA 12, UC Santa Barbara 1 (5 innings)
Columbia Super Regional
Friday, May 23: No. 8 South Carolina 9, No. 9 UCLA 2
Saturday, May 24: No. 9 UCLA 5, No. 8 South Carolina 4
Sunday, May 25: No. 9 UCLA 5, No. 8 South Carolina 0
Sunday, June 1: No. 7 Tennessee vs. UCLA (3 p.m. ET)
WCWS schedule
Women’s College World Series: May 29-June 5/6
WCWS finals: June 4-5/6
The Women’s College World Series began May 29 and will run through either June 5 or June 6. The WCWS three-game championship series will begin on June 4 and end on June 5 or 6, depending on whether the series concludes in two or three games.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Matilde Fantin’s late third period goal lifted the No. 4 Nittany Lions over No. 10 Cornell on Tuesday evening to finish 18-1-0 in 2025.
HOW IT HAPPENED
With under five minutes to go in the game and on the power play, Maddy Christian skated into the offensive zone after receiving a pass from Sophie Morrow and she dropped it off to Matilde Fantin who sent a rocket just under the bar to score.
GOALTENDERS
Senior goaltender Katie DeSa made a season-high 35 saves in the victory. She is now tied with Josie Bothun ’24 for the program’s all-time shutout.
Cornell goaltender Annelies Bergmann made 31 saves in the loss.
STATS AND NOTES
Penn State won their sixth game over a ranked opponent, their most wins over ranked opponents in a single season.
Katie DeSa’s 34 saves is the most by a Nittany Lion goaltender since she had 38 against Mercyhurst on Dec. 7, 2024.
Matilde Fantin scored her eighth goal of the season, to lead all rookie skaters on PSU.
Penn State improves to 2-4-1 against Cornell all-time, snapping a three-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 13, 2022.
Maddy Christian has points in back-to-back games to bring her season total to 20.
UP NEXT
Penn State hits the road to face No. 2 Ohio State in the program’s first ever top-five matchup in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. Friday’s game is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday’s puck drop slated 3:30 p.m.
The Appalachian Newspapers’ 2025 All Mountain Volleyball Team is comprised of players from the 15th Region, Jenkins, Buckhorn, Knott Central, Perry Central, Hazard and Letcher Central.
The 2025 All-Mountain Volleyball Team was voted upon by the Appalachian Newspapers’ Randy White, Steve LeMaster and Adam Mahan.
All Mountain
Volleyball Player of the Year nominees:
Kylie Kinner — Paintsville
Miley Riddle — Shelby Valley
Lindy Gearheart — Pikeville
Taylor Baker — Knott Central
All Mountain Volleyball
Player of the Year
Miley Riddle — Shelby Valley: Riddle had an outstanding junior season. She led the state in kills with 838 (Paintsville’s Kylie Kinner finished second with 828). Riddle helped Shelby Valley to its most successful season in school history as the Lady Wildcats finished the season with a 34-6 record. Shelby Valley won the 15th Region All “A” Classic and advanced to the state All “A” Classic Bronze Division finals, the 59th District Tournament, their first-ever 15th Region Tournament championship, a win over Knott Central in the opening round of the KHSAA Volleyball State Tournament and an appearance in the state volleyball quarterfinals.
All Mountain Coach of
the Year nominees:
Misty Riddle — Shelby Valley
Dawn Kinner — Paintsville
Shae Cornett — Knott Central
All Mountain Coach
of the Year:
Misty Riddle — Shelby Valley: Riddle helped Shelby Valley to its most successful season in school history as the Lady Wildcats finished the season with a 34-6 record. Shelby Valley won the 15th Region All “A” Classic and advanced to the state All “A” Classic Bronze Division finals, the 59th District Tournament, their first-ever 15th Region Tournament championship, a win over Knott Central in the opening round of the KHSAA Volleyball State Tournament and an appearance in the state volleyball quarterfinals.
The new year will begin with a significant showcase for a player who could mean a lot to the Kansas volleyball team down the line.
Right-side hitter Taylor Stanley, a 2026 signee, will take part in the Under Armour All-America Game, an all-star match that purports to feature “the 28 best high school volleyball players in the country, hands down.” The event will take place at The Venue at UCF in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday and is set for livestreams on ESPN+ and the SportsCenter Next YouTube channel beginning at 3 p.m. Central Time.
Stanley will wear No. 23 for Team Roses, which is led by longtime Texas, USC and United States national team coach Mick Haley, as one of seven pin hitters on its roster. She is the only Kansan or KU pledge taking part in the event.
Stanley stands 6-foot-3 and has played for Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park and the KC Power club team.
“Taylor definitely represents the best player in the area, and she’s choosing to be at her home school, and she wants to be a Jayhawk, KU coach Matt Ulmer said in a VBAdrenaline livestream for signing day, “and again hopefully people will want to follow that.”
She signed with KU in November and, according to her school newspaper, is set to enroll early, meaning she will join the Jayhawks not long after taking part in the All-America Game. VBAdrenaline.com ranks Stanley as the No. 12 overall player in the class and the No. 1 opposite.
“I don’t know what you don’t like about her,” Ulmer said on the livestream. “I really think there’s everything that you would want in an opposite. She can absolutely bring that. She can also score from the left, she can score from the back row, I mean, she’s going to be a six-rotation point scorer, and we know the names of the people that can do that at a high level, and I think that’s what she can bring.”
She has spent time representing the U.S. at the youth level, as she played with the under-19 national team, which competed above its age group at the 2025 FIVB Women’s U21 World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, in August. The U.S. went 7-2 with a ninth-place finish.
At KU, Stanley will be part of a six-player class that also includes pin hitters Tessa Dodd, Avery Poulton and Ryan Sadler and middle blockers Cydnee Bryant and Jaeli Rutledge. She may see significant action right away on the right side, in part because of the qualities Ulmer described and in part because of the offseason departure of all-conference opposite Jovana Zelenović.
PREV POST
26 Jayhawk athletes to know in ’26
NEXT POST
KU signee Stanley set for All-America Game
Written By Henry Greenstein
Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Athletics recognized two student-athletes as the Wolters Kluwer Athletes of the Month for December. Men’s Basketball sophomore guard Luke Winkel (Ankeny, Iowa) was named Male Athlete of the Month while Volleyball junior outside hitter Shelby Kimm (North Liberty, Iowa) was named Female Athlete of the Month for their performances during the month.
Luke Winkel’s December Highlights
Averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.5 assists.
Shot 44.7% from the field, 43.6% from three, and 74.2% from the free throw line.
Tallied his first career double-double with 27 points and 11 assists against Wayne State.
Scored a then career-high 29 points against Concordia-St. Paul to go with six assists.
Totaled a new career-high of 30 points with seven rebounds and five steals against Sioux Falls.
Helped lead the Huskies to a 5-0 start in the NSIC for the first time since 2008-09.
SCSU went 4-2 in December and are tied for third in the NSIC with a 5-2 conference record.
Currently fourth in the NSIC in scoring and assists.
Produced 19 digs and seven kills in the Huskies 3-1 win over No. 17 Missouri Western in the NCAA Round of 64/Central Region Quarterfinals. Her 19 digs were tied for the second most in a single match this season and it was her sixth straight match with double digit digs.
Recorded 11 kills and eight digs in SCSU’s 3-1 win over No. 2 and Central Region Host, Nebraska Kearney in the NCAA Round of 32/Central Region Semifinals. It was her 21st match with 10+ kills.
Notched an 18-dig, 13-kill double-double with three block assists in the Huskies five-set loss to No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul in the NCAA Sweet 16/Central Region Championship. It was her 17th double-double of the season. It was also her fifth match with 18+ digs and her 13th match with 13+ kills.
Named to the AVCA All-America Second Team, AVCA All-Central Region Second Team, D2CCA All-Central Region First Team and NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team.
Named to CSC Academic All-District® Team, NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and NSIC All-Academic Team.
Helped the Huskies earn a No. 5 ranking in the final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Poll for the second consecutive season and third time in program history.
Helped SCSU tie its program record for NCAA Tournament wins in a season with two and advance to the NCAA Round of 16/Central Region Championship for the second consecutive season and third time in the past four seasons.
2025-2026 Wolters Kluwer Athletes of the Month September
October
Austin Burnevik (Men’s Hockey)
Ellie Primerano (Women’s Soccer)
November
Dominic Ducato (Wrestling)
Jaylee Strickland (Women’s Soccer)
December
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Athletics, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the Huskies on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Three incoming Nebraska volleyball student-athletes will compete in the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Match on New Year’s Day at The Venue on the campus of UCF in Orlando.
Gabby DiVita will play on Team Pearls, while Jayden Robinson and Keoni Williams will be on Team Roses.
The Under Armour Next All-America Match will be streamed live on the SCNext YouTube Channel at 3:30 p.m. CT on Jan. 1, with ESPNU re-airing the event at 6 p.m. CT on Jan. 4.
The Under Armour Next All-America match features some of the nation’s best high school seniors as they prepare to join some of the top college volleyball programs in the country. This elite class has committed to 16 different colleges.
The 2025 Women’s College World Series field will reach the final four teams on June 1.
