President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs, which imposed levies even on obscure and remote territories like the Heard and McDonald Islands and its population of penguins — were not designed for economic precision.
Instead, some experts argue, they are meant to block every conceivable route for Chinese goods to reach the United States—boxing China out of the global supply chain and reordering the world’s trading system.
“The formula has been widely mocked, but that misses the point,” trade expert Henry Gao, professor at Singapore Management University, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The numbers aren’t meant to hold up in a PhD defense—they’re meant to shock, to create leverage. The more extreme the figure, the stronger the incentive for other countries to come to the negotiating table with the U.S.”
In a series of posts, Gao described the strategy as “intentionally chaotic,” but with a focused aim: isolating China by any means necessary, even if it causes friction with long-standing U.S. trade partners. “All countries have become collateral damage in the U.S.-China economic standoff,” he said.
That theory, while not explicitly backed by the White House, was eluded by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during a bombastic appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he defended the tariffs that have dragged U.S. stocks lower, marking one of the most volatile weeks for Wall Street in recent memory.
“What China started doing was they started going through other countries to America,” Lutnick told CBS’s Margaret Brennan. “So basically he [Trump] said, look, I can’t let any part of the world be a place where China or other countries can ship through them… He’s going to fix that.”
A Global Tariff Net Aimed at One Target?
While the list of “reciprocal” tariffs may seem scattershot—targeting American allies and critical trading partners in Europe and Asia—some analysts have warmed to the theory that the president’s underlying goal is to close every possible backdoor China could use to preserve its export dominance.
That logic helps explain why the administration included countries like Cambodia and Vietnam in its latest round of tariffs—nations often viewed as extensions of China’s supply chain. For its part, Vietnam was among the first nations to respond to the tariffs by dropping its export duties for the U.S. to zero. It’s not yet clear if that is enough to placate the White House.
Todd Belt, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, said the goal of isolating China may not have been fully intentional at first, but it has become central to the story.
President Donald Trump holds his tariff chart in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump holds his tariff chart in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Trump’s tariffs weren’t originally designed with this complexity in mind,” Belt told Newsweek. “But the Chinese government understands the dynamic well. We can already see them responding by trying to build new markets for component parts.”
This aligns with Beijing’s escalating posture in the face of a cascade of new tariffs, the latest of which the White House said would go into effect as scheduled at midnight Wednesday.
“[Chinese President] Xi has built up an image of himself as a defiant strongman helming a powerful country,” Julian Gewirtz, a former White House China adviser, told The New York Times. “China’s official messaging is conveying that they are determined to stand up to U.S. pressure even at high costs.”
The Chinese foreign ministry has called the tariffs “economic bullying” and vowed to “fight to the end,” and Beijing responded to last week’s round of “reciprocal” tariffs with its own 34 hike in tariffs on U.S. goods.
US Companies Already Making Moves
As the tariffs took effect, tech giant Apple was said to be ramping up its production in India, shifting supply lines that once ran directly through China, in a bid to escape the harsh Chinese tariffs. The same day it was reported Apple flew planes full of iPhones from New Delhi, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company is planning to produce up to 25 million iPhones in India this year, potentially covering half of its U.S. market demand.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019. Susan Walsh/AP Photo
The move may be as much about evading Chinese tariffs as it is about strategic realignment. Apple faced a 54 percent levy on Chinese-manufactured goods under the new policy, compared to a more manageable 26 percent on Indian exports. The shift from Apple had a secondary, perhaps psychological, effect: denting China’s ability to produce the most popular consumer product in the world, and shifting that production to its biggest rival in the East.
Bloomberg reported Monday that Apple stocked up on inventory ahead of the tariffs as part of its efforts to prepare for their arrival, which should delay the impact of the tariffs on Apple’s bottom line at least into the next quarter. In the meantime, the company has also sought exemptions from the new tariffs, repeating a strategy that worked during Trump’s first term.
If the “isolate China at all costs” theory is correct, it would amount to one of the riskier bets Trump has ever taken, with profound opportunities for collateral damage to U.S. relationships as well as the domestic economy, which was the beneficiary of $440 billion in Chinese imports last year.
Joseph Foudy, professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, questioned the coherence of the strategy. “We’re essentially picking fights with every major country in the world,” Foudy said. “Even if we end up cutting deals, the level of acrimony and the signal that the U.S. is no longer a reliable long-term partner weakens our position.”
Foudy argued the administration could have crafted a more targeted approach if its goal was to target Beijing—starting with tariffs solely on China, then expanding only if it was detected that China was flouting the tariffs by rerouting exports through non-tariffed countries or territories.
Pedestrian are reflected on a brokerage house’s window as an electronic board displays shares trading index, in Beijing, Monday, April 7, 2025. Pedestrian are reflected on a brokerage house’s window as an electronic board displays shares trading index, in Beijing, Monday, April 7, 2025. AP Photo/Andy Wong
“But instead, we’re imposing tariffs on countries like Australia, which actually has a trade surplus with the U.S. That raises doubts about whether this is really a focused strategy—or just a repackaging of a broader tariff policy after the fact.”
Gordon G. Chang, an American lawyer known for his influential writings on China, wrote in a Newsweek opinion piece this week that China’s economy is more precarious than advertised, and that Beijing enters into this trade war in a weakened position.
“Trump holds all the high cards,” Chang wrote. “Xi, in short, has placed the fate of the Chinese economy in the hands of the leader of that irreplaceable export market, the American one.” He added that “there are winners in trade wars. In this particular trade war, the winner will not be China.”
Trump, who famously sees himself as a dealmaker above all else, may be expecting China to come to the table in the end. “I don’t think he’s bluffing either,” said Belt. “He’s willing to put the U.S. through some short-term pain to get what he sees as a deal that benefits the country and reflects well on him.”
Here’s everything you need to know leading up to the first round of the 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship.
The championship bracket was revealed during a selection show on Monday, Nov. 24, live streamed here on NCAA.com. Twenty-three teams earned automatic qualification, with the remaining 41 teams selected at-large by the Division II Women’s Volleyball Committee. Teams from each of the eight regional sites received initial seeds Nos. 1-8.
The DI women’s volleyball championship is here. The full reveal of the 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball tournament.
LOS ANGELES — After months of preparation, Cal Poly’s historic Friday night culminated in a stunning five-set upset of fourth-seeded USC (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7), shattering every perfect bracket along the way.
The unseeded Mustangs (27-7) not only advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time since 2007, the seventh such appearance in program history, but also became the only team in the bracket to defeat two seeded opponents ranked lower than No. 6. Cal Poly’s last deep runs came in 2007, 1989, ‘87, ‘85, ‘84, and ‘82.
In a departure from their typical all-court offense, the Mustangs leaned on their pin hitters to secure a second straight ranked victory. Leading the charge was Emma Fredrick, who delivered a statement double-double with match-highs of 17 kills and 17 digs. Kendall Beshear and Annabelle Thalken followed with 12 kills apiece, with Beshear adding a pair of aces.
Freshman middle Charlotte Kelly anchored the net with a career-high seven block assists, part of a 10-block team effort that quieted USC’s top-50 offense to a .237 hitting percentage. Beshear (14 digs) and setter Emme Bullis (44 assists, 12 digs) also recorded double-doubles, helping limit USC’s top hitters, Leah Ford and London Wijay, to 19 kills on 55 swings.
Cal Poly stormed through the opening set behind relentless blocking, forcing an early USC timeout at 11-6. Despite a late Trojan push to narrow the gap to 22-18, a Caroline Walters timeout steadied the Mustangs, who closed out the frame 25-19.
USC responded by edging ahead 15-13 at the second-set media timeout. But after 13 ties and five lead changes, Cal Poly surged late with a 21-18 advantage and never looked back, taking the set 25-20.
The Women of Troy rallied in the third, building their largest lead at 17-12 and holding on to win 25-20. Momentum carried into the fourth, where USC raced ahead to claim it 25-14 and force a deciding fifth set.
In the tiebreaker, Cal Poly’s second of the tournament, the Mustangs broke a 3-3 deadlock with a commanding 12-4 run, sealing the match and their spot in the Third Round.
Now, one of the finest teams in program history, and a standout in recent mid-major volleyball, travels to Lexington to face No. 1 seed and regional host Kentucky.
The NCAA will announce date and time details Saturday evening. Until then, San Luis Obispo’s humble Mustangs have plenty to celebrate.
Penn State was in the Lone Star State on Friday, taking on South Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The teams met in Austin at the Gregory Gymnasium, home of the Texas Longhorns women’s volleyball team.
This wasn’t the first time the Nittany Lions and the Bulls have met; however, it was their first time in tournament play, but the blue and white have a 3-0 record over USF.
Penn State took out the Bulls 3-1 after a tight match with challenges and back-and-forth play to thank for that.
Middle blocker Maggie Mendelson opened up the scoring for the Nittany Lions, and right-side hitter Kennedy Martin went up over the net to make it two.
Outside hitter Maria Clara Andrade got the Bulls their first point of the night and USF’s first point in NCAA tournament play since its last appearance in 2003.
USF kept good coverage in the first set to keep the Nittany Lions at a distance, as well as landing kill after kill, which put it ahead of the Nittany Lions 15-10 halfway through the first set.
The blue and white came back with a crucial ace by libero Gillian Grimes, and Martin sent kills through USF’s defense, which tied the Nittany Lions 16-16. Setter Addie Lyon backed up Grimes and made good digs that kept the ball in play, which allowed the Nittany Lions to get to set point and take the first set 25-23.
Andrade kept the Nittany Lions on their toes, and she was there to give the blue and white a back-and-forth first set.
The second set started off strong for USF with outside hitter Addy Brus adding two kills to the Bulls’ score, both landing in the center of the Nittany Lions’ side of the court. Middle blocker Iyanna Garvin continued to get up over the net, as well, and Laila Ivey delivered a housed block, which shut down Penn State and kept a lead.
A crucial point that would close the gap between USF and Penn State was called a service error on Brus, but after it was challenged by the Bulls, the point was given to them as an ace. This put USF 15-10 halfway through the second set.
The Bulls reached set point 24-12 and took the second set 25-12.
The third set saw the blue and white take control by capitalizing on USF’s errors, getting it ahead of the Bulls. Outside hitter Caroline Jurevicius had a strong kill that gave the Nittany Lions some wiggle room, but that was closed by Ivey with a kill of her own.
Lyon kept racking up assists and setting up her offense for multiple kills to keep up with USF, which led halfway through the third set 16-14.
The Nittany Lions tied with the Bulls, 18-18, after an attack error by Brus. The point was challenged by USF, but the call remained the same after further review.
Penn State reached set point after the point was challenged by USF. Penn State took the third set 25-21.
Penn State continued its string of errors early in the fourth set, which the Bulls used to get a lead early on. Outside hitter Emmi Sellman delivered an important ace that closed a previously narrow gap between the Nittany Lions and the Bulls, and a kill by Jurevicius as well as an attack error by Andrade, tied the teams 10-10.
Penn State advanced to match point after it pulled away late in the fourth set, and took the fourth set 25-19, winning the match and moving on in the NCAA tournament.
Up next
Penn State will face the winner of No. 1-seed Texas and Florida A&M at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Austin, Texas.
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LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team began its NCAA Tournament with a 25-11, 25-15, 25-17 sweep of Long Island University on Friday night in front of a crowd of 8,656 at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska improved to 31-0 on the season and hit .476, a postseason school record in the rally-scoring era. LIU (20-9) was held to .094 hitting, the 14th time this season Nebraska has held an opponent under .100.
Andi Jackson had 10 kills and five blocks and hit. 833. Jackson’s .833 hitting percentage was a postseason school record. Rebekah Allick added 10 kills on .750 hitting, which would rank No. 3 in postseason school history. Before Saturday, no Husker had ever hit .750 or better in a three-set NCAA Tournament match.
Harper Murray and Taylor Landfair each had seven kills, and Virginia Adriano recorded six. Bergen Reilly posted 39 assists and 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.
The Huskers had a 47-24 advantage in kills, 10-2 in blocks, 5-1 in aces and 39-25 in digs. Olivia Mauch tied Reilly for the team high in digs with 11.
Set 1: The Huskers got hot with a 4-0 run that made it 13-7. Allick had a kill, and Jackson had a block with Adriano and a kill during Mauch’s service run. Murray and Jackson added kills to put the Big Red up 15-9 and start a 7-0 run. Landfair, Jackson and Murray all had kills, and Murray served two aces during the run. NU closed out the set, 25-11, with kills by Jackson, Allick and Landfair and a block by Landfair and Allick. NU hit .615 and held LIU to .034.
Set 2: Sigler started the set with an ace, and Murray and Allick had kills around an Allick block for a 4-0 lead. Adriano added two kills and a block with Allick, who also had a kill, as the Huskers went up 15-7 at the media break. NU remained on top, and back-to-back aces by Reilly gave NU a 23-12 advantage. Allick added two kills as the Huskers won 25-15.
Set 3: The Huskers got off to a 7-1 start with two kills and two blocks by Jackson. The Huskers continued their onslaught with kills from Allick and Sigler for a 15-5 lead. Skyler Pierce hammered a kill to make it 18-6. Manaia Ogbechie tallied two kills, and Reilly and Allick each notched one for a 23-12 Husker lead. NU finished off the sweep, 25-17.
Up Next: The Huskers will play Kansas State in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Wildcats defeated San Diego, 3-2, in the first round on Friday.
Notes • Nebraska’s .476 hitting percentage is a new Nebraska NCAA Tournament record in the rally-scoring era. The previous mark of .467 was set by the 2008 squad against UAB. • Andi Jackson hit .833 on the night. That mark surpassed NU’s previous NCAA Tournament all-time record, which had been held by Cecilia Hall, who hit .824 at Washington in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. • Jackson and fellow middle blocker Rebekah Allick combined for 20 kills on just 24 swings. Jackson hit .833 and Allick hit .750. Before tonight, no Husker had ever hit .750 or better in a three-set NCAA Tournament match. • With her four blocks on the night, Rebekah Allick now has 80 career postseason blocks. That puts her at fifth in Nebraska history, passing Jenny Kropp (1998-2001) who had 78 postseason blocks. • Nebraska officially made its 44th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskers rank second all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (44). • With the win, Nebraska improved to 135-38 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.780). • The win was Nebraska’s 31st consecutive victory, which ties for the third-longest winning streak in the NCAA era. • Nebraska improved to 38-1 all-time in first-round NCAA Tournament matches. The Huskers have won their last 37 first-round matches dating back to 1984. • The Huskers improved to 88-7 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 33-2 record at the Devaney Center. • Nebraska has won 27 consecutive home matches in the NCAA Tournament, a school record. • Overall, Nebraska has won 61 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. That ranks as the sixth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history and the third-longest streak in Husker history. • The Huskers improved to 63-1 all-time against unranked opponents in the NCAA. • Dani Busboom Kelly won her first NCAA Tournament match as Nebraska’s head coach. She is 1-0 in the postseason as Nebraska’s head coach and 23-8 overall as a head coach. Busboom Kelly posted an 11-3 record as a player from 2003-06 and a 19-4 record as a Husker assistant from 2012-16. • Nebraska is 105-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead. • Nebraska is 89-0 this season in sets when reaching 20 points first. • Nebraska has hit above .300 in 21 of its last 22 matches. • Nebraska hit above .400 for the eighth time this season. That ties the 2005 team for the most matches hitting above .400 in the rally-scoring era (2001-present).
In the 2019 NCAA DI women’s volleyball tournament, there were two pretty big upsets with Cincinnati taking down No. 6 Pittsburgh (No. 1 in RPI) and Louisville defeating No. 2 seed Texas in a five-set showdown. We gathered and ranked what we think are 10 of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament since its inception in 1981.
For this list, we considered each team’s RPI entering the NCAA tournament, the conferences each team came from, the location of the upset and whether or not they received an at-large or an automatic bid.
10. 2007: Sacramento State over Minnesota (first round)
In the final year of six straight Big Sky championships and NCAA tournament bids, Sacramento State pulled off the biggest upset of the 2007 tournament when it beat at-large Big Ten team Minnesota in four sets.
In the final RPI rankings of the season, Minnesota finished 31st and Sacramento State finished 55th. We can only assume that gap was much greater on selection day. Regardless, a Big Ten team getting beat in the first round by a team from the Big Sky was unprecedented. The Big Sky hasn’t advanced in the tournament since the 2007 Hornets, who lost to No. 1 Stanford in the second round.
9. 2000: Southeast Missouri State beat North Carolina (first round)
North Carolina might not have been a national seed, but as the automatic bid from the ACC, losing in the first round to the Ohio Valley champion is shocking. Now, the Redhawks were undefeated in the OVC that year, but were 6-8 in the nonconference season.
RPI rankings do not exist from 2000 in the NCAA’s archive, so we weren’t able to compare their actual rankings at the time of the upset. The Redhawks lost to No. 14 Florida in the next round.
8. 2002: Temple beat No. 12 overall seed Penn State (second round)
Can you imagine Penn State losing on its home court in the second round of the tournament today? Me neither. But in 2002 — six years before Penn State would win the first of four straight national championships — the A-10 champs rolled out of Rec Hall with the upset of the tournament.
To date, it is Temple’s only trip to the regional semifinals. The Owls have not made it to the NCAA tournament since 2002.
WATCH: Every ace from the 2019 volleyball semifinals and finals
7. 2013: American beat No. 16 Duke (second round)
Any time a national seed gets beat in the first weekend, it’s an upset. When it comes to an automatic bid in straight sets, it’s a bit more shocking. Especially when considering this American team upset Georgia in the first round before beating the Blue Devils to advance to the regional semifinals.
Ranked 45th in RPI to start the tournament to Duke’s No. 12 RPI ranking, American provided the biggest surprise of the first weekend and the only time a national seed has lost to a team from the Patriot League. The Eagles, who won 34 games that year, also took a set from No. 1 Texas before losing in the next round.
6. 2019: Louisville over No. 2 Texas (third round)
Louisville pulled off an upset of No. 2-seeded Texas to advance to the program’s first appearance in the final eight of the tournament. Texas was a strong favorite going in. The Longhorns sported very strong offensive numbers and held the No. 1 spot for a good portion of the second half of the regular season. The thing about Texas this season was that no one had beaten them at Gregory Gymnasium. Their crowd was unmatched. Many predictions had Texas cruising through to the national semifinals.
Louisville took the first two sets 25-22 before losing the next two. But the Cardinals finished off the upset with a 15-12 win in the fifth set. The Cardinal were led by a career-best 23 kills from redshirt freshman Aiko Jones. This win was the biggest upset of the 2019 volleyball tournament. Following the win, the Cardinals fell to Minnesota.
There have been just a handful of teams that have made it to the national semifinals as an unseeded team. But only BYU made it to the national championship match after beating the second-ranked Longhorns in four sets.
The Cougars also beat No. 11 Arizona, No. 6 Florida State and No. 16 Nebraska to make it to the semifinals. They would fall to Penn State in the title match, but their run is still remembered well four years later. Most didn’t give BYU a chance against Texas, which entered the match with two losses.
4. 2011: Kansas State beat No. 2 Nebraska (second round)
Winners of the Big Ten in its first year as a member, Nebraska was a hot pick to win the national championship. But Big 12 at-large selection Kansas State wanted to give a proper farewell gift to its former conference opponent.
No. 2 seeds get upset in the tournament, no doubt. It just rarely happens in the first weekend, to Nebraska, in front of about 8,000 people in Lincoln. Kansas State was 26th in RPI entering the tournament, so the Wildcats were a solid team. This was just a game that stopped the volleyball world still.
3. 2015: American beat Kentucky (first round)
American Athletics American volleyball owns two of the best upsets in tournament history
Yes, American was still good after its 2013 run, and it pulled off a more shocking upset against Kentucky, which was 21st in RPI. The Eagles were 77th despite an undefeated Patriot League season.
It seems that when American pulls off these upsets, the match isn’t ever in doubt. It swept the Wildcats before losing to Ohio State in straight sets in the second round. Kentucky was 21-9 that season.
Like 2014 BYU, Michigan is one of the unseeded teams to advance to the national semifinals. Both runs were incredible, but this one was a greater upset for it came basically on the road — in California — against the No. 1 RPI team, Stanford. Michigan was 31st in RPI.
The Wolverines had lost 11 times in the regular season, but when it came to the tournament, they were unstoppable, knocking off the Cardinal in four sets.
Missouri Athletics Missouri’s win against Northern Iowa in 2010 is the only time a team seeded in the top-10 lost in the first round.
This is still the highest seed to lose in the first round since teams were seeded 1-16 beginning in 2000, so naturally it had to be the top upset in tournament history.
At 30-2 and an RPI ranking of fourth, some felt the Panthers were deserving of a top-four seed. Nonetheless, the Missouri Valley champs couldn’t defend home court in the first match of the tournament against a Missouri team that snuck into the tournament. Missouri went on to lose in the regional semifinals to No. 12 Duke, but this result is about as close as volleyball has come to the basketball equivalent of a double-digit seed knocking off a No. 1 seed.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The UCLA women’s volleyball team suffered a four-set defeat to No. 1-seed Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Set scores were 28-30, 16-25, 30-28, 17-25.
In a hotly contested matchup featuring two extended deuce sets, UCLA (19-13) was unable to withstand the offensive firepower of Kentucky (27-2). The Wildcats hit an impressive .400 as a team, powered by standout performances from Brooklyn Deleye (30 kills) and Eva Hudson (27 kills).
In her final appearance in the Blue and Gold, Cheridyn Leverette rose to the occasion with a team-high 22 kills at a .294 clip. She closes her Bruin career ranked 24th on UCLA’s all-time kills list, cementing her legacy as one of the program’s most consistent offensive threats.
Marianna Singletary added 15 kills and two blocks, while Eliana Urzua chipped in 11 kills to give UCLA three attackers in double figures. Setter Kate Duffey orchestrated the offense with 50 assists, her fourth straight match reaching that mark, falling just one dig shy of a double-double.
At libero, Lola Schumacher anchored the defense with 20 digs, her fourth consecutive 20-dig effort.
After the teams battled to 14-14 in the third frame, neither side led by more than two points as the teams traded blows. Singletary hammered a from the middle before Leverette found some seams on the pin, but Kentucky would nudge ahead 23-21, forcing a UCLA timeout. However, the Bruins regrouped and fought off two set points with clutch swings from Leverette and Urzua.
The drama escalated into deuce territory. UCLA earned its first set point at 26-25 after a Singletary kill, only to see Kentucky erase it with a quick side-out. The Bruins pressed again, forcing another set point at 28-27, but the Wildcats answered once more. Finally, Leverette delivered the decisive blow, her 16th kill of the night, slamming down the ball to seal a 30-28 victory.
In the opening set, UCLA jumped out to a 5-1 lead behind Leverette’s serving run, but Kentucky quickly answered with consecutive scoring bursts to seize momentum. The Bruins rallied late, forcing three set points at 23-22, 26-25, and 28-27, but the Wildcats closed on a decisive 3-0 run to take the opener, 30-28. Singletary tallied seven kills in the frame, with Leverette adding six.
UCLA briefly held a 5-4 edge in the second frame, but Kentucky’s 6-1 surge swung control. Leverette reached double-digit kills by the media timeout, yet a seven-point run pushed the Wildcats ahead 21-12 en route to a 25-16 win.
Singletary’s back-to-back aces helped UCLA tie the score at 5-5, but Kentucky’s balanced attack proved too much. The Wildcats pulled away 25-17 to clinch the match and advance to the round of 16.
