LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas redshirt senior Bryce Foster was one of 40 centers to be named to the Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List, the organization announced on Friday. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football.
 
Foster, of Katy, Texas, started all 12 games at center for the Jayhawks in 2024, paving the way for 211.4 rushing yards per game and allowing just 10 sacks as a unit. Foster recently was named to the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List on July 29, awarded to college football’s premiere interior lineman.
 

Following the end of the 2024 season, Foster was named Second Team All-Big 12 and earned All-America honors in track & field at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Foster arrived at Kansas following three seasons at Texas A&M, starting 28 games and being named to the 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2021 FWAA Freshman All-America Team and the 2021 The Athletic Freshman All-America First Team.
  
The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935.

Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only two-time winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.

 

The Kansas Jayhawks will kick off the 2025 football season on August 23, 2025 as they debut the new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium vs. Fresno State. The season-opener serves as the first of seven games coming to Lawrence in 2025, with a full schedule and tickets available here.

 

 

Nebraska volleyball has never been a program that shied away from the spotlight. Any pretense of modesty evaporates when you set a world record and play in front of 92,000 fans in a football stadium.

A program that embraced former coach John Cook’s mantra of “Dream Big” recognized that expectations will be there, so you’d better learn to embrace them. So when current head coach Dani Busboom Kelly was asked this week if the Huskers’ preseason No. 1 ranking, revealed in Wednesday’s AVCA coaches poll, came as a surprise to her, the answer was a matter-of-fact, but firm, “no.”

After all, Busboom Kelly gave the team her own first-place vote.

“I think we’re pretty talented,” Busboom Kelly said to reporters Wednesday. “We’re going to talk about that and talk about what it means to be number one. But, we’re not going to dwell on that or talk about it for more than about 10 minutes. But, I also don’t want to avoid it. I don’t think anybody on our team is surprised that we’re preseason number one. I also don’t think anybody believes that’s what we’ll be in December just because that’s what we are right now because they’ve been through it all.”

– Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly

Some have, sure. Nebraska returns four starters, plus two more returners vying for the starting libero job in Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch, who have played regular roles before. But, with a newly expanded roster, eight newcomers mean nearly half of the NU locker room will have to wear those expectations as well.

“It’s a lot of outside noise, and we try to keep that outside of the gym because when we get in there, it’s just us 17 on the court and it’s our coaches,” junior setter Bergen Reilly said. “I’ve always heard ‘Don’t listen to what anybody has to say about you, especially if it’s good.’ You’ve just got to come in and work every single day.”

The Husker coach believes – and early murmurs and scant social media videos from practice would agree – the combined talent of Nebraska’s veterans and newcomers is enough to give the Huskers a good chance at reaching its third straight Final Four and making its fourth appearance in five seasons.

Saturday afternoon’s Red-White scrimmage (2:30 p.m. CDT, Nebraska Public Media) will be the first chance to put it on the court. Cook regularly mentioned this intrasquad scrimmage was one of the team’s most nervous dates of the year. For newcomers, it’s the first time playing in front of a sold-out Devaney Center crowd (are we calling it John Cook Arena, yet? Still feels weird). A strong – or not-so-strong – performance in the scrimmage might be the final say in a preseason position battle. 

Busboom Kelly has told the team she’s treating the Red-White like another practice. Next Saturday’s Alumni Match will be more like a preseason tune-up. But Saturday is the public’s first look at the 2025 season, which is one of the most-anticipated in memory.

Here are major things I’ll be looking at in the Devaney Center on Saturday.

The setter battle

It’s been awhile – 2013 if I recall correctly – since Nebraska had an honest-to-goodness preseason setter competition. 

They may have one this year even though Reilly, the incumbent, has won Big Ten Setter of the Year each of her first two years, and set Nebraska to the Final Four twice.

You’d have to be pretty exceptional to unseat a player of Reilly’s caliber – and Campbell Flynn might just be that. The No. 1-ranked setter in the Class of 2025, Flynn made the most of her early enrollment by wowing in NU’s spring exhibition wins over Kansas and South Dakota State.

A 6-foot-3 lefty who brings an effective attack during her front-row rotations, Flynn seems likely to play this season, even if she doesn’t start. The modern culture of player movement in college volleyball makes it less likely that talented players will redshirt. Don’t count on Flynn to be just a cheerleader this fall. She’ll run the offense for one of the two squads on Saturday.

Busboom Kelly, who routinely rotated setters at Louisville, praised both setters on Wednesday. Just as with Nebraska’s other positions, she challenged the setters to see themselves as the top unit in the nation.

“That’s how I think Bergen and Campbell are starting to see themselves, as two of the best setters in the country,” Busboom Kelly said. “We don’t know who’s going to be the starter yet, but as a group there’s nobody in the country that has as good of setters as we do. I definitely believe that.”

Whoever prevails in the competition may come down to who can run a new-look NU offense. The team unveiled some new attacking routes in the spring exhibitions, and Reilly said the attacking tempo is faster.

Both setters will likely have roles this fall, and whoever wins the starting job is still going to need to occasionally lean on the other.

“We push each other every day, but we’re also each other’s biggest supporters,” Reilly said. “We know that being a setter at Nebraska is a hard job, so having someone in your corner 24/7 is just super helpful. I obviously had that with (former setter Kennadi Orr), and now I get to have that relationship with Campbell too.”

Who will be the second outside hitter?

Harper Murray has the top spot locked down. She’s Nebraska’s leading returning attacker and one of the best passing outsides in the country. 

The second spot will be decided between super duper senior Taylor Landfair, playing her second season at Nebraska but her sixth in college, and highly touted freshman Teraya Sigler, PrepDig.com’s No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025. 

Redshirt freshman Skyler Pierce also will have her chance to make a statement in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Landfair, herself a former top recruit when she started her career at Minnesota, made an interesting comment Wednesday on the nature of the position battle in preseason workouts.

 “We’ve been super, super competitive, especially with all the new people,” Landfair said. “I think that’s honestly been a given for us. I think it’s like a huge positive because we didn’t really have that last year.”

Trying to unpack that a little. It could be just the reflection that Nebraska had fewer options at outside last year, with Pierce redshirting. Landfair eventually won the starting job over senior Lindsay Krause, but both played in 2024.

It could also just be the reality of having a new coach means a clean slate for everyone. And Busboom Kelly admittedly uses a more flexible lineup over the course of the season than Cook might have.

Regardless, the young talent seems poised to make their mark. Sigler could be ready to play six rotations in her first year. Her passing and back-row attack skills are already beyond your standard freshman pin hitter. 

Compare that to Landfair, who I expect to play front row only, and Sigler could free up more substitutions for Nebraska to use on serving and defensive specialists in other rotations.

The positive of the Red-White scrimmage is all four outside hitters should have plenty of opportunity to show their stuff. Two will likely play on each team.

How about NU’s other newcomers?

All eyes on Saturday will be on Nebraska’s two new opposite hitters, both of whom joined the team in the summer.

The most anticipation – and most mystery – surrounds 6-foot-5 Virginia Adriano, who played several years in Italian pro leagues. The 21-year-old was given three seasons of NCAA eligibility, though if she’s as good as Husker fans hope, she will not be in Lincoln that long.

“I think she’s a great blocker. I love her range,” Husker middle Rebekah Allick said about Adriano at Big Ten Media Days. “There’s this one line shot that my campers actually watched and kept talking about the next day. She’s got a lot of range as an attacker and a blocker.”

– Nebraska middle blocker Rebekah Allick

She’s also apparently got a feisty serve. Keep an eye out for that on Saturday.

But it’s not a given Adriano starts. Baylor transfer Allie Sczech should be on the opposing side in Saturday’s scrimmage. She averaged 2.4 kills per set last season, starting about half of the Bears’ matches. It was her NCAA tournament performances that turned heads. She had 33 kills and hit .508 in Baylor’s two postseason matches.

“She’s kind of a goofball, and the type of person this team really needed,” Busboom Kelly said of Sczech. “She’s different from anything we’ve had. She can hit really hard, she’s a lefty, she puts up a great block, and she’s definitely a fiery competitor. She’s been really fun. I’m excited to see how she is throughout the season.”

Freshman Ryan Hunter is in the mix, too. Reports are the North Carolina native is still working to find consistency, but her ceiling is high. Athletically elite, Hunter put down 11 kills and hit .563 in Nebraska’s April exhibition win over Kansas.

Nebraska’s middle blocker spots seem to be solidified with junior All-American Andi Jackson and senior Rebekah Allick, but the talent behind them is tantalizing in freshmen Manaia Ogbechie and Kenna Cogill.

Ogbechie originally committed to Northwestern, but after a coaching change, flipped to Nebraska last year, and her national profile skyrocketed about as much as her explosive vertical leap. 

Whispers are that she’s had moments in practice where she put teammates in jail with her blocking. At her full potential, she could be the next great Husker middle.

Does that leave room for Cogill? You’ll see her Saturday. A club teammate of Sigler’s, the 6-foot-4 Cogill was a late addition to Nebraska’s recruiting class, flipping her commitment from Oregon after the Ducks’ coach, Matt Ulmer, left for Kansas. 

On the other end of the size spectrum, 5-foot-4 freshman Keri Leimbach will provide back row depth behind Choboy and Mauch. Though, at many other programs, the Lincoln Lutheran product might start from day one.

How will the Huskers carry themselves?

An ambiguous question, I know. But, in short, does Nebraska play with confidence in front of a full crowd and reflect comfort with its preseason No. 1 ranking?

In limited preseason media sessions, the team talked the talk well. And their coach has seen nothing but enthusiasm in preseason practices, particularly the morning sessions, which have the risk of being slogs with groggy young people.

“I was just telling somebody this morning, it’s just really fun to go into work every day,” Busboom Kelly said. “It’s different every day. This team is fun. They’re hungry, they’re motivated, and you don’t ever feel like you have to push them in practice. So when you come to work, everybody is going to be excited to be here and ready to work. There’s no tug and pull or pushing that I need to do.”

So, Jeff, how does that manifest itself on Saturday? Good question.

I’m looking for aggressive play. Swings taken without fear of failure. An offense – run by either setter – with creative routes and a quicker tempo. Back row players flying around, letting their bodies hit the floor before the ball does.

I want to see one of the most-hyped new classes in the country show early signs they can live up to it.

Now, I’m a realist. There’s only one ball and six players on the floor at a time. And the current reality of player movement makes it pretty likely that some players who don’t win a starting job this season are going to give it a try somewhere else in 2026.

But August is for optimism. And the vibes are strong. 

“They really show every day that they, number one, love volleyball, and number two, want to win,” Busboom Kelly said. “That’s every person on the team. It’s really hard to think of a glaring weakness. Of course we want to get better at certain things, but right now, there’s nothing that’s sticking out that’s scary going into the fall.”

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Paris 2024 was a Games defined by record-breaking moments, with 19 new world records set across seven sports: archery, modern pentathlon, sport climbing, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, and of course, athletics.

Pole vault superstar Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis soared higher than any athlete in history*, claiming gold with an incredible 6.25m jump, shattering his own world record in the process. Words alone can’t capture the sheer brilliance of his vault, but the image above (and video below) says it all.

*Duplantis has since gone to break his own WR a further three times, now holding a new best of 6.28m.

STOCKTON, Calif. – Returning to Pacific for his second stint, Adam Foley was hired as Associate Head Coach for the women’s water polo program.
 
Foley previously served as Assistant Coach with Pacific men’s and women’s water polo in 2022-23. In that year, the men’s team won the Golden Coast Conference Tournament, won a game in the NCAA Tournament to reach the national semifinals and finished with a 22-7 record. The women ended 14-10 and won two games in the GCC Tournament.
 
“I’m excited to return to Pacific and be a part of Water Polo U. I am looking forward to contributing to an environment that continually strives for excellence in and out of the pool,” Foley said.
 
The past two seasons, Foley served as Head Coach of the Navy Aquatic Club. He managed a team of six coaches to serve six different age groups and grew the program from 60 to 100 athletes.
 
Foley has Division I head coaching experience as he was at the helm of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at George Washington. He started as an assistant coach in 2014 before being promoted to Interim Head Coach in Dec. 2014 and Head Coach in April 2015.
 
Foley also brings national team experience as he spent two years with Trinidad and Tobago in 2011-13, serving as its technical director of water polo development and head coach of the senior and junior national teams. During his tenure, the Trinidad and Tobago youth squad qualified for the World Junior Championships and the country established itself as the premier team in the region.
 
Foley was head coach of the MIT men’s varsity team and women’s collegiate club squad from 2007-11. During his four years in Cambridge, the Engineers’ men’s program won pair of CWPA Division III Eastern Championship titles in 2007 and 2010.
 
“Adam brings an exceptional breadth of experience, having found success at every level of the game – from leading the Trinidad and Tobago National Team, to impactful collegiate coaching stints at MIT and George Washington, to guiding his 18U girls’ team to a top-10 finish at the 2024 Junior Olympics. Adam is no stranger to Pacific, having coached here before, and he embodies everything we stand for at Water Polo U: excellence, innovation and relentless competitiveness. His passion and proven track record make him a perfect fit for our program,” said head coach James Graham.
 
Foley was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Redlands, ranking seventh in school history in goals (111), fifth in assists (103), third in steals (202) and fifth in ejections drawn (100) when he graduated. As a senior in 2003, Foley was named both Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and ACWPC Division III National Player of the Year after tallying 39 goals, 36 assists and 60 steals.
 
A three-time All-SCIAC selection and a member of three SCIAC championship teams, Foley led Redlands to an 80-40 (.667) overall record and a 33-1 (.971) mark in the SCIAC during his four-year playing career.
 
Upon graduation, Foley joined the Redlands coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the men’s and women’s water polo and swimming programs. During his one-year tenure with his alma mater, Coach Foley helped guide the Bulldogs’ men’s water polo team to a 24-11 record and the women’s squad to a 20-13 mark and a SCIAC title.
 
A native of Ashland, Oregon, Foley earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Redlands in 2004 and his master’s degree in teaching and curriculum development from Northeastern University in 2009.

Stay Social

For all the latest on Pacific women’s water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and “like” the team’s official Facebook page (Pacific Women’s Water Polo).

 

#PacificProud

 

Friday’s TV / radio

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

• AFL: Essendon at Geelong, 4:30 a.m., FS1

• AFL: Essendon at Geelong, 4:30 a.m., FS2

• AFL: St. Kilda at Richmond, 10 p.m., FS2

• AFL: Sydney at Brisbane, 1 a.m. (Saturday), FS2

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

• AVP League: week 8, day 1, at Dallas, 8 p.m., CBSSN

GOLF

• DP World Tour: The Nexo Championship, second round, at Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 6:30 a.m., GOLF

• LIV Golf League Chicago: first round, at Bolingbrook, Ill., 11 a.m., FS1; 1 p.m., FOX

• PGA Tour: The FedEx St. Jude Championship, second round, at Memphis, Tenn., 1 p.m., GOLF

• USGA: The 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur, quarterfinals, at Bandon, Ore., 5 p.m., GOLF

• PGA Tour Champions: The Boeing Classic, first round, at Snoqualmie, Wash., 9 p.m., GOLF (taped)

HORSE RACING

• NYRA: Saratoga Live, noon, FS2

• The Dan Patch Stakes: at Anderson, Ind., 7 p.m., FS2; 8:30 p.m., FS1

LACROSSE

• PLL: Carolina vs. Utah, at Boston, 8 p.m., ESPN2

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

• Little League World Series Midwest Regional: North Dakota vs. Nebraska/South Dakota winner, championship game, at Whitestown, Ind., noon, ESPN

• Little League World Series Mid-Atlantic Regional: Pennsylvania vs. Maryland/Delaware winner, championship game, at Bristol, Conn., 2 p.m., ESPN

• Little League World Series Mountain Regional: Nevada vs. Wyoming/Utah winner, championship game, 4 p.m., ESPN

• Little League World Series Metro Regional: New York vs. Connecticut, championship game, at Bristol, Conn., 6 p.m., ESPN

• Little League World Series Northwest Regional: Washington vs. Oregon, championship game, at San Bernardino, Calif., 8 p.m., ESPN

LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL

• Little League Softball World Series: Southwest/Mid-Atlantic loser vs. Southeast, elimination game, at Greenville, N.C., 3 p.m., ESPN2

• Little League Softball World Series: North Carolina/Asia-Pacific loser vs. Central, elimination game, at Greenville, N.C., 6 p.m., ESPN2

MINOR-LEAGUE BASEBALL

• Texas League (Double-A): Northwest Arkansas at Wichita Wind Surge, 7 p.m., Bally Sports Live (streaming); MiLB.tv (online); 92.3-FM

MLB

• Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 5:40 p.m., Apple TV+ (streaming)

• Houston at NY Yankees, 6:05 p.m., Apple TV+ (streaming)

• Kansas City at Minnesota, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Kansas, 1240-AM, 97.5-FM

• Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, 7 p.m., MLB

• Toronto at LA Dodgers, 10 p.m., MLB (joined in-progress)

MOTOR SPORTS

• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: practice and qualifying, at Watkins Glen International, 10:30 a.m., FS2

• ARCA Menards Series: The General Tire 100 at the Glen, at Watkins Glen International, 1 p.m., FS2

• Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix of Portland, practice, 3 p.m., FS1

• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at Watkins Glen, at Watkins Glen International, 4 p.m., FS1

• NTT IndyCar Series: Grand Prix of Portland, practice, 4:30 p.m., FS2

NFL

• Preseason: Cleveland at Carolina, 6 p.m., NFL

SOCCER

• English League Championship: Ipswich Town FC at Birmingham City, 1:55 p.m., CBSSN

• NWSL Kansas City at Utah, 9 p.m., Amazon Prime Video (streaming)

• Liga MX: Puebla at Tigres UANL, 9:55 p.m., FS1

TENNIS

• ATP/WTA: Cincinnati, early rounds, 10 a.m., TENNIS

WNBA

• New York at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., Ion

• Seattle at Las Vegas, 9 p.m., Ion

Saturday’s TV / radio

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

• AFL: Gold Coast at Carlton, 4:30 a.m., FS2

• AFL: Western at Melbourne, 11:59 p.m., FS2

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BASEBALL

• Banana Ball: The Firefighters vs. Savannah Bananas, at Denver, 8 p.m., ESPN2

BASKETBALL

• BIG3 week 9: Houston Rig Hands vs. Miami 305, Boston Ball Hogs vs. LA Riot, DMV Trilogy vs. Dallas Power, Chicago Triplets vs. Detroit, at Los Angeles, 3 p.m., CBS; 5:30 p.m., Vice

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

• AVP League: week 8, day 2, at Dallas, 7 p.m., CW

FOOTBALL

• Canadian Football League: Ottawa at Toronto, 2 p.m., CBSSN

• Canadian Football League: Winnipeg at Calgary, 6 p.m., CBSSN

GOLF

• DP World Tour: The Nexo Championship, third round, at Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 6:30 a.m., GOLF

• LIV Golf League Chicago: second round, at Bolingbrook, Ill., noon, FOX; 2 p.m., FS2

• PGA Tour: The FedEx St. Jude Championship, third round, at Memphis, Tenn., noon, GOLF; 2 p.m., NBC

• USGA: The 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur, semifinals, at Bandon, Ore., 2 p.m., GOLF

• PGA Tour Champions: The Boeing Classic, second round, at Snoqualmie, Wash., 5 p.m., GOLF

GYMNASTICS

• U.S. National Championships, 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., NBC (taped)

HORSE RACING

• NYRA: Saratoga Live, 11:30 a.m., FS2; noon, FS1; 1:30 p.m., FS2; 5 p.m., FS1

• Saratoga Saturday: The Sword Dancer Invitational, at Saratoga Race Course, 2 p.m., FOX

LACROSSE

• PLL: Philadelphia vs. New York, at Boston, noon, ABC

LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL

• Little League Softball World Series: Orange Bracket championship game, teams TBA, at Greenville, N.C., 1 p.m., ESPN

• Little League Softball World Series: Purple Bracket championship game, teams TBA, at Greenville, N.C., 4 p.m., ESPN2

MINOR-LEAGUE BASEBALL

• Texas League (Double-A): Northwest Arkansas at Wichita Wind Surge, 6 p.m., Bally Sports Live (streaming); MiLB.tv (online); 92.3-FM

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

• UFC Fight Night Prelims: undercard bouts, at Las Vegas, 3 p.m., ESPN

• UFC Fight Night Main Card: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez, middleweights, at Las Vegas, 6 p.m., ESPN

MLB

• Houston at NY Yankees, 1 p.m., MLB

• Washington at San Francisco, 4 p.m., MLB (joined in-progress)

• Kansas City at Minnesota, 6 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Kansas, 1240-AM, 97.5-FM

• Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, 6 p.m., FOX

• Tampa Bay at Seattle, 8:30 p.m., MLB

MOTOR SPORTS

• NASCAR Xfinity Series: Mission 200, practice and qualifying, 8:30 a.m., CW App (streaming)

• NTT IndyCar Series: Grand Prix of Portland, practice, 11 a.m., 6:30 p.m., FS1

• NASCAR Cup Series: Go Bowling At The Glen, practice and qualifying, 11 a.m., truTV

• NTT IndyCar Series: Grand Prix of Portland, qualifying, 1:30 p.m., FS1

• NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Mission 200 At The Glen, at Watkins Glen International, 2 p.m., CW

• Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix of Portland, practice, 3:30 p.m., FS1

• Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix of Portland, qualifying, 7:30 p.m., FS2

NFL

• Preseason: NY Giants at Buffalo, noon, NFL

• Preseason: Houston at Minnesota, 3 p.m., NFL

• Preseason: Kansas City at Arizona, 7 p.m., KWCH Ch. 12, 98.7-FM

• Preseason: N.Y. Jets at Green Bay, 7 p.m., NFL

• Preseason: Denver at San Francisco, 11 p.m., NFL (taped)

RODEO

• PBR Team Series: Freedom Days, day 2, at Sunrise, Fla., 5:30 p.m., CW

RUGBY

• NRL Women’s: Brisbane at Canberra, 10:40 p.m., FS2

• NRL Women’s: North Queensland at Parramatta, 3:10 a.m. (Sunday), FS2

SOCCER

• EFL Championship: Coventry City vs. Hull City, 6:25 a.m., CBSSN

• Team friendly: Newcastle United vs. Atletico Madrid, 9:55 a.m., CBSSN

• NWSL: Washington at Gotham FC, 11 a.m., ESPN

• NWSL: Louisville at Orlando, 6:30 p.m., Ion

• MLS: San Diego at Kansas City, 7:30 p.m., FS1

• NWSL: Angel City FC at San Diego, 9 p.m., Ion

SWIMMING

• 2025 World Aquatics Championships: at Singapore, noon, NBC (taped)

TENNIS

• ATP/WTA: Cincinnati, early rounds, 10 a.m., TENNIS

WNBA

• Chicago at Indiana, 7 p.m., CBS

Third-year Montana State volleyball head coach Matt Houk will sleep well tonight after reflecting on the first day of practice in Shroyer Gym on Thursday afternoon. The Bobcats return a mix of veteran and incoming talent as the program begins its quest for a first ever Big Sky Conference title.

“I feel good,” Houk said. “We try to temper the expectations of what the first few days might be. I think it’s good to come in and just let the play dictate where we take this thing versus coming in with some preconceived notion of what this is going to go like.”

Noticeably present Thursday was competitive energy and solid communication. Five players- Lauren Lindseth, Madilyn Siebler, Camryn Greenwald, Joelie Spelts, and Karli Heidemann– played major roles for the Bobcats last year as MSU pushed regular season Big Sky champion Northern Colorado to five sets at the league tournament in Sacramento, Calif., in late November.

“It was a good day for the upperclassmen,” Houk said. “I thought they all had a pretty good practice. We want to see them grow and not be complacent. I think they want to see themselves grow. And I think they know that if they want to have a season that lives up to their hopes and dreams, that they have to improve upon their game.

“Madilyn has to be out there killing balls and taking up large portions of the court and serve receive and Cam’s got to kill a high percentage of balls,” Houk added. “Lauren, and I think everyone knows, has a chance to be one of the best liberos in the league. But we can’t talk about it anymore. It’s time to go take it and go do the thing.”

In all, the Bobcats return twelve players that were in the practice gym spring semester. Coupled with six freshmen and redshirt opposite hitter Makenzie Jackson, Houk and the rest of the Bobcat coaching staff are cautiously optimistic heading into the season which gets underway the last week of August with a home tournament in Shroyer Gym featuring Big 10 power Oregon.

Thursday, veteran leadership was evident in the first minute of drill sessions and culminating with two sets of live play to wrap up the first fall practice.

“Having a large group of returners is always a good thing,” Houk said. “There’s lots of people in the gym that understand the standards and where we’re trying to go. Their commitment to what they did this summer means that we can get in here and we can get after it right away. We don’t need to use day one to ease back into it.

“We told them yesterday during our meetings that you should plan on competing right away on day one,” he added. “Today, we got in here, we did a hefty amount of work right away. And you know, we were able to get into some things that looked like real volleyball for almost an hour and that was cool.”

The public’s first opportunity for an early glimpse of the Bobcats takes place Saturday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. in Shroyer Gym with the annual Blue-Gold Fall Scrimmage.