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DAVIS, Calif. – This past week on May 14, UC Davis athletics hosted its annual Endowment Celebration at the ARC Ballroom, a great event that brings together student athletes and the donors that have played important roles during their time at Davis. This year, close to 100 donors, student-athletes, […]
DAVIS, Calif. – This past week on May 14, UC Davis athletics hosted its annual Endowment Celebration at the ARC Ballroom, a great event that brings together student athletes and the donors that have played important roles during their time at Davis.
This year, close to 100 donors, student-athletes, coaches and members of the senior administration were in attendance with the entire event being hosted by Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca.
UC Davis athletics holds 76 endowments supporting grant-in-aid scholarships, programmatic needs and three coaching positions.
During the evening, student athletes and donors connected to share stories about how endowments and support of UC Davis athletics has impacted them positively. Providing opportunities to compete at the Division I level while also gaining an education from one of the top schools in the world.
Speakers during the event included Jamey Wright and Hodgens Family Director of Women’s Water Polo Kandace Waldthaler and former Aggie Jenn Thatcher O’Reilly. O’Reilly spoke about a new award her donations have gone towards, with the Jenn Thatcher ’88 Women’s Cross-Country award now available to assist future Aggies.
“The endowment dinner is always a special evening because it’s one of the few chances we get to connect donors directly with student-athletes,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director, Chief Development Officer Liz Gullett. “We not only use this opportunity to show how wonderful our student-athletes are to the people who support them, but we use this as an educational opportunity for our student-athletes to teach them about networking and etiquette in real time.
“At the end of the night, it is so great to see donors leaving feeling proud of UC Davis and the student-athletes gaining a better understanding of the support system they have around each of them.”
This story is an example of UC Davis Athletics’ commitment to the Ignite Strategic Plan Pillar of “Revenue Generation” by increasing the donor population and creating a best-in-class stewardship experience. Read more about our strategic plan here; IGNITE.
Beach volleyball in the Intuit Dome? AVP players embrace their new digs
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label. The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand […]
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label.
The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand while weaving through sunbathers and surfboards. She’s used to hearing provisional bleachers creak under sunscreen-slathered fans as music buzzes through nearby portable speakers.
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There’s charm in that chaos. But it’s nothing like the entrance Newberry made Friday at the Intuit Dome.
Above her, the sweeping halo scoreboard glowed, flashing beneath the thump of blasting pop anthems. Around her, where NBA chants once echoed, beach volleyball fans cheered. And strangest of all, tons of sand created a faux indoor shoreline.
After two years chasing it, Newberry found her label.
Read more: 300 tons of sand trucked into Intuit Dome to create unique AVP beach volleyball venue
“I walked into the Intuit Dome today and I was like, ‘I feel like a professional athlete walking in,’” Newberry said. “I haven’t felt like that as a beach player. There’s very rare moments when you’re like, ‘Wow, I am really a professional athlete.’ And when I was going underground here and looking all around me, I was like, ‘I really am a professional athlete.’ And that’s because we’re playing at the Intuit Dome.”
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In what began as a head-scratcher for the players themselves, 300 tons of sand were poured into the Intuit Dome, turning the Clippers’ arena into a pop-up beach — where the L.A. Launch kept their perfect run afloat for the start of AVP League Week 5.
The Launch struck first and last — with Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon opening with a win, and Hagen Smith and Logan Webber closing it out — both pairs dismantling the San Diego Smash. Sandwiched between those victories, Palm Beach Passion’s men’s and women’s teams both made quick work of the Miami Mayhem.
The moment Newberry described — descending into an NBA arena re-imagined as a sand-strewn battleground — was the AVP’s moonshot: to re-imagine the sport in lights, not solely sunlight.
“Playing in such an amazing place, brand new building, with everything going on, with the new building around here, it’s really cool,” said 2016 Olympian Chaim Schalk. “To get to play at such an iconic arena is an honor.”
Logan Webber of the L.A. Launch spikes over Chase Budinger of the San Diego Smash at the Intuit Dome on Friday night. (Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
Beach volleyball rarely has ventured beyond its coastal roots. But at the Intuit Dome, the sport embraced a new direction.
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“This shows that beach volleyball is growing and it’s trying to adapt to the world we live in, finding a new way for fans to interact with the players, and new ways for the sport to be exciting,” said Chase Budinger, a former NBA player who became a beach volleyball player. “This will get more people in the stands because it’s so new and so different.”
In place of sun-worshiping fans camped out on makeshift bleachers, parents lounged on cushioned seats as kids nestled beside them balancing chicken wings and pizzas on their laps.
The sport welcomed a combination of newcomers hunting for Friday night entertainment and AVP devotees.
“There’s so many people who love beach volleyball, and so many people who would love beach volleyball if they were just given the opportunity to go watch,” Newberry said. “And not everybody can make it out.”
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Read more: How Chase Budinger went from the NBA to playing beach volleyball in the Olympics
Change comes with tradeoffs. With no wind, the court became something of a power chamber — the compact sand lending itself to higher and cleaner jumps, the still air enabling blistering serves and monstrous spikes that might have drifted wide on the beach.
Rallies became quicker and tighter. The margin for error shrank, tightening the grip on the crowd.
“For a lot of people watching beach volleyball for the first time, it’s really hard to conceptualize how wind, how deep the sand is, might affect play,” Newberry said. “So it feels like more of an even playing field which allows everybody to watch really entertaining volleyball.”
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By re-imagining the boundaries of where its sport can potentially thrive, the AVP might have sketched out a novel blueprint for other sports.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other sports follow and start expanding their ideas of where they could play,” said Olympic silver medalist Brandie Wilkerson. “I’m excited to see where this is going to go and see other sports try to catch up.”
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ten members of SAU cross country/track and field named to CSC Academic All-District Team | Southern Arkansas University Sports
Ten Southern Arkansas University student-athletes for cross country and track and field have been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Representing the Muleriders on the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team are Lyndon Orr, Garrett Hughes, Bo Rogers, Jason Patrick, Korbin McAuliffe, Logan Warren, Alyzah McGlasson, Breyonna Steward, Kailyn Thomas, and Anaya […]
Ten Southern Arkansas University student-athletes for cross country and track and field have been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Representing the Muleriders on the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team are Lyndon Orr, Garrett Hughes, Bo Rogers, Jason Patrick, Korbin McAuliffe, Logan Warren, Alyzah McGlasson, Breyonna Steward, Kailyn Thomas, and Anaya Ervin.
Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Lyndon Orr (Junior)
Major – Accounting
Minor – Criminal Justice
GPA – 3.80
Garrett Hughes (Sophomore)
Major – Engineering
GPA – 3.98
Bo Rogers (Sophomore)
Major – Chemistry: Pre-Health Prof Biochem
GPA – 3.77
Jason Patrick Jr. (Junior)
Major – Physical Education & Health K-12
GPA – 3.66
Korbin McAuliffe (Senior)
Major – Business Admin: Supply Chain Management
GPA – 3.81
Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Logan Warren (Senior)
Major – Biology: Pre-Health
GPA – 3.58
Alyzah McGlasson (Grad.)
Major – Public Admin: Social Entrepreneurship
GPA (Undergrad) – 3.96
GPA (Grad) – 4.00
Breyonna Steward (Junior)
Major – Exercise Science: Strength & Conditioning
GPA – 3.61
Kailyn Thomas (Senior)
Major – Chemistry: Forensic Science
GPA – 3.70
Anaya Ervin (Junior)
Major – Biology: Pre-Health
GPA – 3.50
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Beach volleyball in the Intuit Dome? AVP embraces its new digs
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label. The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand […]
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label.
The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand while weaving through sunbathers and surfboards. She’s used to hearing provisional bleachers creak under sunscreen-slathered fans as music buzzes through nearby portable speakers.
There’s charm in that chaos. But it’s nothing like the entrance Newberry made Friday at the Intuit Dome.
Above her, the sweeping halo scoreboard glowed, flashing beneath the thump of blasting pop anthems. Around her, where NBA chants once echoed, beach volleyball fans cheered. And strangest of all, tons of sand created a faux indoor shoreline.
After two years chasing it, Newberry found her label.
“I walked into the Intuit Dome today and I was like, ‘I feel like a professional athlete walking in,’” Newberry said. “I haven’t felt like that as a beach player. There’s very rare moments when you’re like, ‘Wow, I am really a professional athlete.’ And when I was going underground here and looking all around me, I was like, ‘I really am a professional athlete.’ And that’s because we’re playing at the Intuit Dome.”
In what began as a head-scratcher for the players themselves, 300 tons of sand were poured into the Intuit Dome, turning the Clippers’ arena into a pop-up beach — where the L.A. Launch kept their perfect run afloat for the start of AVP League Week 5.
The Launch struck first and last — with Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon opening with a win, and Hagen Smith and Logan Webber closing it out — both pairs dismantling the San Diego Smash. Sandwiched between those victories, Palm Beach Passion’s men’s and women’s teams both made quick work of the Miami Mayhem.
The moment Newberry described — descending into an NBA arena re-imagined as a sand-strewn battleground — was the AVP’s moonshot: to re-imagine the sport in lights, not solely sunlight.
“Playing in such an amazing place, brand new building, with everything going on, with the new building around here, it’s really cool,” said 2016 Olympian Chaim Schalk. “To get to play at such an iconic arena is an honor.”
Logan Webber of the L.A. Launch spikes over Chase Budinger of the San Diego Smash at the Intuit Dome on Friday night.
(Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
Beach volleyball rarely has ventured beyond its coastal roots. But at the Intuit Dome, the sport embraced a new direction.
“This shows that beach volleyball is growing and it’s trying to adapt to the world we live in, finding a new way for fans to interact with the players, and new ways for the sport to be exciting,” said Chase Budinger, a former NBA player who became a beach volleyball player. “This will get more people in the stands because it’s so new and so different.”
In place of sun-worshiping fans camped out on makeshift bleachers, parents lounged on cushioned seats as kids nestled beside them balancing chicken wings and pizzas on their laps.
The sport welcomed a combination of newcomers hunting for Friday night entertainment and AVP devotees.
“There’s so many people who love beach volleyball, and so many people who would love beach volleyball if they were just given the opportunity to go watch,” Newberry said. “And not everybody can make it out.”
Change comes with tradeoffs. With no wind, the court became something of a power chamber — the compact sand lending itself to higher and cleaner jumps, the still air enabling blistering serves and monstrous spikes that might have drifted wide on the beach.
Rallies became quicker and tighter. The margin for error shrank, tightening the grip on the crowd.
“For a lot of people watching beach volleyball for the first time, it’s really hard to conceptualize how wind, how deep the sand is, might affect play,” Newberry said. “So it feels like more of an even playing field which allows everybody to watch really entertaining volleyball.”
By re-imagining the boundaries of where its sport can potentially thrive, the AVP might have sketched out a novel blueprint for other sports.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other sports follow and start expanding their ideas of where they could play,” said Olympic silver medalist Brandie Wilkerson. “I’m excited to see where this is going to go and see other sports try to catch up.”
Aaron Jessee join’s head coach Craig Martin’s volleyball staff for his first season at Stonehill in 2024-25. Jessee is also an assistant coach for his alma mater’s men’s volleyball team, entering his second season with the Endicott men’s volleyball program. Jessee had a standout career with the Gulls’ volleyball program from 2011-14 . As a […]
Aaron Jessee join’s head coach Craig Martin’s volleyball staff for his first season at Stonehill in 2024-25.
Jessee is also an assistant coach for his alma mater’s men’s volleyball team, entering his second season with the Endicott men’s volleyball program. Jessee had a standout career with the Gulls’ volleyball program from 2011-14 .
As a team, Endicott produced an 82-52 (.612) overall record and a 49-3 (.942) conference mark during his career. The Gulls won two New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championships (2013-14) and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history in 2014.
Overall, the team made four conference postseason appearances, including two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) finalists trips, and two visits to the NCAA Tournament.
Jessee’s career stats include 377 sets played (128 matches) and 650 digs (1.72 digs per set). Jessee still ranks top-10 all-time in Endicott men’s volleyball history in reception percentage (.958; 1,729 receptions), sets played, and matches played.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in sport management with two minors in business administration and applied mathematics from Endicott in 2014.
Jessee currently serves as the CEO of Kintsugi Movement, which is a functional rehabilitative and sports performance company that provides in-home and virtual care, as well as clinics, seminars, and educational content.
He also is board member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Preliminary Round Group Match Reports Match 4, Group C, BRAZIL 19 SINGAPORE 8 (4-0, 5-1, 6-3, 4-4) Image Source: Pedro Real (BRA)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics Brazil, who was always going to win, was on the front foot quickly, winning the first period 4-0 with a variety of goals and four separate shooters. Singapore could find no […]
Match 4, Group C, BRAZIL 19 SINGAPORE 8 (4-0, 5-1, 6-3, 4-4)
Image Source: Pedro Real (BRA)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Brazil, who was always going to win, was on the front foot quickly, winning the first period 4-0 with a variety of goals and four separate shooters. Singapore could find no way through. One of the best goals was by Luis Silva, backhanding a shot from two metres when smothered by defenders and his head was under the water. Two swift goals at the top of the second quarter stopped Singapore in its tracks, having to take a timeout. Logan Cabral scored from top left and Paulo Oliviera went on counter for 6-0 at 7:18. The timeout had limited success with Brazil slowing its shooting, however, Pedro Real and captain Gustavo Guimaraes gained their second goals, the latter from eight metres out. Wai Fong was pushed out to five metres at centre forward but still managed to turn and score Singapore’s first goal at 1:22. Brazil responded for 9-1 at the long break.
Guimaraes started the third period and long-standing team-mate Gustavo Coutinho scored consecutive goals as Brazil rose to 13-2. And then 15-3 as Jayden See from the deep right and Cayden Loh on extra rejuvenated the Singaporeans. A Brazilian pair moved the scoreline to 15-3 before Sanjiv Rajandra pulled the trigger from the top for 15-4 just four seconds from time after Singapore stole the ball. Rajandra started he final quarter on penalty and at 1:31 netted his third, also from the five-metre line.
Image Source: Lucas Farias (BRA) and Sanjiv Rajandra (SGP)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Match Heroes Veterans Guimaraes and Coutinho topped the scoring with three apiece for Brazil. Rajandra also netted three for Singapore. The leading goalkeepers were on form with Joao Fernandes (BRA) and Lee Lee (SGP) both made eight saves before handing over duties after three periods.
Turning Point Once the match reached 8-0 in favour of Brazil, the rest of the match was 11-8, showing how good Singapore could be with this sort of experience.
Stats Don’t Lie Brazil converted four from eight and defended four from five on extra. On penalties, Brazil scored all three and Singapore three from five, Brazil stole six to four and shot 37 to 23.
Image Source: Jayden See (SGP)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Bottom Line Brazil has the experience at this level and that showed. Size also made a difference.
What They Said
Match 3, Group D, CHINA 6 CROATIA 25 (1-7, 0-5, 4-7, 1-6)
Croatia warmed up for the harder matches with a solid showing against China. Croatia shot from outside with aplomb and China had to work to find space to get the ball close to players near the goal. It was fairly even early in the first quarter with Croatia easing to a 2-0 advantage before Wang Beiyi found the goal from two metres for 2-1. Goals were hard to come by after that as China could not find a way through. Croatia put away the next four as captain Marko Bijac stopped a Chinese penalty attempt at what could have been 6-2. Luka Bukic countered for the seventh goal and his third for the period. Zvonimir Butic scored the first two of the second quarter, followed by Loren Fatovic, Tin Brubnjak for his second and Konstantin Kharkov on counter, also for his second.
China improved muchly in the third period, having faith in its shooting. With Butic starting the scoring, goals were traded to 15-4 with Xie Zekai’s bouncer ending a 13 and a-half-minute drought. Franko Lazic and Fatovic pushed it out to 17-4 with Peng Jiahao scoring off a quick take-and-shoot on extra. Rino Buric scored his second of the period and Josip Vrlic ended all scoring from two metres for 19-5 at the last break. It was a 7-4 period.
Marko Zuvela made the fourth period his own with three goals as China was kept scoreless until Cai Yuhao converted a penalty foul, eight minutes after the last Chinese goal. Zuvela scored twice from outside and the second long shot probably came from the carpark. Bukic pummelled the Chinese goal for the sixth time — his second of the period. It was enough for a 25-6 victory
Match Heroes Bukic with his six goals, followed by Zuvela with four and triples to Buric and Butic. Bijac made nine saves before handing over the goalkeeping reins for the final quarter. Xie scored twice for China.
Turning Point Moving from 2-1 to 13-1 and that scoreless second quarter was where Croatia gained the fulcrum to victory.
Stats Don’t Lie Croatia converted three from five on extra and stopped seven from nine. China scored one from two on penalty and Croatia stole the ball 13 times to three. On overall shots, Croatia had 41 to 29.
Bottom Line Croatia is world champion, Olympic silver medallist and finished fourth in the World Cup this year. Enough said.
What They Said
Zvonimir BUTIC (CRO) — Three Goals
On what it means for Croatia to start Croatia’s title defence with a big win: “It’s expected. We are a better team and were prepared for it, and it ended very well.”
On whether he feels pressure competing as the defending champion: “Croatia has been at the top of water polo for more than 20 years, so we are born and raised with pressure. We feel it, but it’s normal for us.”
On whether there are areas of team improvement: “Of course, there’s something to improve. But it’s just the beginning of the tournament and we want to be better and better from game to game. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and I hope that’s going to happen.”
On how Croatia prepared for the world championships: “We went to Hong Kong seven days before the world championships to adapt to these conditions. Everything in Singapore is great, the venue is perfect. We are very satisfied and we hope that our performance will match the high level of this tournament.”
Match 2, Group C, CANADA 9 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 18 (0-3, 2-4, 2-5, 5-6)
Image Source: Max Irving (USA)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
USA kept Canada at bay for more than 10 minutes as it went on the hunt for victory. It was not easy pickings as USA captain Max Irving found two minutes in on a drive down the right. Hannes Daube converted a penalty and Dylan Woodhead smashed in a shot off a cross pass to the deep left, 21 seconds from the buzzer. Goals were traded in the second quarter with USA leading the way at 4-0. Aleksa Gardijan blasted in a shot from the top right, replied by Ryder Dodd — the MVP at the recent junior world championships. Ali Oussodou converted a Canadian penalty before Ryan Ohl, also a member of the USA junior men’s team, and Irving on counter had the halftime score at 7-2.
David Lapins found himself free top left to score for Canada a minute into the third period. Jack Larsen finished some superb passing on extra, followed by a heavily guarded Ben Liechty scoring off the right-post position. Saveljic continued the centre-forward scoring and Ryder Dodd rifled one in from deep left to give USA an 11-3 advantage at halfway through the period. Reuel D’Souza bounced the ball in off the back of the goalkeeper’s heads and Chase Dodd scored off the right-post position for 12-4 at the final break.
The final quarter opened up with goals traded and a USA triple that had Irving adding two more to his tally. Canada bounced back into the match with four straight with Lapins and Oussadou scoring again to narrow the score to 16-9. USA hammered in the last two to double Canada’s score.
Match Heroes Irving with four goals for USA with Saveljic and Daube with three each. Goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg grabbed 10 saves. Oussadou topped Canada’s scoring with three goals. Lapins and D’Souza shot two each.
Turning Point The two four-goal bursts in the first and third periods gave USA a more-than-adequate advantage.
Stats Don’t Lie USA scored one from three on extra and Canada none from two. Both teams shot three penalty goals. USA stole the ball seven to four and both teams shots 31 times.
Bottom Line In the battle for North America, USA was too good, being the Olympic bronze medallist. Canada performed well in spurts.
What They Said
Max IRVING (USA) — Captain
On the match: “I think it was a good match. We came out, we played with good energy. Defence is definitely something that’s a priority for this team. For us to hold them to four goals through three quarters was good. I think for the most part, it’s a good foundation for us to build on.”
On how he motivates his team before matches: “We have all the motivation we need. The LA Olympics are coming up; that’s three years down the road. But we want to take every opportunity that we have to play high-level, international competition to use it and to get better as a group.”
On his performance and being named player of the match: “I think it was good. Everything starts with our defence. I’m definitely going to want to build on that moving forward, and try not to get three exclusions in the next game. But it was a good start to the tournament.”
On whether he would do anything differently: “Hindsight is 20/20, there are probably a million things I would do differently. But no, I think it’s good. I like the way that we started. We played with energy from the first whistle and we played good on defence.”
On how his team played: “We’ve got a beautiful group. Dejan UDOVICIC is our head coach; he does an awesome job leading us. He just told us to go out there, play with confidence, play with energy, play with intensity, play with conviction, and just have a commitment to each other and commitment to the group. Play with attitude and passion. So, we’re really excited for every game we get to play at this world championships, and we know that we have a really special group.”
Ali OUSSADOU (CAN) — Three Goals
On the match: “It’s a bit of a new group here that we have and we took our time to get in the game. For some guys like myself, it’s our first world championships. But I thought it went better as the match went on and we’re looking forward to the next game.”
On being his team’s top scorer with three goals: “I’m happy, I’m just trying to help the team win in however, whatever way I can. And I guess today it was by scoring goals, so I’m happy to help the team power back in.”
On lessons from the opening match: “It’s experience. Every game, we learn new stuff. It’s good for the team to get games together and get experience, and I’m looking forward to the next game.”
Match 1, Group A, SERBIA 27 SOUTH AFRICA 3 (8-0, 6-3, 4-0, 9-0)
Image Source: Viktor Rasovic (SRB)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Professional Serbia made the first step with an encouraging victory against an amateur side. It was a tough ask for the Africans against the Olympic champion, but they did manage to be a threat on a number of occasions. Serbia breezed through the first quarter with superstar and triple Olympic champion Dusan Mandic netting three of the first five with his wicked left arm. Captain Nikola Jaksic scored two of the first three. The second quarter was more interesting as South Africa found the goal three times with Brett Sneddon, cunningly turning at the left-post position to defeat Serbian goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic. Calvin Kuperus snapped on a quick inbound pass as the goalie moved forward and Manqoba Bungane scored from wide left off a long cross pass, just managing to wedge the ball inside the left upright, eight seconds from halftime. Meantime, big centre forward Milos Cuk scored a pair —one from penalty — with Jaksic gaining his third.
Mandic added another two in a third period where it took six shots at goal before the first Serbian ball breached the defence. That was Vasilije Martinovic from a six-metre-foul shot. Jaksic snared his fourth (from six attempts), on penalty, while the South Africans were denied any such joy. Strangely, Mandic had one shot rejected. His 17-3 goal was from well outside, showing that he does not need to encroach another two metres when you have a cannon as potent as his. The fourth period also belonged to Serbia with Cuk screaming in an outside shot to add to his repertoire. Boris Vapenski added a centre-forward backhand to his first-quarter penalty strike and Nikola Murisic snared a pair for five in total. Viktor Rasovic scored twice in the closing minutes and Jaksic brought up his fourth from point blank.
Match Heroes Mandic, as expected, with his six goals, Murisic with five and Jaksic with four were the best for Serbia.
Turning Point None in this match.
Stats Don’t Lie Serbia went five from five on extra and denied South Africa its sole chance. Serbia dominated the penalties with four goals, made eight steals to four and shot 38 to 19.
Image Source: Boris Vapenski (SRB)/Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Bottom Line When you pit the Olympic champion with an amateur side, there can only be one result. Experience is everything.
What They Said
Dusan MANDIC (SRB) — Six Goals
On the match:
“It was a good opening for us. We know that we are a much stronger team than South Africa and we demonstrated this today in the pool. We are forgetting this and already focusing on our next opponent, which is Italy, and it’s going to be a tough game for sure.”
On preparations for Singapore 2025:
“We went to Thailand before to try to prepare for the time difference. That’s about it. We trained with Australia, also.”
On ending a 10-year drought for the world title:
“I think we have less pressure now than we had in Paris. Now, after Paris, we want to continue the same way. We are not thinking about a world championship that we won 10 years ago, it’s not important. What’s important is now we are a compact team and we grow together. We’ve been through a lot of difficult times especially before Paris. Finally, we won the best possible medal in Paris with our third consecutive Olympic gold. We got our confidence, we got our strength, our belief in ourselves and we want to continue in this way.”
Dylan WATT(RSA) — Captain
On the match:
“I think we started off a little slow. A lot of new players in the team made debuts and the nerves got to us. The second and third periods I was happy with, we had a really competitive game in those periods.
“Towards the end, there was a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of excitement. We were quite excited to be only 18-3 down coming to the last period. We were looking for big things and got a little too impatient in changing things up. But honestly, we can’t be too upset with the result from the first game of the tournament. We can only grow from here.”
Progress Points
Group A: Serbia 3, Italy, Romania, South Africa 0. Group B: Hungary, Spain, Australia, Japan. Group C: United States of America 3, Brazil 3, Canada 0, Singapore 0. Group D: Croatia 3, Greece, Montenegro, China 0.
Day 4 Schedule
Match 09. 09:00. Group C, United States of America v Brazil Match 10. 10:35. Group A, South Africa v Romania Match 11. 12:10. Group D, Greece v China Match 12, 13:45, Group B, Japan v Hungary Match 13. 16:00. Group B, Australia v Spain Match 14. 17:35. Group D, Croatia v Montenegro Match 15. 19:10. Group C, Singapore v Canada Match 16. 20:45. Group A, Italy v Serbia
College Catch-Up: Highlighting the 2024-2025 year for Gibson County graduates | Local Sports
Catching up with, and highlighting, a few of the graduates of Gibson County high schools that competed as a collegiate student-athlete in 2024-2025: Brady Allen (GSHS, Class of 2022) (University of Louisville – Football): Allen enters his third year at Louisville as one of six quarterbacks on the UL roster (as of July 8, 2025) […]
Catching up with, and highlighting, a few of the graduates of Gibson County high schools that competed as a collegiate student-athlete in 2024-2025:
Brady Allen (GSHS, Class of 2022) (University of Louisville – Football): Allen enters his third year at Louisville as one of six quarterbacks on the UL roster (as of July 8, 2025) looking to gain an increased on-field role for the Cardinals this Fall…Entering Fall camp, preliminary reports indicate that Allen may be in line to serve as the Cardinals’ backup quarterback behind incoming transfer Miller Moss, who entered the UL program after transferring in from the University of Southern California…In 2024, Allen played against Austin Peay and completed 2-of-2 passes for 28 yards, and also saw time in UL’s regular-season finale against the University of Kentucky…In 2023, Allen appeared in one game and completed his only pass for seven yards against Murray State…As a freshman at Purdue University in 2022, he completed 1-of-3 passes for eight yards and made his lone on-field appearance for the Boilermakers against Indiana State before later transferring to Louisville…
Chloey Graham (GSHS, Class of 2024) (Indiana Wesleyan University – Women’s Basketball): Graham appeared in 20 games for IWU and played a total of 81 minutes (just over four minutes played per game); she scored 31 total points, collected 21 total rebounds (eight offensive rebounds and 13 defensive rebounds), swiped four steals dished out one assist; Graham made five two-point baskets, six three-point baskets and three free throws.
Ally Malone (GSHS, Class of 2024) (Marian University – Softball): In her freshman season, Malone hit .362 (51-for-141), scored 32 runs, belted nine doubles and three home runs, drove in 42 runs, had three sacrifice flies and stole five bases.
Olivia Stunkel (GSHS, Class of 2021) (Marian University – Softball): In her senior season, Stunkel finished with an incredible 30-2 record as a pitcher in the circle, compiled a 2.26 ERA and stuck out 173 hitters in 195 innings pitched.
Kasey Wood (PCHS, Class of 2022) (Oakland City University – Softball): In her junior season at OCU, Wood was named a Second-Team All-River States Conference selection and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. On the field, Wood, an outfielder, hit .344 in 2025, which was the second-highest batting average on the team. She also went 20-for-20 on stolen bases, had eight doubles, one triple and two home runs before sustaining a season-ending lower-body injury in OCU’s final regular-season game. Wood, slated to graduate in 2026 with a degree in business administration (with a concentration in management), will then begin graduate studies (with a concentration in human resources).
Riken Burkett (PCHS, Class of 2024) (Hanover College – Baseball): Burkett, preparing to enter his sophomore year as a student-athlete for the Panthers’ baseball program, missed his freshman diamond campaign for the Panthers due to an upper-body injury, but has played throughout the Summer of 2025 as a pitcher and infielder, where he has gradually worked his way back on the mound while serving as a valuable contributor for the Head Coach Brent Denbo-led Princeton Post 25 American Legion Baseball Senior team.
Jacob Keehn (PCHS, Class of 2024) (Oakland City University – Sprint Football): Keehn, preparing to enter his sophomore year as a student-athlete at Oakland City University, started on the offensive line for OCU in their 14-0 win over Midway University at Enlow Field in Evansville on September 21, 2024. OCU’s 14-point victory was the first-ever win for the OCU Sprint Football program…Keehn also started at left tackle in OCU’s game against Walsh on September 28, 2024 at Jack Jewell Memorial Field in Fort Branch…Keehn also started at left tackle in OCU’s game against Calumet on October 12, 2024 at Jerry Brewer Alumni Stadium in Jasper…Keehn also started on the OCU offensive line for OCU in their game at Quincy on October 19…
Hillary Humbaugh (GSHS, Class of 2022) (Wittenberg University – Women’s Golf): Humbaugh, who was the first student-athlete college signing I covered in my time with the Clarion in 2022, has now completed three years as a student-athlete at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, was named an All-North Coast Athletic Conference Second-Team selection in 2025. The Lady Tigers recorded six top-five finishes throughout the 2025 campaign, including a third-place finish at the 2025 NCAC Championships. The team also recorded a first-place finish in the Eva Shorb Wieskopf Invitational at the College of Wooster on April 7, 2025…In the win at Wooster, Humbaugh took first overall (in the individual standings) for the first time in her collegiate career, as she shot a 79…Humbaugh earned All-NCAC Second-Team honors in 2024 and was named to the WGCA All-American Scholar Team…Other honors earned by Humbaugh in the 2023-2024 academic year include being named a CSC Academic All-District and being named an NCAC Academic Honor Roll selection…
Gavin Bigham (WMHS, Class of 2024) (Rend Lake College – Men’s Basketball): In his debut season at RLC, Bigham, following in the footsteps of his father, Bart, in playing for the Warriors, played in 32 games in 2024-2025, scored 4.1 points per game (scored a total of 132 points), played a total of 304 minutes, shot 48 percent from the floor (49-of-102), connected on 43.5 percent of his three-point attempts (10-of-23), made 72.7 percent of his free throws (24-of-33) and collected two rebounds per game.
Josie Page (WMHS, Class of 2024) (Indiana University – Women’s Track and Field): In her debut season for the Indiana University Women’s Track and Field program, the 2023 IHSAA State Champion in the High Jump (and 2024 IHSAA State Runner-Up in the same event) achieved a personal-best high jump of 5’ 7.25”…
Alexis Tucker (GSHS, Class of 2023) (Wabash Valley College – Softball): Tucker, after two outstanding years as a student-athlete in the WVC softball program, recently committed to play softball at the University of Evansville…In the 2025 season as a hitter at the plate, Tucker batted .412 (63-for-153), scored 46 runs, had 11 doubles, belted 14 home runs, drove in 51 runs, accounted for 116 total bases, drew 23 walks, was credited with four sacrifice flies, had a .481 on-base percentage and had a .758 slugging percentage…In the 2025 season as a pitcher in the circle, Tucker made 42 appearances, started 32 games, finished with a 27-6 won-loss record, recorded one save, had 23 complete games, posted nine shutouts and recorded an eye-popping 234 strikeouts in 192.1 innings pitched…
Brenna Blume (GSHS, Class of 2022) (Belmont University – Softball): In her junior season at Division-I Belmont University, Blume, a finalist for the 2022 IHSAA Miss Softball award and the GSHS career-record holder in batting average, doubles, runs batted in, hits and home runs, played in 55 games for the Lady Bruins, started 54 contests, scored 14 runs, had 32 hits (18 singles, eight doubles and six home runs), drew 15 walks, was credited with three sacrifice flies and drove in 25 runs…Blume, as Belmont’s catcher, had an excellent season defensively in 2025, as she ended the campaign with a .995 fielding percentage…
Cole Hurt (PCHS, Class of 2022) (University of Indianapolis – Track and Field):
Hurt was a four-year, four-sport athlete for the Princeton Tigers and the PCHS Male Athlete of the Year in 2021. He signed with the University of Indianapolis with a scholarship to run track for the Greyhounds and serve as a walk-on kicker for the football team. After a freshman year of doing both sports, he decided to focus on track and field, and Hurt began training as a ;multiple-event’ contributor (combined track and field events such as the heptathlon and decathlon).
During his sophomore year at UIndy, Hurt suffered a complete rupture of his Achilles tendon while hurdling at an indoor winter meet in February 2023. This ended his winter and upcoming spring outdoor season and jeopardized his collegiate track career. Surgical repair and reattachment of the tendon were performed, and the long rehabilitation process to hopefully become competitive again was underway.
Fifteen months after surgery, Cole competed in the GLVC (Great Lakes Valley Conference) 2024 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the decathlon event in May 2024. He finished second overall in the conference during the two-day, 10-event decathlon.
Hurt returned to the GLVC Outdoor Championships for the decathlon event in May 2025. He finished in second place again while breaking and setting a new all-time UIndy school decathlon record.
Due to Hurt’s injury, that year served as a medical-redshirt season, which gives him one more year of eligibility. Hurt graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree in May and has started summer graduate school classes at UIndy. Hurt plans to take advantage of making up that lost year of track with the Greyhounds this coming season.