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UCLA men’s volleyball sets up to take on Belmont Abbey in NCAA quarterfinal match

At a level of competition that brings out the best, overcoming each obstacle takes considerably more power, energy and grit than the last. And with each challenge, the team is forced to look inside themselves and find out what type of competitors they truly are. All roads lead to Columbus, Ohio, as No. 3 seed […]

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2 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

At a level of competition that brings out the best, overcoming each obstacle takes considerably more power, energy and grit than the last.

And with each challenge, the team is forced to look inside themselves and find out what type of competitors they truly are.

All roads lead to Columbus, Ohio, as No. 3 seed UCLA men’s volleyball (20-6, 10-2 MPSF) takes on No. 6 seed Belmont Abbey (17-8, 12-2 Conference Carolinas) on Thursday in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. The Bruins enter Ohio with the opportunity to claim their 22nd national title and three-peat for the first time since winning four in a row from 1981 to 1984.

Despite an early exit in the MPSF semifinals at the hands of Pepperdine, UCLA remains experienced on the national stage with a balanced attack.

Led by four AVCA All-Americans, including redshirt junior outside hitter and MPSF Player of the Year Cooper Robinson, the Bruins are third in the nation by team hitting percentage with a .367 clip, 10th in kills per set with 12.51 and 13th in assists per set with 11.62 – all while holding opponents to a .226 hitting percentage.

And first-year UCLA head coach John Hawks has helmed his squad to its third-straight regular season conference title.

Redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson lowers himself and digs the ball at the Galen Center. (Lex Wang/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Supporting Hawks on the hardwood, Robinson leads the team in kills, digs and service aces – with 335, 111 and 37, respectively – while his .387 hitting percentage is 11th in the country. Junior setter Andrew Rowan has continued his Bruin career by averaging over 10 assists per set and gaining his third AVCA All-American nomination in as many years in Westwood. And junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne has been a sparkplug in the frontcourt, ranking 13th nationally in blocks per set with 1.06 while posting a .530 clip.

“It’s been fun with this new group,” Thorne said. “There’s a lot of talent on this team, so when working in the lab with these guys, they make my job a lot easier because they do their jobs so well.”

Without senior outside hitter/opposite Ido David, the rest of the Bruin squad, notably junior outside hitter Zach Rama and freshman outside hitter Sean Kelly, have been able to fill in the gaps.

“He’s (Kelly is) so consistent and does his job great,” Rama said. “He’s got a cool, calm, collected sense about him. … People have been injured, and he’s answered the call.”

However, as UCLA discovered from this postseason, fortunes can quickly change amid the chaos of a tournament. And going against a scrappy, defensively minded Belmont Abbey squad, the Bruins may have reason to tread carefully and stay sharp.

The Crusaders punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by sweeping Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas title game.

Led by the conference tournament’s Most Valuable Player Zach Puentes and middle blocker Jibriel Elhaddad, Belmont Abbey ranks sixth nationally in blocks per set with 2.49 and holds opponents to a .187 hitting percentage, ranked third in the nation and second among NCAA tournament teams.

Elhaddad himself posts 1.157 blocks per set, seventh-most in the nation, and his team posts 11.35 assists per set and 12.42 kills per set, the 23rd and 15th marks in the country, respectively.

With its efficiency and star power, UCLA is favored to win on paper. However, within the chaos of the postseason anything can happen – if the Crusaders can shake the Bruins early and capitalize on unforced errors, they could hang around longer than expected.

“I feel like, for us, it’s about believing on our side and trusting what our guys do,” Hawks said. “It’s about standing together as a unit.”

The winner of this match will advance to face either No. 2 seed Hawai’i or No. 7 seed Penn State on Saturday in the national semifinal.

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Track & Field Sending Program-Best Eight Competitors to NCAA West First Round

Story Links BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The NCAA announced on Thursday the accepted student-athletes for the first rounds of the 2025 NCAA Div. I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is sending a program-best eight Vaqueros to compete at the NCAA West First Round running May […]

Published

9 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The NCAA announced on Thursday the accepted student-athletes for the first rounds of the 2025 NCAA Div. I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is sending a program-best eight Vaqueros to compete at the NCAA West First Round running May 28-31 in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

The Vaqueros will have three track and five field student-athletes representing UTRGV in seven events at the postseason meet hosted at Texas A&M. Previously, the program record for NCAA West qualifiers was seven set in 2019.

Junior Nayla Harris will compete in the women’s 100-meter dash, while junior Corin Burns and freshman Richard Young will race in the men’s 200-meter dash. Junior Hannah Hilding is set to make her second consecutive NCAA West appearance in the women’s hammer throw and senior Efe Latham will take on the women’s shot put. Sophomore Keamonie Archie and juniors Aaron Cooper and Achol Maywin qualified for jumps. Cooper earned his second consecutive NCAA West bid in men’s triple jump, while Archie takes on men’s long jump and Maywin competes in women’s high jump.

“We are always striving to get better, and this record number of qualifiers is the result of that unwavering drive for continued success. It’s become a habit for this group to set program bests,” head coach Shareese Hicks said.

The top 48 declared student-athletes are accepted into the East and West first rounds for individual events, and the top 24 declared relay teams are accepted. The top 24 declared heptathlon and decathlon competitors advance straight to the championship meet. The qualifying window was from March 1 to May 19.

Harris, the 2025 Southland Conference (SLC) champion in the 100 (and indoors in the 60-meter dash) heads to College Station ranked 16^th in the West with her program and personal-best time of 11.22.

Hilding is 30^th in women’s hammer with a mark of 59.44 meters, a personal best. She won the SLC championship in the event. Last year, Hilding finished 32^nd in hammer at NCAA West.

Cooper is tied for 31^st in men’s triple jump with his program and personal-best mark of 15.48 meters. He was the bronze medalist at the SLC Outdoor Championships in the event. In 2024, Cooper finished 30^th at NCAA West.

Burns and Young both head to NCAA West tied at 39^th on the men’s 100 performance list with a time of 20.79, which is a program record. Burns was the 100-meter dash silver medalist at the SLC Outdoor Championships. This is the junior’s second trip to NCAA West after qualifying for the meet in 2023 while competing at Incarnate Word. Young, a freshman, is UTRGV’s youngest qualifier.

Maywin is one of three women’s high jumpers heading to NCAA West with a clearance of 1.77 meters. That mark is a program and personal record, which Maywin tabbed at the SLC Outdoor Championships as she earned silver.

Latham captured the women’s shot put silver medal at SLC Outdoor Championships with a mark of 15.36 meters, which is a personal best and the mark which secured her spot at NCAA West. She is 46^th on the performance list.

Archie also earned a silver medal at SLC Outdoor Championships with his personal-best mark of 7.52 meters, which has him heading to College Station ranked 46^th on the men’s long jump performance list.

The NCAA East First Round also runs May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Fla. The top 12 finishers in each individual event and the top 12 teams in each relay will advance from the first round meets to the championship meet scheduled for June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

UTRGV Schedule

Wednesday, May 28

Men’s long jump first round, 4:30 p.m.

Keamonie Archie

Men’s 200-meter dash first round, 8:45 p.m.

Corin Burns

Richard Young

Thursday, May 29

Women’s hammer throw first round, 10 a.m.

Hannah Hilding

Women’s 100-meter dash first round, 7 p.m.

Nayla Harris

Friday, May 30

Men’s triple jump first round, 2:30 p.m.

Aaron Cooper

Men’s 200-meter dash quarterfinals, 7:50 p.m.

TBD

Saturday, May 31

Women’s high jump semifinal, 3:30 p.m.

Achol Maywin

Women’s 100-meter dash quarterfinals, 6:35 p.m.

TBD

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Sports

Gilstrap Qualifies for 2025 NCAA Track And Field East Preliminaries

Story Links INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Stony Brook men’s track and field student athlete Collin Gilstrap was announced as an individual qualifier for the NCAA outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee on Thursday. Gilstrap will compete in the […]

Published

28 minutes ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Stony Brook men’s track and field student athlete Collin Gilstrap was announced as an individual qualifier for the NCAA outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee on Thursday.

Gilstrap will compete in the 1,500-meter run for a second straight season at the 2025 NCAA East Prelims hosted by the University of North Florida from May 28-31 in Jacksonville.

His qualification comes after numerous stellar outdoor season performances, during which he defended his crown as CAA champion in the 1,500-meter, winning gold for a second year in a row.

Gilstrap made program history on April 18, breaking his own program record in the 1,500-meter run with an outstanding run at the Wake Forest Invitational (3:40.94).

In addition to his record-breaking run, Gilstrap added a first-place finish in the 1,500-meter run during the regular season. Winning the event at the Colonial Relays (3:47.39).

The 2025 NCAA Preliminary meets are from Wednesday, May 28, to Saturday, May 31, in Jacksonville, Fla. (East) and College Station, Texas (West). At the end of the second round on Friday, the field will be narrowed to 12 participants from each region. These individuals will advance to the NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., from June 11-14.

For an inside look at the Seawolves track & field program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Rogan ’28 runs in NCAA track and field championships on Thursday, May 22

Story Links Hamilton College’s Keira Rogan ’28 runs in the preliminary heats of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, on Thursday, May 22. The first 11-runner heat begins at 7:35 p.m., and Rogan […]

Published

46 minutes ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hamilton College’s Keira Rogan ’28 runs in the preliminary heats of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, on Thursday, May 22.

The first 11-runner heat begins at 7:35 p.m., and Rogan is one of 11 athletes in the second heat. The steeplechase final is the last event on Friday, May 23 with a start time of approximately 4:55 p.m.

Rogan owned the third-fastest performance in Division III in the event this spring with a time of 10:27.88, which she recorded in Hamilton’s outdoor invitational on April 4. She set team records in the steeplechase, the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run this season. Rogan finished second in the steeplechase at the NESCAC championships on April 26 and earned all-conference honors for the event.

Rogan is trying to collect her third all-America award in her first year with the Continentals’ cross country and track and field teams. She ended up in 15th place out of 290 finishers at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, and landed in fifth place out of 20 athletes in the 3,000-meter run at the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.

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Volleyball Loses in City Quarters

Carlos GrayPhoto: Steve Galluzzo For the second year in a row the Palisades High boys volleyball team began the City Section Open Division playoffs on the road at Granada Hills. Last spring it was the Dolphins who swept but on May 7 the Highlanders returned the favor with a 25-21, 25-16, 25-16 quarterfinal victory, bringing […]

Published

47 minutes ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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Kyle Radde is helping new generation of Penn boys volleyball

MISHAWAKA ― Mark Watts had seen enough. After Kyle Radde dunked the basketball, stole an ensuing pass and dunked the ball again, Watts knew he had a volleyball player on his hands. He walked across the gym floor and approached Radde about trying out the sport. The rest, as they say, is history. Two decades […]

Published

52 minutes ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MISHAWAKA ― Mark Watts had seen enough.

After Kyle Radde dunked the basketball, stole an ensuing pass and dunked the ball again, Watts knew he had a volleyball player on his hands. He walked across the gym floor and approached Radde about trying out the sport.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Two decades later, the two are on the same coaching staff — Watts a co-head coach with his wife, Kelley, and Radde an assistant for the Penn High School boys volleyball team. After being one of 16 programs to win an inaugural IHSAA sectional title in the sport, the Kingsmen will look to add regional hardware this weekend in Valparaiso.

“It’s awesome,” Radde said. “It’s where my roots started. And it all started in that gym that we’re practicing in now.”

A decorated pro volleyball career

As he alluded to, Radde is a Penn alum. Watts, a former teacher and girls volleyball coach at the school, was overseeing the intramural basketball teams at Penn when Radde showed off his athletic display.

A club boys volleyball team was formed in Radde’s junior and senior years, but it fizzled out once he graduated. While the team at Penn was over, Radde’s career in the sport was just starting.

He would play collegiately in the NAIA at Calumet College before transferring to the club team at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Radde would then spend some time overseas playing the game, including in countries like Austria, Belgum and Denmark.

Beach volleyball is where Radde would find his niche. He became one of the better players in the country at it, using his 6-foot-8 frame and dynamic leaping ability to be a force around the net. In 2014, he and his playing partner were one of four teams in a 104-team field to advance to the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Main Draw in St. Petersburg, Florida.

He has continued to play locally, as well as starting his coaching career. That journey has taken him to the University of Olivet in Michigan and the Northern Indiana Volleyball Association, among other places, along with his current assistant gig with Penn.

At age 39, Radde is still playing. He needs shoulder surgery to fix some things this fall, but he plans on pursuing his pro career next summer after he’s healed up.

“I told the boys: I didn’t start until I was 17 or 18, and then I ended up playing professionally for 16 years … a lot of people would say that’s a late start, but it’s better late than never,” Radde said. “I’m glad I took that opportunity to play because, honestly, in my mind, there’s no better sport than volleyball.”

Helping the next generation of Penn boys volleyball

It was unknown if Penn would field a team for the first-ever IHSAA season as late as mid-February. Once the Watts committed to being the head coaches, though, the season became a reality.

“It’s amazing,” Mark Watts said. “It feels impossible. I’m enjoying it. Sometimes I sit back and think, ‘How the heck did we get here?’”

Radde’s impact is felt by everyone on the team, especially sophomore Liam Carter. The 6-foot-6 middle hitter has played at NIVA for four years, with Radde being one of his first coaches. He was unsure if he wanted to play for the high school team, but Radde convinced him to be part of history.

“I went to one practice, and it was definitely challenging,” Carter said. “I talked to (Radde) at another place I play at (NIVA) and he told me how much of a big deal this is with it being the first year and how big it could be for college.”

Like most teams in the area, there have been growing pains for Penn this year. They were able to put it all together in last week’s sectionals, though, beating three solid teams in Warsaw, South Bend Riley and Saint Joseph to claim the title.

“That’s why we coach,” Radde said. “It’s not for me to come out here and win a state title; it’s for the look on their faces when they won sectionals and how they felt. I’ve had some big wins in my career, and it means a lot. To see them having that same feeling, that’s where all the reward comes from coaching.”

Penn (13-10) now enters regional weekend as the underdog. They will face Washington Township (19-3) in the second semifinal at approximately 1 p.m. ET/noon CT Saturday, May 24, at Valparaiso High School. The first semifinal pits Lake Central (27-6) against Boone Grove (23-4) at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The final is set for 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT.

The Kingsmen know it’ll be an uphill battle, but they’re ready for the challenge.

“I’m going to tell them to go out there and swing away,” Radde added. “Play aggressive, dive on the ground and be ready.”

Follow Austin Hough on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough and on Facebook at “Austin Hough – South Bend Tribune.” Hough can be emailed at ahough@gannett.com.

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USA Cadet Women Unbeaten Midway Through 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships

Story Links Medellin, Colombia – May 22 – The U.S. Women’s Cadet National Team is unbeaten through four games at the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Medellin, Colombia. USA 20, Brazil 7 Team USA opened play with a 20-7 victory over Brazil. Madison Mack and Kiernan Hogan led the charge offensively […]

Published

56 minutes ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Medellin, Colombia – May 22 – The U.S. Women’s Cadet National Team is unbeaten through four games at the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Medellin, Colombia.

USA 20, Brazil 7

Team USA opened play with a 20-7 victory over Brazil. Madison Mack and Kiernan Hogan led the charge offensively with four goals each while Gianna Adams notched six saves and three steals in net.

USA 28, Mexico 3

The United States handled Mexico 28-3 on Day 2 of the tournament. Kiernan Hogan was named match MVP after four goals, four assists, and two steals. Paige Segesman was the top scorer as she shot 5/5 from the field while adding three steals and an assist.

USA 22, Peru 1

The Americans put forth a dominant display on both ends in a 22-1 win against Peru. Match MVP went to Caroline Daniel who scored three goals and earned nine exclusions in the contest. Teodora Diaconu scored a team-high four goals in the big win.

USA 16, Canada 10

Team USA outlasted Canada 16-10 for a fourth straight win in Medellin. A trio of hat tricks from Campbell Pence, Kiernan Hogan, and Caroline Daniel led the way on offense.

The USA Women return to action on Friday, May 23 versus Argentina at 10:00am ET/7:00am PT and Saturday, May 24 against the home nation of Colombia at 1:00pm ET/10:00am PT. After those contests, the United States will play one final game on Sunday, May 25 with opponent and time TBD.

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