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We just watched the last great golf story

Published

8 months ago

April 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

We just watched the last great golf story

“May you get what you wish for.”
—The third Chinese curse

When Rory McIlroy settled down in front of the media in the aftermath of his great, chaotic, cathartic victory at the Masters, he began his opening statement with a joke: “What are we all going to talk about next year?”

It landed. Everyone laughed, and he laughed, too. As far as I could tell, his tone was congenial, and McIlroy of all people—subject of unbearable scrutiny here and at every other major for a decade and more—had earned the good-natured dig. Behind it, though, as the night went on and I tossed the words around, I detected some deeper, more uncomfortable truth. And the truth felt ominous, and it kept me awake.

Because, actually…what are we going to talk about?

Don’t mistake me—I don’t regret McIlroy’s win. Not even a little.

There’s a rule in sketch comedy that within a scene, you never, ever solve the problem. The comedy comes from tension, so you play the problem, you prolong the conflict, and when you’ve extracted all the humor you can, you bail out. Resolution is not funny—it cuts the tension, and it’s unsatisfying for the audience. Take the famous SNL cowbell sketch as an example. Imagine if, after a minute, one of the band members had successfully stopped Will Ferrell from playing the cowbell. Party’s over, right? The two critical ingredients of that sketch are that one, the bandmates must want him to stop playing the cowbell, and two, he must never stop playing the cowbell. Whatever it takes, including the intervention of Christopher Walken’s weirdo producer, that conflict must be preserved. Extrapolate from there to the narratives of professional golf, and you could argue that McIlroy needed to keep losing majors in order to heighten the tension and prolong the action. Resolution, in the form of him winning a major, meant we would lose the story for good.

But sketch comedy is called “short form” for a reason, and in longform drama (or whatever combination of drama and comedy real life represents), delaying the resolution eventually hits a point of diminishing returns. This weekend at Augusta, that time had come; there was only one satisfying end to the long saga of Rory McIlroy’s 11-year sojourn in the desert of major championship golf:

Victory had been deferred as long as possible, and, admittedly, to great dramatic effect. Just when you thought we had run out of ways to see his heart break in the most public forum possible, fate delivered: he blew the fairytale ending at the Home of Golf, he missed the unmissable putt at Pinehurst, twice. Each loss, importantly, was an escalation on the one that came before, a dramatic heightening, and that itself is a key ingredient of a great story.

To lose at Augusta, as he threatened to do at least half a dozen times on Sunday, would have been just as unbearable, but—critical difference—it would have been unbearable in a way that undermined the journey. Pinehurst had been the absolute limit of a decade of escalations; at this point, he had been hurt a little too much. Heartbreak at Augusta would look less like an interesting setback, and more like celestial sadism.

“There’s something cruel in this,” my friend Chris said to me as we watched McIlroy dump his undumpable pitch into the water on 13. He put the words to what we all felt, and that’s when the epiphany hit: there was no longer anything interesting about Rory blowing a major. It would be a dark farce, but also a tedious one, a gratuitous one, and it would pay off emotionally only for those who enjoyed suffering for its own sake.

Whoever is writing the Rory saga seemed to get it. A decade of losses got us to where we are today, but one more loss would, paradoxically, undermine the carefully built tension. The win that transpired, on the other hand, unleashed a staggering catharsis, emphasizing the incredible competitive resilience of the “eternal optimist” whose greatness was a static fact and whose ultimate triumph came from a heroic refusal to stop trying. He was Odysseus, hellbent on getting home no matter how the gods tried to break him, until even the gods began to love him again.

McIlroy became great with the early wins, but he became heroic through his failures, and he became larger than life through his suffering. If you wanted him to win on Sunday, as I did, it wasn’t because of his real-life personal qualities, or the deficiencies of his opponents, but because you couldn’t bear to see this kind of extended suffering go unrewarded. Whatever you think of him, whatever complications you see in his actions, hadn’t he earned this? Didn’t he deserve it?

There was no better ending than Augusta. No better ending than a thousand obstacles at the threshold, convincing you he might be eternally cursed. No better ending than unbearable tension and agonizing delays right until the very end, until finally, can you ****ing believe it, victory. He’s the greatest story in sports, and I am in awe of the author who stuck the landing.

So despite a certain melancholy attached to passing time, I’m not upset that the story had to end. The string had played out. After Pinehurst, another journalist told me that golf would get a lot less interesting if McIlroy ever actually won, and I took his point, but yesterday the alternative looked even less appetizing. It was time for a series finale.

But now, to attempt to answer that original question, what are we going to talk about next?

If McIlroy’s journey had a heroic quality to it—and again, the comparison to Odysseus is too obvious not to reuse—the conclusion to that journey leaves me with a certain cynicism about what comes next. Look around, and what you see seems less like a clean slate and more like a vacuum.

What if Rory wins more majors? He might—he probably will—but none will carry the same weight. Not even close.

What if other players emerge and go on great runs? They have, and they will, but do any of them connect like McIlroy, for good and bad? Each passing generation becomes more media-trained, more single-minded, and—outside of the golf course but perhaps on it too—so much less interesting. How can they inspire anything close to the same strong feelings?

What about stories off the course? Sure, there will be plenty of those, but have you enjoyed what you’ve seen lately? Are you excited for more years of the endless PGA Tour-LIV power struggle, or the hyper-injections of money that steadily rob professional golf of it soul? Is that what we have to look forward to?

What about Jordan Spieth? OK, fair point.

Aside from a few flickering torches, though, it’s a dark landscape, and while people like me will always find something worth spending words on, what will tug on the heartstrings of the average fan?

In 1992, in the years immediately after the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukayama wrote a book called ‘The End of History and the Last Man,’ in which he argued that, to quote the simplified summary on Wikipedia, we had reached “the end-point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” Fukayama is often mocked for being very wrong about this, and the implication of my argument, that we have seen the last of professional golf’s great heroic epics, may look equally short-sighted with time. I may be a victim of the moment, influenced by a certain fatigue with the world in 2025. I’m not afraid to tell you it has happened before.

But it feels like professional golf had two great, mythic cards to play in the last decade, and it played both cards to perfection at the most mythic battlefield in the sport, Augusta National, in 2019 and 2025. What remains in the wake feels faint and ineffectual, just a shadow of the spectacle we were lucky enough to witness on Sunday.

To answer McIlroy’s question literally, there will be plenty to talk about. There always is. But to stare into the abyss of the subtext, I’m not sure it will be quite like this ever again. Even as the players get better, the stories get worse, and I can’t shake the feeling we are in the twilight of the gods.

Related Topics:bad cold golf history matter media minute night sports

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Women’s track and field begins indoor season at M City Classic

Published

6 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women’s track and field team turned in 13 performances that ranked on its all-time performers’ list at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.

First years accounted for 11 of the 13 performances that ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list at the unscored meet, which included teams from the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and club levels. In addition to the top-10 list performances, senior Ella Landis posted St. Olaf’s lone first-place finish at the meet by winning the one-mile run in 5:17.28.

In her first collegiate meet, first year Evangeline Sappington broke onto the program’s all-time performers’ list in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Sappington was the top Division III finisher and was 10th overall in the 200-meter dash (26.84), while also taking second among Division III competitors and 16th overall in the 60-meter dash. Sappington’s time in the 60-meter dash ranks second on the Oles’ all-time list – just four one-hundredths of a second off the record – and her time in the 200-meter dash is fifth.

Sophomore Izzi Jaeckle clocked in with St. Olaf’s No. 4 time in the 60-meter dash by placing 17th (8.10), while first year Ellie Semple also broke onto the list in 10th with a time of 8.28 seconds to finish 27th. Sophomore Logan Paulsen moved up to seventh on the Oles’ list with a sixth-place performance in the shot put (12.48m, 40′ 11 ½”), while first year Abigal Frei cleared 3.26 meters (10′ 8 ¼”) for a No. 5 all-time result and an eighth-place finish.

First years Svea Frantzich and Claire Stein recorded St. Olaf’s No. 8 and No. 10 scores in the pentathlon by finishing seventh (3,005) and eighth (2,993), respectively. Frantzich tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 17′ 10 ¼”) and was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.47), which both ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list. Stein also tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 10′ 10 ¼”) to highlight her day. First year Annika Walsh was the runner-up in the high jump (1.62m, 5′ 3 ¾”) – fifth all-time – and was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (9.48) – ninth all-time – as part of a ninth-place finish in the pentathlon (2,881).

St. Olaf will be back in action in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.

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Second-Screen Golf Experiences : Player Profiles

Published

38 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

At the 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship, IRCODE debuted Player Profiles, a new LIVE+ capability to bring fans closer to athletes without prompts, QR codes, or static triggers.

In addition to offering an on-site fan experience, IRCODE, as a Technology Partner, introduced an interactive viewer experience for fans at home. When players appeared on-screen, viewers used the IRCODE app to scan their screen and instantly accessed a full, interactive profile for shopping their favorite players’ gear, diving deeper into their stories and learning more about the causes that are meaningful to them.

Player Profiles leverages IRCODE’s patented EXACT Match technology and proprietary computer vision, and applies real-time visual recognition to usher in the next generation of second-screen entertainment.

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Catch Saturday’s Basketball and Indoor Track and Field Action

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2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BEREA, Ohio – Fans can follow or watch Saturday’s Baldwin Wallace University basketball and indoor track and field action via live results, statistics or video.

The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams open the 2025-26 season when it travels to Cleveland to compete in the Spartan Alumni Holiday Classic hosted by Case Western Reserve University inside the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center at 11:00 a.m.

Live Results:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3MlDQcr

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3KFq6st

The men’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the first game of a men’s and women’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 1:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.

Tickets:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll

Live Statistics:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/493Gehq

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://flosports.link/47hSw2V

The No. 21 nationally ranked women’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the second game of a women’s and men’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 4:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.

Tickets:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll

Live Statistics:

https://bwyellowjackets.cc/49Ist7Q

FloCollege On Demand Live Video:

https://flosports.link/4qu1Fyr

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2025 DII women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

🏆 Watch live: 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship rounds

2025 DII women’s volleyball championship bracket

Click or tap here for the 2025 interactive bracket

2025 NCAA DII women’s volleyball schedule

Regionals: Dec. 4-6
Quarterfinals: Thursday, Dec. 11
Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 12
National Championship: Saturday, Dec. 13

Selection show: 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 24
Regionals: Dec. 4-6
- Thursday, Dec. 4
  - No. 3 Indiana (Pennsylvania) 3, No. 6 Fairmont State 0
  - No. 3 Anderson (South Carolina) 3, No. 6 Augusta 1
  - No. 3 Lynn 3, No. 6 UAH 2
  - No. 6 Washburn 3, No. 3 Wayne State (Nebraska) 0
  - No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 6 Molloy 2
  - No. 2 East Stroudsburg 3, No. 7 Charleston (West Virginia) 0
  - No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 6 Quincy 2
  - No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 3, No. 7 Lander 1
  - No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 3, No. 2 UCCS 2
  - No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 6 Western Washington 0
  - No. 2 Barry 3, No. 7 Eckerd 0
  - No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 7 Central Oklahoma 0
  - No. 7 Holy Family 3, No. 2 Adelphi 2
  - No. 7 Rockhurst 3, No. 2 Ohio Dominican 0
  - No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 6 Lubbock Christian 1
  - No. 5 Flagler 3, No. 4 Carson-Newman 1
  - No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 8 Fayetteville State 0
  - No. 7 Central Washington 3, No. 2 Simon Fraser 2
  - No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 8 Spring Hill 0
  - No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 1 Missouri-State Louis 2
  - No. 4 St. Cloud St. 3, No. 5 Missouri Western 1
  - No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 8 Bridgeport 1
  - No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 8 Colorado Mesa 0
  - No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 4, No. 5 Shepherd 0
  - No. 4 West Florida 3, No. 5 Palm Beach Atl. 2
  - No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 8 Emmanuel (Georgia) 1
  - No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 8 CSUSB 2
  - No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 3, No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist 2
  - No. 5 Post 3, No. 4 American Int’l 1
  - No. 5 Findlay 3, No. 4 Wayne State (Michigan) 2
  - No. 4 West Tex. A&M 3, No. 5 CSU Pueblo 1
  - No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 3, No. 4 Alas. Anchorage 0
- Friday, Dec. 5
  - No. 2 Barry 3, No. 3 Lynn 0
  - No. 3 Indiana (PA) 3, No. 2 East Stroudsburg 1
  - No. 3 Anderson (SC) 3, No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 1
  - No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 7 Holy Family 1
  - No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 6 Washburn 0
  - No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 7 Rockhurst 0
  - No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 0
  - No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 5 Post 1
  - No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 7 Central Washington 2
  - No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 1
  - No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 4 West Florida 1
  - No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 5 Flagler 1
  - No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 5 Findlay 1
  - No. 4 St. Cloud State 3, No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 1
  - No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 4 West Tex. A&M 1
  - No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 1

NCAA DII women’s volleyball championship history

Here is the full list of champions and runners-up since 1981:

Year	Champion (Record)	Coach	Score	Runner-Up	Site
2024	Lynn (33-3)	Adam Milewski	3-2	San Francisco St.	Sioux Falls, SD
2023	Cal State LA (24-10)	Juan Figueroa	3-1	West Texas A&M	Moon Township, PA
2022	West Texas A&M (33-4)	Kendra Potts	3-1	Concordia-St. Paul	Seattle, Wash.
2021	Tampa (34-2)	Chris Catanach	3-0	Washburn	Tampa, FL.
2020	Canceled due to Covid-19	—	—	—	—
2019	Cal State San Bernardino (33-0)	Kim Cherniss	3-1	Nebraska-Kearney	Denver, Co.
2018	Tampa (33-4)	Chris Catanach	3-2	Western Washington	Pittsburgh, Pa.
2017	Concordia-St. Paul (34-3)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Florida Southern	Pensacola, Fla.
2016	Concordia-St. Paul (32-4)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Alaska Anchorage	Sioux Falls, S.D.
2015	Wheeling Jesuit (39-4)	Christy Benner	3-0	Palm Beach Atlantic	Tampa, Fla.
2014	Tampa (33-1)	Chris Catanach	3-0	S’west Minnesota State	Louisville, Ky.
2013	Concordia-St. Paul (35-3)	Brady Starkey	3-0	BYU-Hawaii	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2012	Concordia-St. Paul (34-4)	Brady Starkey	3-2	Tampa	Pensacola, Fla.
2011	Concordia-St. Paul (34-2)	Brady Starkey	3-0	Cal State San Bernardino	Cal State San Bernardino
2010	Concordia-St. Paul (32-4)	Brady Starkey	3-1	Tampa	Louisville, Ky.
2009	Concordia-St. Paul (37-0)	Brady Starkey	3-0	West Texas A&M	Concordia-St. Paul
2008	Concordia-St. Paul (37-1)	Brady Starkey	3-2	Cal State San Bernardino	Concordia-St. Paul
2007	Concordia-St. Paul (36-4)	Brady Starkey	3-1	Western Washington	Washburn
2006	Tampa (35-1)	Chris Catanach	3-1	North Alabama	West Florida
2005	Grand Valley State (32-1)	Deanne Scanlon	3-1	Nebraska-Kearney	Nebraska-Kearney
2004	Barry (34-1)	Dave Nichols	3-1	Truman	Barry
2003	North Alabama (33-7)	Matt Peck	3-0	Concordia-St. Paul	Cal State San Bernardino
2002	BYU-Hawaii (27-2)	Wilfred Navalta	3-0	Truman	West Texas A&M
2001	Barry (32-2)	Dave Nichols	3-0	South Dakota State	Grand Valley State
2000	Hawaii Pacific (28-0)	Tita Ahuna	3-0	Augustana (S.D.)	Augustana (S.D.)
1999	BYU-Hawaii (30-2)	Wilfred Navalta	3-0	Tampa	Battle Creek, Mich.
1998	Hawaii Pacific (31-5)	Tita Ahuna	3-1	North Dakota State	Kissimmee, Fla.
1997	West Texas A&M (37-1)	Debbie Hendricks	3-2	Barry	Cal State Bakersfield
1996	Nebraska-Omaha (35-2)	Rose Shires	3-2	Tampa	Central Missouri
1995	Barry (34-2)	Leonid Yelin	3-1	Northern Michigan	Barry
1994	Northern Michigan (32-4)	Mark Rosen	3-1	Cal State Bakersfield	Cal State Bakersfield
1993	Northern Michigan (38-1)	Jim Moore	3-1	Cal State Bakersfield	Northern Michigan
1992	Portland State (36-1)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-2	Northern Michigan	Portland State
1991	West Texas A&M (36-2)	Jim Giacomazzi	3-0	Portland State	West Texas A&M
1990	West Texas A&M (38-1)	Kim Hudson	3-0	North Dakota State	Cal State Bakersfield
1989	Cal State Bakersfield (21-15)	David Rubio	3-0	Sacramento State	Cal State Bakersfield
1988	Portland State (36-5)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-0	Cal State Northridge	North Dakota State
1987	Cal State Northridge (35-6)	Walt Ker	3-2	Central Missouri	Nebraska-Omaha
1986	UC Riverside (29-7)	Sue Gozansky	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Sacramento State
1985	Portland State (36-5)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-1	Cal State Northridge	Portland State
1984	Portland State (33-4)	Jeff Mozzochi	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Portland State
1983	Cal State Northridge (30- 6)	Walt Ker	3-2	Portland State	Florida Southern
1982	UC Riverside (31-5)	Sue Gozansky	3-0	Cal State Northridge	Cal State Northridge
1981	Sacramento State (28-6)	Debby Colbery	3-0	Lewis	UC Riverside

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Cal Poly Stuns USC and Advances to Seventh Sweet-16 in Program History

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

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No. 8-seed Penn State women’s volleyball defeats USF, advances to second round of NCAA Tournament | Penn State Volleyball News

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.