Sports

What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 13, 2025: Baseball playoffs open with 2 teams seeking 3-peat

Published

8 months ago

May 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By: Don Rebel

Monday, May 12, 2025 | 10:41 PM

8495175_web1_ptr-Class2Abase04-053024 — Christopher Horner | TribLive

Seton LaSalle’s Roman LoNero makes a running catch in shallow right field against Serra Catholic during the 2024 WPIAL Class 2A championship game.

Welcome to the first round of the WPIAL baseball playoffs with opening-round contests set for Class A, 2A and 3A.

Two district baseball teams are going for a three-peat this spring: Bishop Canevin in Class A and Seton LaSalle in 3A.

The Rebels captured back-to-back gold in 2A but moved up in class this spring.

If Seton LaSalle were to capture a third straight championship, it would do so in shocking fashion.

The Rebels are the No. 14 seed in the 18-team bracket, a longshot to even reach the final four, yet alone raise gold.

Seton LaSalle finished tied for second place with Charleroi in Section 4-3A with an overall record of 10-6. The Rebels have won a season-high five games in a row.

They’ll face a stiff challenge from No. 3 Ellwood City.

The Wolverines finished in second place in Section 1-3A with a final record of 14-5.

Ellwood City ended up in second, only one game behind Riverside, with a victory over the Panthers earlier this spring. The Wolverines had a six-game winning streak snapped with a season-finale loss to Montour.

The teams meet under the lights at 7 p.m. at North Allegheny.

Elsewhere in the seven other opening-round 3A games:

• Top-seeded Riverside (13-2) looks to avoid the major upset when it faces preliminary round winner Shady Side Academy (8-13) at Seneca Valley at 6 p.m.

• No. 8 Burrell (12-8) faces No. 9 Charleroi (10-6) at Gateway at 3 p.m.

• No. 4 Waynesburg (15-3) plays No. 13 Freeport (13-6) at Gateway at 5:30 p.m.

• No. 12 Mt. Pleasant (11-6) challenges South Park (12-6) at Gateway at 8 p.m.

• Defending 3A champion and No. 2 Avonworth goes up against pigtail game winner No. 15 Keystone Oaks (9-9) at Fox Chapel at 4:30 p.m.

• No. 7 Quaker Valley (12-6) battles No. 10 Ligonier Valley (10-7) at Fox Chapel at 2 p.m.

• No. 6 Deer Lakes (9-6) squares off with No. 11 Mohawk (10-9) at North Allegheny at 4 p.m.

Beaver County proud

There are three Beaver County teams in action in the first round of the Class 2A baseball playoffs Tuesday and two of them go head to head.

No. 7 South Side will face No. 10 New Brighton at Matulevic Field in Shaler at 4:30 p.m.

The Rams finished 10-6 this season and tied for second place in Section 3-2A with Riverview, two games behind section winner Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

South Side finished the season strong, winning four of its last five games.

The Lions ended the campaign with a record of 9-8 and finished tied for fourth place in a tough Section 1-2A.

New Brighton enters the playoffs on a three-game losing skid, having scored a total of three runs in those losses.

The two were scheduled to play each other in a nonsection game last month, but it was postponed due to weather.

Here are the other four first-round 2A games:

• The other Beaver County team is No. 8 Freedom (11-8), which will take on No. 9 Apollo-Ridge (8-6) at Plum at 7:30 p.m.

• No. 4 Shenango (14-5) will face No. 13 Chartiers-Houston (7-9) at Burkett Park in Robinson Township at 4 p.m.

• No. 5 Fort Cherry (13-5) goes up against No. 12 Laurel (8-10) at Matulevic Field in Shaler at 2 p.m.

• No. 6 Riverview (12-6) will battle No. 11 California (8-9) at Norwin at 4:30 p.m.

No bye for you

It was a bit of a mystery when the baseball brackets came out Friday and there were three first-round byes, none of which went to the defending two-time champions.

As mentioned, Bishop Canevin is trying to win three district crowns in a row this postseason.

The Crusaders finished in a tie with Serra Catholic and Eden Christian for the Section 3-A title, yet when the brackets came out, Serra, Eden and Leechburg were awarded the three byes.

Bishop Canevin is the No. 4 seed and must play in the opening round against No. 13 Rochester at Burkett Park in Robinson Township at 6:30 p.m.

The Crusaders are 10-6 overall and have won five of their last seven games.

The Rams are 9-7 after finishing tied for fourth place with Union in Section 2-A. They have won three straight and also have been victorious in five of their last seven games.

Here are the other four Class A opening-round contests:

• No. 8 Jefferson-Morgan (13-3) will face No. 9 Winchester Thurston (11-6) at Norwin at 2 p.m. It is the first baseball playoff game for the Bears program.

• No. 5 Greensburg Central Catholic (15-2) faces No. 12 Sewickley Academy (5-12) at Plum at 5 p.m.

• No. 7 Western Beaver (14-4) battles No. 10 Avella (10-7) at the Boyce-Mayview Complex in Upper St. Clair at 3 p.m.

• No. 6 Carmichaels (12-4) looks to eliminate No. 11 Union (7-9) at the Boyce-Mayview Complex in Upper St. Clair at 5:30 p.m.

Celebrate the Deer

Ten years ago, the Deer Lakes softball team captured its second WPIAL championship in four years.

The Lancers celebrate that anniversary beginning a quest for the program’s third district title.

The first step is Tuesday with a Class 3A first-round contest against Charleroi at Norwin at 5 p.m.

The Lancers lost their first five games, fell in their final three contests and ended up going 7-13 as they finished tied for third place in Section 1-3A.

The Cougars, meanwhile, won five of their last seven games to finish in third place in Section 3-3A with an overall record of 9-8.

The winner will advance to the 3A quarterfinals to face top seed and undefeated South Park.

In the other three 3A opening-round softball contests:

• No. 5 Mt. Pleasant (12-5) goes up against No. 12 Keystone Oaks (8-8) at Waynesburg University at 5 p.m.

• No. 7 Southmoreland (9-7) will battle No. 10 Hopewell (11-7) at Trinity at 7 p.m.

• No. 6 McGuffey (10-5) will take on No. 11 Ligonier Valley (5-10) at West Mifflin at 5 p.m.

Houston, we have a problem

Some might feel that the Apollo-Ridge softball team is fresh for the postseason.

Others might be concerned that the Vikings risk being rusty.

In a span of 16 days from April 28-May 13, the Vikings will have played one game, a 7-5 loss to Highlands on May 8.

The Vikings won their final three Section 2-2A games via forfeit.

Now, No. 8 Apollo-Ridge begins the postseason as the section runner-up when it plays No. 9 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (9-6) at Fox Chapel at 3 p.m.

The Chargers finished tied for second place in Section 3-2A with Seton LaSalle.

OLSH lost its last two regular season games to finish 9-6 overall.

Elsewhere in a full slate of Class 2A softball openers:

• Top seed and three-time defending champion Neshannock (18-0) will play No. 16 Burgettstown (7-9) at North Allegheny at 3 p.m.

• No. 4 Frazier (13-3) will be challenged by No. 12 Shenango (10-8) at Fox Chapel at 5 p.m.

• No. 5 South Allegheny (14-3) goes up against 2024 runner-up Bentworth (8-9) at West Mifflin at 3 p.m.

• No. 2 Chartiers-Houston (17-1) faces No. 15 Brentwood (6-8) at Pleasant Valley Elementary in Peters Township at 4 p.m.

• No. 10 Brownsville (11-5) battles No. 7 Seton LaSalle (10-5) at Trinity at 5 p.m.

• No. 3 Laurel (14-4) squares off with No. 14 Northgate (10-7) at North Allegheny at 7 p.m.

• No. 11 Riverside (7-8) tries to upset No. 6 Waynesburg Central (11-6) at North Allegheny at 5 p.m.

37 and counting

One of the longest current playoff streaks in WPIAL sports is the Leechburg softball team.

By finishing in a three way tie for third place in Section 3-A, the Blue Devils qualified for the softball playoffs for a 38th consecutive season.

Leechburg was .500 overall during the regular season with an 8-8 record.

As the No. 11 seed, Leechburg will play No. 6 South Side in the first round of the Class A playoffs at Montour at 5 p.m.

While the Blue Devils lost three of their last four, the Rams were hot down the stretch, winning five consecutive games to finish tied for second place in Section 1-A with Sewickley Academy, three games behind top seed Union.

South Side enters the game with a 10-7 record.

The winner will play No. 3 West Greene in the upcoming quarterfinals.

Here are the other four Class A first-round contests:

• No. 8 Jeannette (12-4) battles No. 9 Avella (5-10) at Pleasant Valley ES in Peters Township at 6 p.m.

• No 4. Sewickley Academy (10-5) goes up against No. 13 Monessen (6-8) at Norwin at 3 p.m.

• No. 12 Greensburg Central Catholic (6-6) tries to pull off the surprise of No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan (8-6) at Waynesburg University at 3 p.m.

• No. 7 Serra Catholic (12-5) goes up against No. 10 Cornell (7-7) at Montour at 3 p.m.

Hardcourt lid lifters

There are 10 WPIAL first-round boys volleyball playoff matches set for Tuesday where weather is no issue.

Class 3A has 14 teams in the bracket with top-seeded North Allegheny and No. 2 Seneca Valley enjoying opening-round byes.

Here are the six first-round matches that all begin at 7 p.m.

• No. 8 Mt. Lebanon (13-1) hosts No. 9 Gateway (10-2) in a battle of section champions

• No. 4 Hempfield (11-4) welcomes No. 13 Upper St. Clair (5-8)

• No. 12 Baldwin (6-10) visits No. 5 Pine-Richland (9-5)

• No. 7 Canon-McMillan (14-2) is home to No. 10 Central Catholic (9-8)

• No. 3 Latrobe (15-1) welcomes No. 14 North Hills (8-9)

• No. 11 Peters Township (7-11) travels to No. 6 Penn-Trafford (10-6)

In Class 2A, the top four seeds all earned first-round byes.

So in the opening round, No. 1 Shaler, No. 2 Ambridge, No. 3 Seton LaSalle and No. 4 North Catholic will be spectators waiting to see who they will play in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Here are the four opening-round contests with each game set for a 7 p.m. start.

• No. 9 Hopewell (9-8) visits No. 8 Derry (11-6)

• No. 5 South Fayette (13-4) will host No. 12 McKeesport (8-8)

• No. 10 Deer Lakes (10-5) travels to No. 7 Thomas Jefferson (9-6)

• No. 6 Mars (8-10) is home to No. 11 South Park (8-8)

Day Two of the lax postseason

Rain or shine, the first round of the district lacrosse playoffs for girls Class 3A and boys Class 2A begins Tuesday.

Each bracket has 12 teams with four first-round byes.

In girls 3A, the top four teams already into the second round are No. 1 Pine-Richland, No. 2 Upper St. Clair, No. 3 Mt. Lebanon and No. 4 Moon.

The four 3A girls first-round matches are all set to start at 7 p.m.

• No. 9 Bethel Park (10-6) visits No. 8 Shady Side Academy (6-8)

• No. 5 Fox Chapel (10-5) welcomes No. 12 Norwin (7-9)

• No. 7 Penn-Trafford (12-6) hosts No. 10 Butler (8-6)

• No. 11 North Allegheny (4-12) travels to No. 6 Peters Township (13-5)

In boys 2A, the top four teams headed to the quarterfinals are No. 1 South Fayette, No. 2 Mars, No. 3 Hampton and No. 4 Peters Township.

The four 2A boys first-round matches are all set to start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated:

• No. 9 Indiana (8-8) is on the road to face No. 8 Franklin Regional (9-8)

• No. 5 Sewickley Academy (10-2) is home to No. 12 Chartiers Valley (6-10) at 6 p.m.

• No. 7 Bethel Park (11-7) hosts No. 10 Quaker Valley (9-4)

• No. 11 Shaler (10-6) will visit No. 6 Penn-Trafford (12-6)

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Sports

Men’s Volleyball vs NJIT on 1/4/2026 – Box Score

Published

55 minutes ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

—

NJIT subs: Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

0-1

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

1-1

[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

1-2

[Aleixo, Andre] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

2-2

[Roure, Adrien] Bad set by Titriyski, Kristian.

NJIT

2-3

[Latkowski, Daniel] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

2-4

[Todd, Justin] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).

Hawaii

3-4

[Todd, Justin] Kill by Aleixo, Andre (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

3-5

[Nowak, Wiktor] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

3-6

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

3-7

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Moorhead, Parker (block by Rosenthal, Tread).

Hawaii

3-8

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service ace (Moorhead, Parker).

Hawaii

3-9

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

3-10

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service ace (Lopez, Diego).

Hawaii

4-10

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

NJIT

5-10

[Moorhead, Parker] Attack error by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

NJIT

6-10

[Moorhead, Parker] Attack error by Titriyski, Kristian (block by Aleixo, Andre; Fedmasu, Andrew).

NJIT

6-11

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Jordan, Trevell (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

7-11

[Sakanoko, Louis] Kill by Nowak, Wiktor (from Fedmasu, Andrew).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego.

NJIT

7-12

[Fedmasu, Andrew] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

8-12

[Jordan, Trevell] Kill by Latkowski, Daniel (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

8-13

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Todd, Justin (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

9-13

[Rosenthal, Tread] Kill by Latkowski, Daniel (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

9-14

[Aleixo, Andre] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

9-15

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Moorhead, Parker (block by Titriyski, Kristian; Sakanoko, Louis; Todd, Justin).

Hawaii

9-16

[Roure, Adrien] Service ace (Aleixo, Andre).

Hawaii

9-17

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Titriyski, Kristian; Todd, Justin).

Hawaii

9-18

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Todd, Justin; Titriyski, Kristian).

Hawaii

10-18

[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Moorhead, Parker (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego.

NJIT

10-19

[Latkowski, Daniel] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

11-19

[Todd, Justin] Service error.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

NJIT

11-20

[Nowak, Wiktor] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin.

Hawaii

12-20

[Titriyski, Kristian] Kill by Moorhead, Parker (from Lopez, Diego).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

13-20

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

14-20

[Moorhead, Parker] Service ace (Greenidge, Quintin).

NJIT

14-21

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Jordan, Trevell (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

14-22

[Sakanoko, Louis] Attack error by Fedmasu, Andrew (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

15-22

[Sakanoko, Louis] Kill by Fedmasu, Andrew (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

15-23

[Fedmasu, Andrew] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Kearney, Finn; Jordan, Trevell.

Hawaii

16-23

[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Kearney, Finn; Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

16-24

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Jordan, Trevell.

Hawaii

17-24

[Rosenthal, Tread] Kill by Aleixo, Andre (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

17-25

[Aleixo, Andre] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

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Sports

No. 2 Warriors volleyball team rolls by NJIT again

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com

Hawaii’s Kristian Titriyski, left, Trevell Jordan and Louis Sakanoko rose up for a block against NJIT Highlanders’ Harrison Girard during Friday’s match.

Hawaii sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski put down a match-high 11 kills and the No. 2 Rainbow Warrior men’s volleyball team rolled New Jersey Institute of Technology once again, 25-17, 25-16, 25-17 this evening at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 5.267 watched a similar match play out to Friday’s season-opening win for the Rainbow Warriors (2-0), who improved to 21-0 all-time against teams from the EIVA other than Penn State.

Adrien Roure had nine kills and hit .615 and Louis Sakanoko, playing in only two sets, had six kills on seven swings with three digs and three blocks.

Hawaii hit .517 in the match.

UH was presented with its Big West championships rings after the match. Hawaii won the conference last season defeating eventual national champion Long Beach State in four sets in the final.

Freshman setter Magnus Hettervik, who is from Stavanger, Norway, made his UH debut as a serving sub in the second set and had an ace. He came in to finish off Hawaii’s final four points in the third.

Andre Aleixo had nine kills to lead NJIT (0-2), which has lost all 15 sets in five meetings against UH.

Hawaii returns to the arena on Thursday for the first of back-to-back matches on consecutive nights against No. 7 Loyola Chicago.

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The 2025 Taunton Daily Gazette Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

The 2025 Taunton Daily Gazette Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics

Jan. 5, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET

Another girls high school volleyball season has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.

This fall, Bristol-Plymouth (12-8, 7-1 Mayflower Athletic Conference) led the way locally once again, capturing a second-straight Mayflower Large title and reaching the MIAA Division 2 Preliminary Round. Bristol Aggie (10-11, 6-5 MAC) also looked solid throughout the fall, reaching the Division 5 Preliminary Round. Taunton (9-11, 5-11 Hockomock League) looked solid but fell just short of tournament qualification while Bridgewater-Raynham (5-14, 0-4 Pioneer Athletic Conference) and Dighton-Rehoboth (4-16, 2-12 South Coast Conference) showed some promise for the future.

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Coastal Bend volleyball standouts named to TSWA all-state team

Published

2 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 5, 2026, 4:05 a.m. CT

Three Coastal Bend high school volleyball players were named to the 2025 Class 4A-3A Blue Bell Texas Sports Writers Association All-State volleyball team after putting together strong campaigns during the fall season.

The honorees were London setter Myah Lichtenberger, Calallen setter Grace Martinez and Calallen middle blocker Jadyn Lindgren.

Martinez and Lindgren helped lead Calallen to a district championship and a 36-8 record. The pair also played a vital role in the Lady Cats’ run to the Class 4A Division I regional final.

Lichtenberger helped lead the Lady Pirates to their best season in program history after the team advanced to the Class 3A Division I regional final with a 25-6 record.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

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Sports

Tritons Complete North American Challenge

Published

4 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball completed its preseason on Sunday with day two of the North American Challenge. The Tritons once again beat Canadian sides Alberta and Calgary in exhibition matches after doing the same on Friday.

The Tritons beat Alberta 3-0 before turning around and playing Calgary, winning 3-1. Head coach Brad Rostratter repeated his previous approach of largely using two separate lineups for the two matches. Only four of the 14 Tritons who got playing time on Sunday appeared in both contests.

The challenge was hosted by fellow Big West side Long Beach State. On Friday, the Tritons also swept Alberta after beating Calgary 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED – ALBERTA
The Tritons cruised through the first match of the day, winning 25-16, 25-21, 25-15. They hit .333 while holding Alberta to a .200 clip. The Tritons also had 11 service aces.

A balanced offense saw four Tritons finish with seven or more kills. Luke Chandler and Leo Wiemelt had a match-high nine kills, with Wiemelt hitting .667 in the process. Setter Cameron Wurl had 24 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED – CALGARY
Calgary won set one 25-23 before UC San Diego won the next three 25-17, 25-21, 25-21. The Triton offense hit .431, while Calgary converted at a rate of .247.

Four Tritons had multiple blocks on the defensive side of the net. Offensively, Josh Ewert and Leo Pravednikov both hit .406. Ewert led the match with 20 kills, while Pravednikov added 17. Setter John Luers had 42 assists.

QUOTABLE
“I loved the volleyball we were playing throughout our four matches this weekend,” Rostratter said. “Using four different lineups and finding connections and success in different phases of the game highlighted the depth we have within our team. These were quality opportunities to learn more about what our team has and where we are headed this season. I am excited for the home matches this week on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday!”

UP NEXT
The 2026 regular season begins this Tuesday as the Tritons host Jessup at 7:00 p.m. at LionTree Arena. UC San Diego will also have home matches versus Daemen and Rockhurst on Friday and Sunday this week.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.

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Sports

Tyler’s McLean, Hallsville’s Farrell earn Class 5A all-state third-team volleyball honors

Published

5 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONGVIEW — Tyler middle blocker Kaelyn McLean and Hallsville outside hitter Kaycin Farrell earned third-team honors on the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team, the organization announced on Sunday.

Lady Lion outside hitter Ja’lee Flores was voted honorable mention.

Lufkin middle blocker Chesney McCullough was named a first-team middle blocker.

Area honorable mention players were middle blockers Knlee Smith of Marshall, Kylee Fernandez of Hallsville, and Taryn Stiger of Texas High; outside hitters Lily Holzbauer of Whitehouse, and Akira Smallwood of Lufkin; and setter Aleciara Smallwood of Lufkin.

McLean had 489 kills, 215 digs, 111 blocks and eight aces, while Farrell, the District 15-5A Most Valuable Player, had 402 kills, .371 hitting percentage, 302 digs, 68 aces, 50 blocks and 29 assists.

Class 5A Division II champion Cedar Park earned both top superlatives with the release of the Joy Udoye, who has signed to play for Stanford, was named Player of the Year. Udoye had eye-popping stats of 581 kills, 364 digs, 34 aces and 30 blocks as Cedar Park finished 39-12 overall.

Lori McLaughlin was voted Coach of the Year.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association

Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team

COACH OF THE YEAR: Lori McLaughlin, Cedar Park

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park

FIRST TEAM

Middle blockers: Brooklyn Bailey, Highland Park; Sienna Benavides, Cedar Park; Chesney McCullough, Lufkin

Outside hitters: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park; Kaitlyn Hutchins, Lake Belton; Harper Korenek, A&M Consolidated

Setter: Blair Thiebaud, College Station

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ann Kruz, Cedar Park

SECOND TEAM

Middle Blockers: Rihanna Bryant, Pflugerville Weiss; Aliah Earls, Red Oak; Zandria Johnson, Brownsville Rivera

Outside hitters: Nadiya Shelby, Friendswood; Sarah Floyd, Highland Park; Mya Cheatum, Cedar Park

Setter: Katelyn Hughes, Cedar Park

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Gigi Whann, Highland Park

THIRD TEAM

Middle Blockers: Jacey Owen, Smithson Valley; Kendall Kruesler, New Braunfels; Kaelyn McLean, Tyler

Outside hitters: Kaycin Farrell, Hallsville; Lexi Anderson, Frisco Centennial; Alexis Elsey, Argyle

Setter: Kingsley Minus, New Braunfels

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Berkeley Bates, Smithson Valley

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle Blockers: Ava Wood, Lake Belton; Knlee Smith, Marshall; Haddie Mock, Abilene Wiley; Kylee Fernandez, Hallsville; Emersyn Fink, Frisco Liberty; Taryn Stiger, Texas High; Kaitlyn McCracken, Belton

Outside hitters: Alyssa Todd, Aledo; Ja’lee Flores, Tyler; Lily Holzbauer, Whitehouse; Shaylie Schaefer, New Braunfels; Akira Smallwood, Lufkin; Hannah Baker, Argyle; Danielle Whittier, Prosper Walnut Grove; Kaelee Berkley, Aledo; Jaiden Harris, Frisco Liberty; Zoeh Cereceres, El Paso Chapin

Setter: Madison Bingham, Lake Belton; Aleciara Smallwood, Lufkin; Jill Vinal, A&M Consolidated; Ava Jackson, Pflugerville Weiss; Kyndal Newton, A&M Consolidated; Madison Victoriano, Frisco Centennial; Amelia Albright, Georgetown

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Hayden Jeffers, New Braunfels; Teagan Barnett, Argyle; Haley Nash, College Station; Haley Patton, Friendswood; Ashley Go, Pflugerville Weiss

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