NCAA: Igiede, UH top USD; Creighton beats Purdue; upset victims bounce back
The top teams got away unscathed on the second day of the NCAA volleyball season, but Saturday was not without its upsets and surprises. Of note: The SEC is 23-6, which includes Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee all 3-0 and the only team in the league that didn’t...
Upsets — Long Beach stuns Texas — and surprises on NCAA first day like no other
Long Beach State celebrates its upset of Texas/Jim Wolf photo Unranked Long Beach State knocked off top-ranked and NCAA defending-champion Texas on Friday to punctuate a wild and unpredictable first day of the Division I college season. It capped a 226-match day in which in an inordinate...
NCAA volleyball experiencing historic season
At a time when the direction of collegiate sports is uncertain and unpredictable, volleyball is entering a season expected to be filled with noteworthy achievements. While every season concludes with the crowning of a new national champion, this December will likely mark 2023 as a...
Alix Klineman, Hailey Harward awarded wild card for World Championships
There will be a fifth USA women’s team at the World Championships this October. Alix Klineman is officially back. The entry list for the World Championships was released on Friday morning, and Klineman and Hailey Harward were awarded a wild card. They are currently seeded 41 in...
Texas looms large, what a slate and more: Notes, nuggets as NCAA opens season
Texas. And not the Longhorns. Although you can start there, since defending-champion Texas is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA preseason poll before an NCAA season that begins Wednesday. Rather, the state of Texas looms large, with four teams in that top 25 and another getting votes, others...
Loaded Stanford “ready to get after it” as NCAA season begins
From left, Elia Rubin, Caitie Baird, Kendall Kipp, Elena Oglivie, Sami Francis, Kami Miner There they are, all six of them proudly shown on a publicity graphic, all six Stanford starters on the preseason Pac-12 team. Loaded and on a mission. That’s because the stunning sting of the...
Girls Dream Team: Hamlin, Hawkins, Drumwright, Scheumann, Vinson, Higginbotham, Miller, Power
Every Wednesday during the high school season, provided there are enough nominees from varsity coaches, VolleyballMag.com will recognize a Dream Team of high school volleyball players who were standouts the weekend before. Most weeks, the eight-girl Dream Team will consist of the following: Setter Setter, S/RS or RS OH OH MB MB Libero DS Our team...
Andy Benesh: Most improved blocker in the world helping to revive USA beach volleyball
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — If you’re looking for a small slice of beach volleyball comedy, you can find it on Volleyball TV or YouTube. Rewind to April 6, qualifier day of the Itapema Challenge. Andy Benesh and Miles Partain — current world No. 3, Gstaad...
Tawa’s HS Volleyball Dots: National rankings fails; tournament successes
This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in high school volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday until the last high school state championship in November: • Last Tuesday saw the first release of...
AVP Manhattan Beach photo gallery: The top shots from Rigney, Chu, Szto, Atwood, Wolf, Gordon
Our photographers — Mark Rigney, Will Chu, Allen Szto, Rick Atwood, Jim Wolf and Andy J. Gordon — not only worked long and hard this past weekend at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, they braved the elements. As always, they rocked the photos and their best...
Paul Sunderland, Emily Ehman join VBM to preview start of NCAA volleyball season
Lots to talk about! VolleyballMag.com editor Lee Feinswog is joined by ESPN play-by-play legend Paul Sunderland and the Big Ten Network’s Emily Ehman just three days before the start of the 2023 NCAA volleyball season: The post Paul Sunderland, Emily Ehman join VBM to preview start of...
Molly Phillips, who “doesn’t get enough credit,” primed for another Texas title run
Molly Phillips with the trophy in the middle of the Texas national-title celebration/Matt Smith photo There’s no hiding Molly Phillips. After all, she is 6-foot-4. But throughout her career, she’s always been the Texas volleyball X factor, the player who maybe you simply didn’t notice as much...
Paris 2024: Olympic Beach Volleyball Rankings, updated August 21
David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig celebrate winning the Hamburg Elite16/Volleyball World photo The Olympic race for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially began in February in Doha, Qatar, with the Volleyball World Elite16. The final event is yet to be determined, but the qualification period will...
Volleyball TV options “gigantic positive for the collegiate women’s game”
The brain trust that runs ABC-TV and ESPN made moves this summer to help ensure that more casual eyeballs might be tempted to watch the NCAA Division I women’s indoor volleyball national-title match in December when it it moves to over-the-air ABC. ESPN announced last week...
Flint-Scoles take road no one has ever traveled to win first Manhattan Beach Open
Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint celebrate their victory/Will Chu Photography MANHATTAN BEACH, California — There is the path less taken to a Manhattan Beach Open title. Then there is the path taken by Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles. The maximum number of matches one can play in winning...
Wait is over: Taylor Crabb, the “people’s champion,” wins the Manhattan Beach Open
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA. — Five years ago, Taylor Crabb hit the perfect swing. The right swing. An untouchable swing. A bullet down the angle around Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena that would have sealed the 2018 Manhattan Beach Open title. It might be the most haunting...
Duda-Ana Patricia too strong for Kloth-Nuss in Hamburg Elite16 final
Kristen Nuss digs in the Hamburg Elite16 final/Volleyball World photo Top-seeded Brazilians Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa put an end to a great week in Germany for Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss as they swept the Americans in the Volleyball World Hamburg Elite16 final 21-16,...
Breaking fingers, winning matches: TCU hopes to build on remarkable turnaround
By all accounts, TCU women’s coach Jason Williams is pretty mild mannered. He isn’t prone to animated lectures and barely raises his voice. He gets his point across without histrionics. It all belies his past as a football player at Austin College. Although there have been a...
“All is fair in volleyball and war” as Muno-Kraft win semifinal bid against future teammates
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA. — Just one week ago, Deahna Kraft and Toni Rodriguez spent an entire day together in Huntington Beach. Played three matches as a team and won all three, sealing up a main draw berth into the season-ending Chicago Gold Series on Labor...
No hurricane for Nuss and Kloth in Hamburg — just another Elite16 semifinal
Kristen Nuss has been through at least seven hurricanes in her 25 years living in Louisiana, and untold number of floods and storms that didn’t quite make it to hurricane category but carried devastating power nonetheless. She dealt with the madness of Katrina and, a...