JWS Staff
Nov 29, 2022
Defending champion Wisconsin volleyball ended its regular season on an 18-match winning streak.
The Badgers have not lost since Sept. 25, even as the team endured a tough Big Ten schedule and the turmoil of a photo leak investigation, and now they enter the NCAA tournament with a 25-3 overall record and the No. 1 seed.
â Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) November 28, 2022đđđ đđ€đđ đ©đ€ đđąđđđ begins now.
Badgers earn the No. 1 Seed in the Top Right Region. pic.twitter.com/BPSfSPSNHc
The University of Wisconsin athletic department announced on Oct. 19 the investigation into a a leak of private photos and videos of Badgers womenâs volleyball players, which were then shared on the internet.
At least one of the photos appears to have been taken after the team won the Big Ten title last November and shows members of the team posing with their sports bras lifted, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The athletic department called the leak a âsignificant and wrongful invasionâ of the athletesâ privacy. Yet even after the off-court issue, which highlighted the vulnerable position of college athletes, the Badgers continued to roll.
Wisconsin finished its conference season Saturday with a 3-1 win against Ohio State, clinching a 19-1 conference record and theBig Ten title. The only loss came on Sept. 25 against Minnesota.
âThere was so much learning that came from our one loss against Minnesota,â coach Kelly Sheffield said. âThat was really important for where we are right now. There was so much opportunity for us to learn throughout the course of the year and I am so proud of them.â
The 18-match winning streak is tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history. The 19-1 conference record is tied for the best conference record in program history.
Wisconsin already has sold out all-session tickets to its first- and second-round matches in the NCAA tournament. The Badgers will start their quest for a repeat title at 8 p.m. ET Friday against Quinnipiac.
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Emma Hruby
May 24, 2024
The UEFA Women's Champions League final kicks off in Bilbao on Saturday, with a couple of familiar foes set to face off for the trophy.
Olympique Lyonnais FĂ©minin, making its 11th final appearance since 2010, will go head to head with a Barcelona side making its fourth final appearance in a row.
This will be the third time these two teams meet in the UWCL title game, having previously appeared in the 2019 and 2022 finals. Lyon won both of those prior games against Barcelona, alongside a total of eight Champions League trophies. Thatâs double that of any other club, with Eintracht Frankfurt coming in a distant second with four.
Should Barcelona win, this would be the team's third title â breaking a tie for the third in the UWCL total titles race.
But as these teams return to the UWCL final, it also marks the end of an era for both clubs. The game will be the last for both club managers, as Barcelonaâs Jonatan GirĂĄldez and Lyonâs Sonia Bompastor depart for new jobs after the season's end.
GirĂĄldez is set to leave for the NWSL's Washington Spirit, while Bompastor will take over for incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes at Chelsea. Both coaches have earned one UWCL trophy during their tenures, while Bompastor also brought two Champions League trophies to Lyon as a player. She was the first coach to win a UWCL trophy as both a coach and player.
This season, Barcelona is looking for its first quadruple, having won a fifth Liga F title alongside the Copa de La Reina, and the Spanish Supercopa.
"We hope he can go out with the four trophies because we know how competitive and ambitious he is," Barcelona midfielder Patri Guijarro told ESPN. "It has been a winning era with him in charge and for him to go out with all four trophies would be historic and incredible."
ButLyon's Damaris Egurrola is excited about her team's chances of overcoming Barcelona once again â and to do it in front of family and friends.
"Lyon have something special," she told Forbes ahead of the weekend's final. "We have a great team and we have the players with enough talent to win any match."
The game will be a homecoming for Egurrola, who began her professional career with Athletic Bilbao.
"Iâve been thinking of this day and night," she said. "Iâve been dreaming of playing this match. Having the opportunity to play in San Mames is amazing. This is where it all started for me."
The UEFA Women's Champions League final kicks off Saturday, May 25th at 12 PM ET and is free to stream on DAZN.
Emma Hruby
May 24, 2024
The 2024 French Open starts on Sunday, with a match schedule that promises to wrap the short clay court season up in style.
Looking for her fourth title at the major is three-time Roland Garros champion and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, considered the favorite to win the whole Slam. Three of her four major titles have come at the French tournament.
Swiatek's career record at the French Open is a dominating 28-2, and she's currently on a 16-game winning streak fueled by victories at tune-up tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
But that doesn't mean she won't face some serious challengers along the way. Get to know some of the Polish tennis champ's strongest competitors.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka is ranked No. 2 in the world and faced Swiatek in the finals at both Madrid and Rome. She lost in three sets in Madrid, which included a close third-set tiebreak, before losing in straight sets at the Italian Open.
She enters the French Open having won the Australian Open in January, successfully defending her title in the first Slam of the season. At last yearâs French Open, Sabalenka reached the semifinals â a career best â before being ousted by Karolina MuchovĂĄ in three sets.
Season record: 25-7
Coco Gauff
Currently sitting at No. 3 in the world, the highest-ranked American on the schedule is none other than Coco Gauff. Gauff won her first major at the US Open last year, and reached the semifinals of this yearâs Australian Open. She faced Swiatek in the semifinals of the Italian Open last week, losing in straight sets.
But her first major final came at the French Open in 2022, before being ousted by Swiatek in the quarterfinals at last yearâs French Open. The two are on a crash course for a meeting before the finals, as Gauff anchors the other quadrant on Swiatekâs side of the draw, should they both advance deep into the competition.
Season record: 25-8
Emma Hruby
May 24, 2024
The Libertyâs unbeaten streak came to an end on Thursday as Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky got the upset win over New York with a final score of 90-81.
Angel Reese stood out with a near double-double, registering 13 points and nine rebounds. Sheâs currently the only rookie this season to exceed 10 points in her first three games, and the first player in Sky history to begin their career with three consecutive double-digit scoring games, per ESPN Stats & Info.
â Just Womenâs Sports (@justwsports) May 24, 2024Angel Reese is just the 3rd WNBA player ever to grab 15+ offensive rebounds in their first three games. đ€
â 12 PTS, 8 REB (5 OREB)
â 11 PTS, 9 REB (7 OREB)
â 13 PTS, 9 REB (3 OREB)
The outcome may not have come as a surprise to Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, who sung Reeseâs praises ahead of the game.
"Sheâs a workhorse," Stewart told The Post. "She doesnât stop. Sheâs tough, sheâs strong, sheâs tough to box out and good at cleaning up for her team offensively and defensively."
"I feel like sheâs an energizer bunny," Jones added. "She doesnât stop moving, she doesnât stop crashing the boards. Just someone that is gonna be relentless in her approach to getting to the glass and playing tough."
It was the first time Chicago has met New York this season. The game was especially meaningful for new Chicago head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who led the Liberty for seven years as a player and joined the team's Ring of Honor in 2011.
"This place means a lot to me... I played in that jersey, I adored that jersey, I adored every player that I had an opportunity to play with. The love that I received even today was overwhelming," Weatherspoon reflected after the game.
Following the win, Sky guard Dana Evans had some kind words for her coach.
"I mean, it's just special. She's special," Evans said. "She just breeds confidence in each and every one of us. We love her. We just wanted to go so hard and play hard for her, and I feel like this one was really for her. We really wanted this for her more than anything."
Thursday's victory brings Chicago's record to 2-1, a somewhat unlikely feat given that their offseason featured starter Kahleah Copper getting traded to Phoenix.The Connecticut Sun are now the only undefeated team left in the league this season, and will formidable foes for the Sky as they take their winning streak on the road to Chicago this weekend.
Emma Hruby
May 24, 2024
Emma Hayes has officially begun her tenure as USWNT manager ahead of the teamâs June friendlies.
Hayes made the rounds on Thursday, appearing on the Today Show and speaking with select media about her goals and underlying principles with the team. Itâs a quick turnaround for the decorated coach, who just won the WSL with Chelsea last weekend.
One thing that she wonât do, however, is shy away from the high expectations that come with managing the US. The squad is looking to reinstate its winning reputation at the Paris Olympics this summer following a disappointing World Cup in 2023.
"I know the challenge ahead of me. There is no denying there is a gap between the US and the rest of the world," she told ESPN. "We have to acknowledge that winning at the highest level isn't what it was 10 years ago. It's a completely different landscape. And my focus is going to be on getting the performances required to play at a high level against the very best nations in the world."
While Hayes was formally hired six months ago to lead the USWNT, her deal stipulated that she remain with Chelsea through the conclusion of their season. In her stead, Twila Kilgore has led the team, with the coach "drip feeding subliminal messages" to the roster on Hayesâs behalf.
"It's a bit ass-upwards," Hayes joked to reporters. "I know about the staff, and the team, and the structure behind it. We got all of that. Now it's time, I need to be with the team."
With Olympics now just two months away, Hayes dropped hints this week regarding her thought process behind building the roster, saying thereâs still time for players to make their case.
"You can't go to an Olympics with a completely inexperienced squad. We need our experienced players, but getting that composition right, that's my job between now and June 16th," she said on the Today Show.
"What I can say from my time [in the US] is, I've always loved the attitude towards performance and the expectation to give everything you've got," she later affirmed to reporters.
And as for winning gold?
"I'm never gonna tell anyone to not dream about winning," she added. "But⊠we have to go step by step, and focus on all the little processes that need to happen so we can perform at our best level.
"I will give it absolutely everything I've got to make sure I uphold the traditions of this team."
