Sent by Chloe Sentman, of course. Her goal in PKs sends Benet past Metea Valley in a Class 3A regional final.
The Redwings won 4-3 in PKs after the teams went scoreless through overtime.
Eighth-seeded Benet (14-6-2) advances to the Naperville North Sectional semifinals on Tuesday, while the season ends for top-seeded Metea Valley (13-6).
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Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Newport Harbor girls' volleyball takes first in Tesoro Tournament
Newport Harbor's maiden voyage under new girls' volleyball coach Pat Eaton began with smooth sailing, as the Sailors opened the season by winning the Tesoro Tournament. Junior outside hitter Ella Olson earned tournament MVP honors over the weekend. She has committed to Texas for both beach and indoor volleyball. Newport Harbor defeated San Clemente 25-20, 25-17 in the final. The Sailors dropped just one set during the event, conceding the middle game against San Juan Hills before claiming the decisive third set by a count of 15-11. 'It was good to watch us respond to some adversity,' Eaton said. 'I don't think we were playing our best volleyball, but we played tough, probably started picking up our defense and our blocking got better. 'Ella Olson was huge for us the whole weekend. She got a well-deserved MVP for that, and I think more than anything, the way she played in that match was the only reason why we kind of made it into the semi[final]. She was just huge for us because we weren't passing great, and so she kind of had to carry our offense and was fantastic in that.' Eaton took the head coaching job at Newport Harbor after leading the boys' volleyball program and assisting with the girls' team at Tesoro. The Sailors notched straight-set victories over Sunset League foe Edison in the semifinals and against Laguna Beach and Trabuco Hills in pool play. Junior opposite Vladimira Kotzakov earned all-tournament team honors, while sophomore outside hitter Piper Coady supplemented the Sailors' attack from the left side. Back Bay rival Corona del Mar also got off to a good start, placing third at the Pride of the Windward Side Tournament, which was put on by Honolulu Le Jardin Academy. Senior outside hitter Casi Doll, committed to UC Riverside, was named the MVP of the tournament, and senior libero Riley Card was also selected to the all-tournament team. Max Gamboa, the new head coach at CdM, said the Sea Kings could not compete in the finals because they were scheduled for Sunday. The CIF Southern Section does not permit its member schools to compete on Sundays. Corona del Mar (6-1) plays host to Crean Lutheran (8-0) in its home opener on Thursday. Costa Mesa 3, La Quinta 1: Junior outside hitter Gracie Glass had 10 kills and four service aces, as the Mustangs rallied past the Aztecs 14-25, 25-12, 25-10, 25-23 on Tuesday in a nonleague match on the road. Senior setter Isabel Ortega-Davidson contributed 15 assists, three aces and three kills, and senior libero Andrea Restrepo also had three aces for the Mustangs. Costa Mesa (2-5) snapped a five-game losing streak, which followed a straight-sets win at Bolsa Grande to begin the season. The Mustangs appeared in the Portola Tournament on Saturday, dropping matches to Mission Viejo, Eastvale Roosevelt, Chino Hills Ayala and Irvine. The Battle for the Bell, the crosstown rivalry match, will take place on Monday, Aug. 25 at Estancia (1-1). Pacifica Christian 3, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 1: Senior pin hitter Emma Hartman paced the Tritons with 16 kills in a 24-26, 25-3, 25-18, 25-23 win at home on Tuesday in a nonleague match. Senior setter Addie Roberson distributed 23 assists, sophomore libero Emery Pelinka supplied six aces, and sophomore middle blocker Ella Hogan and Hartman each had three blocks. Pacifica Christian (4-3) topped the Bronze Bracket in the Portola Tournament, earning wins over Ayala, Calvary Chapel and Woodbridge.
Chicago Tribune
13 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
All is well with Molly Welge. As Marquette recruit becomes a starter for Benet, ‘we expect her to be a star.'
Benet middle hitter Molly Welge may be the best player you've never seen. The 6-foot-3 senior recorded 34 kills and eight blocks in limited playing time last season, when she was a backup to starters Lynney Tarnow and Gabby Stasys. Stasys is a freshman at Yale, so Welge has moved into the starting lineup. 'I think people are in for an awakening because she played a lot last year, just not in the role that we expect her to play this year,' Benet coach Brad Baker said. 'We expect her to be a star. We expect her to be one of our go-to players, and we're excited for her.' Senior setter Ellie Stiernagle is excited to work with Welge, a Marquette commit who will form a fearsome duo in the middle with the 6-5 Tarnow, a Wisconsin commit. 'She's grown so much,' Stiernagle said of Welge. 'She's an absolute dog on the court right now. I can literally set her from anywhere and she'll just slam the ball down.' Welge intends to do that with regularity. 'As a middle, I really don't get set a lot,' she said. 'So every time I do get set, I'm just trying to put the ball down and get a kill and batter the ball every time I touch it.' That's something Welge did mostly in practice last season. She watched from the bench as the Redwings (40-2) reached the Class 4A state championship match for the third straight year. 'I'm really excited to step into a new role and do the best that I can,' Welge said. 'I've got a good connection with Ellie already. We can make that even better and continue to do our thing.' Welge gives the Northwestern-bound Stiernagle plenty of options. 'She's super versatile,' Stiernagle said. 'She will literally hit any set I give her, even if it's a little iffy. 'She's very athletic. She goes really fast on both pins, especially blocking. We get a lot of blocks from her, so she's a really great middle right now.' Welge wasn't bad at all a year ago. She was just part of a stacked roster that included 12 Division I commits, so she had to wait her turn. 'I honestly think it made me better and more competitive,' she said. 'Practices were really competitive. Lynney and Gabby made me compete harder. 'No matter what my role is on the team, I'm trying to do that 100%. I'm excited to keep competing.' Stiernagle has witnessed the result of Welge's competitive fire. 'Even last year, she gave both middles a run for their money,' Stiernagle said. 'Every day she was super competitive, like never backing down. 'She got so much better during this last club season, and you can see it right now.' Baker has liked what he has seen so far. Opponents, however, might not. 'Her blocking game, she's always been quick, and now her blocking has really improved,' Baker said. 'We think offensively she could be better than Gabby. 'I don't know who is going to stop her. She's been pretty unstoppable in practice, and we don't expect that to change.' It's a frightening prospect for opponents considering Tarnow has been unstoppable for a couple of seasons. Most teams are happy to have one great middle, and Benet has two. 'She's going to be a very key part of our offense this year,' Stiernagle said of Welge. Welge would have started long ago on just about any other team, but she wouldn't trade her experience at Benet for more playing time. 'It's such a competitive environment,' she said. 'Everyone is here for a reason. Everyone wants to get better. We're all pushing each other every day. It's just a really great competitive environment, and I'm really grateful to be a part of it.' The Redwings aren't favored to win the state title this season, although they're considered to be a contender. That's just fine with Welge. 'I think we're going to be competing even harder this year now that we lost some girls,' she said. 'But I think the mindset doesn't change, no matter who is on the court. 'I think we're going to be a team to look out for. We always finish strong.'
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
SMU coach calls ESPN rankings system 'rigged' after latest Football Power Index update
SMU head football coach Rhett Lashlee is doubling down on his belief that ESPN favorites certain conferences with their rankings. ESPN released its first Football Power Index rankings in June. The Mustangs came out as No. 20 among college football teams entering the 2025 season, though ACC teams like Miami (No. 9) and Clemson (No. 11) were higher on the list. The Football Power Index is a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season." Now, ESPN updated those rankings on Friday, and the Mustangs, coming off a surprise College Football Playoff trip after going 11-3 last season, only moved up one spot to No. 19. Miami and Clemson, though, took a tumble to No. 17 and No. 16 respectively. This led Lashlee to call ESPN's ranking system a farce. "Because the whole thing is rigged," he wrote on X. Lashlee was also vocal during last season, where he questioned his belief that the ACC and the Big 12 were disrespected compared to the Big Ten and the SEC, calling the latter "top-heavy." "There's other leagues that claim depth," Lashlee said, per the New York Post. "The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That's top-heavy to me. That's not depth." Lashlee clearly doesn't just believe in his Mustangs to have more success heading into 2025, but he wants some more respect for the schools he'll be going up against. Clemson, led by veteran head coach Dabo Swinney, was the school that beat SMU during the 2024 ACC Championship, 34-31, though Lashlee's group was the favorite in the tilt at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lashlee's quest to lead his Mustangs to more success in 2025 begins with their first game against East Texas A&M on Aug. 30.
