The three other No. 1 seeds in the tournament — Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh — all advanced to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats will face a red-hot Cal Poly team that upset No. 5 BYU and No. 4 USC in consecutive five-set thrillers to advance to their seventh Sweet 16 appearance in program history.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Round of 16 at the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament:

Set 3: Creighton 25, Arizona State 13

It was all Creighton in the third set as they hit .600 in the frame. The Bluejays built a double-digit lead behind masterful work from Kiara Reinhardt (12 total kills and one block) and Jaya Johnson (eight total kills, two blocks). Creighton slammed the door with a service ace to end the set.

Set 2: Arizona State 25, Creighton 19

Arizona State fought back for a second set victory. Noemie Glover has 11 kills to lead the Sun Devils, who are looking to avoid an upset. Arizona State had 16 kills with 0.368 hitting percentage in the set.

Set 1: Creighton 26, Arizona State 24

Creighton stormed back, going up 20-18, but Arizona State was ready. Back and forth they went until Creighton team won the first set 26-24.

Arizona State is the first to 15 in Set 1 vs. Creighton

After some back and forth, the Sun Devils created some separation to be the first team to reach 15 during the first set. Arizona went on a 4-0 run, powered by two aces from Brynn Covell, her 27th and 28th aces of the season.

Creighton vs. Arizona State is underway

The Bluejays and Sun Devils are live in set one of the first match during the Sweet 16.

Where is NCAA women’s volleyball Sweet 16?

The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball Final Four will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue has hosted the volleyball national championship.

When is NCAA women’s volleyball Sweet 16?

Date: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Time: Four matches each day, beginning at 1 p.m. ET Thursday and noon ET Friday. Match-by-match times below.

How to watch NCAA volleyball tournament

Streaming: ESPN+ ∣ Fubo (free trial)

The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament will air across the ESPN and ABC family of networks. Games can be streamed ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

NCAA volleyball Sweet 16 schedule: Times, TV

All times Eastern

Thursday, Dec. 11

No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Friday, Dec. 12

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, 12 p.m. | ESPN
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Stanford, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Louisville, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2

NCAA volleyball second-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, No. 8 UCLA 1 (30-28, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17)
No. 3 Creighton 3, No. 6 Northern Iowa 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Utah State 1 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15)
Cal Poly 3, No. 4 USC 2 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7)

Austin bracket

No. 4 Indiana 3, No. 5 Colorado 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0 (25-14, 25-21, 27-25)
No. 1 Texas 1, No. 8 Penn State 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Arizona 1 (25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 3 Purdue 3, No. 6 Baylor 1 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 1 Pittsburgh 3, Michigan 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18)
No. 2 SMU 3, Florida 0 (25-11, 25-21, 26-24)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, No. 5 Iowa State 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-14)

Lincoln bracket

No. 4 Kansas 3, No. 5 Miami 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2 (21-25, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12)
No. 1 Nebraska 3, Kansas State 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, No. 6 TCU 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 29-27)

NCAA volleyball first-round results

Lexington bracket

No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-12)
No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2 (24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10)
Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2 (25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10)
No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0, (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)
No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2 (12-25, 25-23,25-23,17-25, 8-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa 3, Utah 2 (15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10)
Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2 (25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11)
No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)

Austin bracket

No. 1 Texas 3, Florida A&M 0 (25-11, 25- 8, 25-14)
No. 8 Penn State 3, South Florida 1 (25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-19)
North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21)
Arizona 3, No. 7 South Dakota State 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15)
No. 2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14)

Pittsburgh bracket

No. 1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-13)
Michigan 3, No. 8 Xavier 0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-23)
No. 5 Iowa State 3, St. Thomas-Minnesota 2 (21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8)
No. 4 Minnesota 3, Fairfield 0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-13)
No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10)
Florida 3, No. 7 Rice 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-19)
No. 2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13)

Lincoln bracket

No. 1 Nebraska 3, Long Island 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17)
Kansas State 3, San Diego 2 (21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12)
No. 5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20)
No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18)
No. 3 Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13)
No. 6 TCU 3, Stephen F. Austin 0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-20)
Marquette 3, Western Kentucky 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
No. 2 Louisville 3, Loyola (Illinois) 0 (25-17, 25-9, 25-12)

When is the NCAA volleyball Final Four in 2025?

Dates: Thursday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 21

The two semifinal matches in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will take place on Thursday, Dec. 18 and will be broadcast on ESPN. The national championship game is Sunday, Dec. 21 on ABC.

NCAA volleyball tournament champions

Penn State is the reigning NCAA volleyball champion, having defeated Louisville in four sets last year in the national title game. It was the Nittany Lions’ eighth volleyball championship since 1999.

Here’s a look at the past 10 NCAA volleyball champions:

2024: Penn State
2023: Texas
2022: Texas
2021: Wisconsin
2020: Kentucky
2019: Stanford
2018: Stanford
2017: Nebraska
2016: Stanford
2015: Nebraska

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The relief pitching market is not slowing down, and the Atlanta Braves are doing their best to corner it.

The Braves agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with All-Star closer Robert Suarez, snagging one of the best late-inning guys left on the market.

The move comes three weeks after the Braves re-signed Raisel Iglesias, their closer for the past three seasons, to a one-year, $16 million contract.

It stands to reason that Suarez, 34, will be the one handling the closer role, as he adds a significantly more dominant look to their bullpen. Suarez saved 40 games for the Padres last season, when he earned his second All-Star selection and retained the closer role even after San Diego acquired fireballing right-hander Mason Miller at the trade deadline.

Suarez remade his career over five seasons in Japan’s Nippon Baseball League, then returned to affiliated ball here in 2022, striking out 61 batters in 47 ⅔ innings of work for the Padres in 2022, when they advanced to the NL Championship Series. His strikeouts per nine innings dipped from 11.5 to 7.8 in 2023, but he bounced back in 2025 with a rate of 9.7 per nine, and a career-best 9.7 strikeout-walk ratio.

The right-hander had been connected to the New York Mets, particularly after their loss of closer Edwin Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, the top two and six of the top 10 relievers available have been signed.

MLB free agent rankings

These are the top 10 free agent relief pitchers still on the market:

Kenley Jansen, RHP
Tyler Rogers, RHP
Seranthony Dominguez, RHP
Brad Keller, RHP
Drew Pomeranz, LHP
Caleb Thielbar, LHP
Shawn Armstrong, RHP
Luke Weaver, RHP
David Robertson, RHP
Tommy Kahnle, RHP

The ACC should challenge Notre Dame’s partnership following critical comments from its athletic director.
Notre Dame’s football team has a scheduling agreement with the ACC, while its other sports are full members.
Notre Dame would struggle to find a similarly favorable scheduling arrangement with another conference.

We can end this nonsense right now if you’d like, Notre Dame. This partnership that really isn’t. 

This cakewalk through half a football season, running 12 years strong.   

We can do it the easy way: apologize to the ACC because Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua — upset by the way the College Football Playoff selection committee botched its one and only job — said things that didn’t reflect the university’s exact feelings. 

Or we can do it the hard way: find another place to house 5-6 football games annually. 

Because — and I’m just throwing this out there — the frolic through a sea of tranquility for the last 41 games of the “partnership” with the ACC since 2014 would probably, you know, be a raging storm in the SEC.

And, for the love of Rockne, would probably, you know, significantly minimize Notre Dame’s future CFP opportunity. With or without the clown show of a selection committee.

Notre Dame isn’t going 37-4 vs. the SEC over 41 games. Just sayin.

Now is the time for the ACC presidents to show some backbone. After getting pushed around by (take your pick) the SEC, the Big Ten, Greg Sankey, Tony Petitti, the CFP, Florida State (do I need to continue?), stand up and take a stand with Notre Dame. 

Call the Irish bluff. 

Good guy ACC commissioner Jim Phillips should publicly rebuke Notre Dame, and demand an apology. Or, better yet, state once again that the Irish are not a full member of the ACC. 

They are a scheduling “partnership” with football, and a full member with all other sports. Then state, in no uncertain terms, if Notre Dame would like to build a scheduling partnership with another power conference — and take its Olympic sports to that conference — they have the ACC’s blessing.

Or they can shut their cake hole, and enjoy what amounts to a free ride from one of four power conferences. 

Because Notre Dame isn’t Notre Dame anymore, everyone. It’s not the television behemoth it once was with the media saturation of the sport, not the prize the ACC thought it was getting when it agreed to the deal. 

Notre Dame is nowhere to be found in the Neilson top 14 college football teams for 2025 weekly average viewership. That’s after a CFP run to the national title game in 2024, and after it became the biggest story in the sport over the final month of this season.

You know what schools are in the Neilson top 14? A whole lot of SEC and Big Ten.

This is where the ACC — which invited Notre Dame into this partnership because it believed Notre Dame’s television tide would lift all ACC boats — takes a stand. This partnership began with the ACC asking for a pittance: an annual fee paid for the football games, and Olympic sports membership.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame keeps all revenue generated by football, including the lucrative media rights deal with NBC and any postseason revenue. Where, I ask you, will Notre Dame get that type of deal again? 

Certainly not the SEC and Big Ten, and more than likely not from the Big 12 — and that’s not even addressing the reality that Subway alums would be horrified with a connection to the Big 12.

So there’s no place to go. Either stick it out with the ACC, or find 5-6 football games every single season somewhere else — and find a conference home for the 25 other sports, who need conference affiliation to compete for championships.

And while you’re trying to find those 5-6 games annually, wait and see how many SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 teams politely decline at the behest of their conference presidents. You want to schedule our teams now that you’re free of the ACC? Join our conference.

While some teams in the power conferences currently schedule Notre Dame, that will change if the deal with the ACC ends and the Irish are looking for a scheduling partner. The rest of the power conferences aren’t in the business of keeping Notre Dame afloat — you know, the very thing the ACC did in the pandemic season of 2020 with a full 10-game schedule.   

Bevacqua and every Notre Dame athletic director before him — and every university president — have made it clear Notre Dame will never relinquish its independent status.

The ACC has never had more leverage. They can’t change the financial deal of the partnership, but they can gain some pride. 

Publicly reprimand Notre Dame, and declare if they don’t like the partnership, feel free to find another conference and another sweetheart deal. That, or apologize and enjoy your free ride. 

Either way, shut your cake hole already.

Sherrone Moore goes to jail. Ryan Day goes to playoff.
Michigan lost to Ohio State in final game of Sherrone Moore’s tenure.
Another scandal rocks Michigan. Fired coach Sherrone Moore gets arrested.

As Ryan Day prepared for the College Football Playoff, Sherrone Moore sat in jail, fired and disgraced, on a cold night in Michigan. Before the Michigan coach wound up defrocked, he lost to Ohio State in his final game.

There’s never been a better time to be a Buckeye fan.

Assault allegations are no laughing matter, but, rivalries being what they are, Bucknuts must be howling at this latest scandal to rock the rival Wolverines. Jail to the cheaters.

The next time Ohio State’s lunatic fringe wants to hit the warpath because Day hasn’t delivered an undefeated season, chill for minute. Appreciate that the only drama surrounding Day this season was a doctored photo that surfaced online and briefly made us wonder whether Day had pierced his chest. (Nope, just the internet being the internet.)

A little thing like losing a close one to undefeated Indiana in the Big Ten championship game must seem like small potatoes after you watch your archrival fire its coach, publicly allege he’d had “an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” and then Moore got arrested and headed to jail.

College football, I tell ya. It’s wilder than science-fiction.

Moore blew right past Bobby Petrino’s motorcycle, and you can bet the schadenfreude could be felt in East Lansing, Michigan, too. Moore looked at how Mel Tucker ruined his coaching career at Michigan State and said, “I raise you.”

Ninety-nine percent of the time, the wild rumors you read on social media and message boards are untrue or at least wildly exaggerated.

Michigan served the other 1%, all in one day.

This scandal skipped past Connor Stalions’ fake mustache and the NCAA probes and the fines and the probation and sped toward a trifecta crescendo of a firing for moral turpitude, an arrest and a jailing.

In a span of several hours, Michigan fired Moore with a statement that condemned his conduct, and the Pittsfield, Michigan, police followed with a statement announcing Moore was in jail and the subject of an investigation.

We haven’t heard from Moore. Perhaps, he’ll tell a different version of this story. In the meantime, the Block M endures another stain.

It was just two years ago that Moore looked into Fox’s television camera, leaked out some tears, thanked the Lord and saluted suspended coach Jim Harbaugh after a defeat of Penn State.

Life comes at you fast. Moore is forever a meme now.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are the playoff’s No. 2 seed, trying to repeat as national champions.

The uninitiated might wonder, what’s that got to do with the price of bail in Michigan?

Well, there are rivalries, and then there’s Ohio State-Michigan. Everything about Ohio State is viewed through the lens of what’s happening with The Team Up North. Some even affixed a mental asterisk to Ohio State’s national championship last season because it came after a loss to Michigan.

Well, Day beat Michigan this season. And, he’s not in jail. Ohio State isn’t scrambling to find a coach in mid-December. Its big problem is figuring out how it came away with only 10 points on four red-zone trips against Indiana.

Fine points, these OSU problems.

Since Day’s promotion to the big chair in Columbus in 2018, after Ohio State’s own scandal on the tail end of the Urban Meyer era …

∎ Penn State fired James Franklin, who never beat Day a single time.

∎ Michigan State endured a series of blowout losses to the Buckeyes. Mark Dantonio retired, his successor Tucker got himself fired for cause amid a scandal of his own, and Jonathan Smith got fired at warp speed for poor performance in two years.

∎ Harbaugh owned Day for a few years, and Michigan cheated its way to glory, before Harbaugh vamoosed to the NFL, where the NCAA’s suits couldn’t reach him, Stalions starred in a bad Netflix doc, and Moore went to jail.

All’s well in Cbus, by comparison.

Now, if only Ohio State can figure out a solve for this Cignetti guy by January.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

NWSL star Trinity Rodman has gained massive commercial success in recent years. Between her team, the Washington Spirit, losing the NWSL championship the last two years in a row, and winning a championship in 2021, as well as Rodman being named a finalist for league MVP in 2024, Rodman has established herself was one of the best soccer players in the world. Unsurprisingly, she wants to get paid as such.

After the NWSL vetoed her contract extension with the Spirit, an extension that would’ve earned her $1 million per year, speculation started floating around that Rodman would leave the NWSL for a European league, just as players like Naomi Girma, Crystal Dunn, Alyssa Thompson and Emily Fox have done.

Now, the league is backtracking. According to ESPN, the NWSL’s Board of Governors is discussing a potential change in how rosters are constructed that would allow teams to pay star players significant salaries that would normally surpass the current salary cap.

What would this new rule entail?

The NWSL’s proposed roster ‘mechanism’ would enable each team to set aside a specified amount of money to pay star players, determined by certain statistical figures.

Nothing is set in stone regarding this mechanism. In fact, ESPN reports that other similar proposals have been brought to the board and discussed nearly daily with increased urgency as the year has progressed. The items still up for discussion reportedly include which players should qualify for the extra money, how much extra money can be set aside, and whether or not this will keep Rodman in the league. Her contract is set to expire at the end of December.

Why was Rodman’s initial contract vetoed?

Rodman’s initial contract, which would have set records within the NWSL, was vetoed due to commissioner Jessica Berman believing it would have violated league rules, most notably the salary cap. The NWSL Players’ Association promptly filed a grievance against the league.

The league’s grievance, filed on Dec. 3, claimed that the league had violated Rodman’s free agency rights and at least five sections of the current CBA.

Will Rodman play in Europe?

Rodman has long expressed a desire to play in Europe, even telling ESPN that it is not a matter of if, but ‘when.’ Rodman has reportedly received numerous offers from European clubs already, deals that would exceed what the NWSL could offer under current salary cap restrictions. That said, it appears a new, appropriate deal from the Washington Spirit could keep Rodman in the United States for now.

The league’s current CBA does not define a maximum salary for any individual player. Furthermore, the current CBA says that the league salary cap will increase every year through 2030, which could make paying Rodman more feasible for several teams. Obviously, that is still several years away though.

A clinical psychologist termed Tyler Skaggs a ‘high-functioning’ addict in the years prior to his 2019 overdose death, tracing a pattern of use that preceded the Los Angeles Angels pitcher’s fatal ingestion of an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.

Elie Anoun, an assistant professor at Columbia, testified on behalf of the Angels that Skaggs failed to address the totality of his opioid addiction when he decided to quit using Percocet without seeking clinical assistance in 2013.

Skaggs was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Angels in December 2013, and witnesses for the ballclub have aimed to paint a consistent pattern of Skaggs’ drug abuse. The family of the late pitcher is seeking $118 million in lost earnings and punitive damages from the team, arguing that the club knew or should have known that former communications director Eric Kay was providing opioids to Skaggs.

‘Not everyone with an addiction is going to be a homeless person under a bridge shooting heroin,’ Aoun said in court Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to the Orange County Register. ‘Many people with addictions are under the radar.’

Aoun termed Skaggs an ‘advanced drug user’ and that he depended on opioids to perform properly on the field, based on text messages and other evidence that has emerged in the criminal and civil trials. After Skaggs stopped using Percocet in 2013, Aoun testified that his loved ones did not sufficiently consider the gravity of his addiction.

‘Families are usually taking these things very seriously,’ Aoun testified, according to the Register.

The criminal and civil trials painted a culture of pill-sharing in the Angels clubhouse during Skaggs’ tenure, with multiple players testifying about their usage and conversations with Skaggs about how to acquire opioids – including through Kay.

‘He is bringing them into the drug-using world alongside him,’ Aoun said of Skaggs.

The Angels are scheduled to conclude their defense this week, with closing arguments and deliberations commencing Dec. 15.

A loss to the Bolts would be just about fatal to the defending AFC champs.
Three teams can clinch playoff berths Sunday.
A potential Super Bowl preview features the Packers and Broncos, both vying for a No. 1 playoff seed.
Colts QB Philip Rivers could potentially return to the field after a five-year absence.

All hands on deck.

The NFL’s bye weeks have been exhausted as the 2025 season rolls into Week 15 − which is chock full of gripping matchups … even if Thursday night’s NFC South pairing of the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers isn’t one of them.

Sunday gets started with the New England Patriots attempting to sweep the Buffalo Bills, which would clinch the Pats’ first AFC East title in six years. Conversely, as they host the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs will not only be fighting for their playoff lives but trying to avoid elimination this weekend − though losing to the Bolts wouldn’t finish them outright.

The late afternoon window looks even better. The Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos will face off in a potential Super Bowl 60 preview, both teams currently scrapping for their respective conference’s No. 1 seed. As they attempt to break back into the projected playoff field, the Detroit Lions will attempt to knock off the NFC-leading Los Angeles Rams on the road. (The Rams and Broncos can both clinch postseason spots with wins.) And while the Seattle Seahawks will be prohibitive favorites to beat the Indianapolis Colts, their game could mark the return of newly signed Colts QB Philip Rivers after a five-year hiatus.

The final two prime-time games feature national brands, even if they don’t project as great games. The Dallas Cowboys, trying to remain postseason-relevant, will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will hold first place in the AFC North on Monday if they can knock off the surging Miami Dolphins.

How does the 16-game lineup shake out? Here are the picks from USA TODAY Sports’ panel of NFL experts:

(Odds provided by BetMGM)

Week 15 picks, predictions, odds

Falcons at Buccaneers
Chargers at Chiefs
Jets at Jaguars
Bills at Patriots
Cardinals at Texans
Ravens at Bengals
Browns at Bears
Raiders at Eagles
Commanders at Giants
Lions at Rams
Panthers at Saints
Packers at Broncos
Titans at 49ers
Colts at Seahawks
Vikings at Cowboys
Dolphins at Steelers