How do you top an undefeated season, achieved against some of the toughest competition in the country? Add in the loss of several key stars, and that is the problem confronting Marymount (Calif.) volleyball this season.

The Sailors passed their first test with flying colors in a 3-0 win in their season opener Monday. They don’t lack talent, with seniors Torrey Stafford (320 kills last season) and Dior Charles (123 kills) leading the way. Stafford, a University of Pittsburgh commit, is the 18th-ranked recruit heading into the season in the Just Women’s Sports volleyball high school player rankings.

But Marymount must replace five players who are now competing at the Division I level, including Elia Rubin, the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American. That’s not an easy task, and playing in a volleyball hotbed like southern California doesn’t provide much room for error.

While the Sailors are off to a good start, they have simply lost too much talent to earn the No. 1 spot in the first JWS volleyball team rankings of the season. That honor instead belongs to Cathedral Catholic, another southern California school.

Check out the complete rankings below.

1. Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), 0-0

Cathedral Catholic didn’t win it all last year, but the program returns four seniors who each had more than 100 kills. That group is led by Stanford commit Julia Blyashov, who won a gold medal with Team USA at the U19 Pan American Cup in July.

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2. Marymount (Calif.), 1-0

Not only did the Sailors lose Rubin from last year’s 35-0 squad, setter Kelly Belardi joined her at Stanford, Kerry Keefe is at Duke, middle blocker Rhiann Sheffie landed at Long Beach State and Megan Verbiest is the newest libero at USC.

3. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.), 7-0

The Mustangs are coming off a 53-1 season that ended with a state championship, and they return setter Ava Sarafa, who racked up 1,443 assists last season and is committed to Kentucky.

4. Papillion-LaVista South (Neb.), 0-0

Coming off a 40-0 season, the Titans return senior Stella Adeyemi, who finished with 387 kills and 108 digs last season.

5. Wayzata (Minn.), 0-0

Not only did the Trojans go undefeated last season, they haven’t lost since 2019, winning 54 games in the process. Minnesota commit Stella Swenson is back at setter after racking up 936 assists last year.

6. Tompkins (Texas), 13-1

The Falcons have already beaten reigning Class 6A state champion Brandeis and have dropped just seven sets in 14 matches.

7. McCutcheon (Ind.), 4-0

The Mavericks enter 2022 hoping to defend their state title, and they return star hitter Chloe Chicoine, who had 440 kills and 189 digs last year. The Purdue commit is joined by setter Allie Shondell, who already has 126 assists through four games this season.

8. The Woodlands (Texas), 17-3

The Highlanders have beaten last year’s Class 6A finalist, Keller, and another semifinalist in Bridgeland. Claire Dewine leads the way with 266 assists and is second with 198 digs.

9. Dike-New Hartford (Iowa), 0-0

The Wolverines finished 54-1 last season and return their top five hitters, including the Petersen twins, Payton (583 kills) and Jadyn (402 kills). Madelyn Norton and her 1,209 assists are also back for the reigning state champions.

10. Mater Dei (Calif.), 2-0

The Monarchs’ 2021 season ended with a loss to Cathedral Catholic. They return three of their top four hitters, all of whom had 200 kills or more, from the 36-6 squad.

Girls’ volleyball is back at Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/FocQQbv2tZ

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 19, 2022

11. Byron Nelson (Texas), 15-1

Another Texas team that has gotten off to a fast start, the Bobcats are led by freshman Kylie Kleckner and her 182 kills.

12. Blue Valley North (Kan.), 0-0

The Mustangs lost plenty of production from last year’s state championship team that finished 40-2, but they return the team leaders in kills (Logan Parks, 324), digs (Nora Carlsen, 291) and assists (Janelle Green, 527).

13. Ponte Verda (Fla.), 1-0

The Sharks, looking to bounce back after falling in the Class 6A state championship game, return Cincinnati commit Zeta Washington (274 kills) and Jessica Shattles (896 kills, 199 kills).

14. Skyview (Idaho), 0-0

The Hawks are coming off a 36-2 season in which they won a state championship and will get back Oregon commit Alex Acevedo and Alex Bower, who had over 1,000 assists and 100 kills last season.

15. Sante Fe (Fla.), 1-0

The reigning Class 4A state champions bring back Florida’s Miss Volleyball in Jalyn Stout, who notched 392 kills last season.

16. Cardinal Mooney (Fla.), 1-0

Texas-bound Jordyn Byrd will make the Cougars a force to be reckoned with as she looks to build upon last season’s totals of 551 kills, 258 digs and 56 blocks.

17. Sequoyah (Ga.), 12-1

Sequoyah has unfinished business after a 50-4 season ended with a loss in the 6A state championship. The Chiefs return offensive firepower in seniors Sara Siefert, who has over 1,000 career kills, and Taylor Pecht, who will eclipse 4,000 career assists this season.

18. Mira Costa (Calif.), 8-2

Mira Costa opened the season by claiming a tournament title in Hawaii before being brought back down to earth in a four-set loss to Mater Dei.

19. Jackson Academy (Miss.), 15-0

Coming off a state championship last year, the Raiders keep winning. Auburn commit Lakin Laurendine already has 179 kills with a .454 hitting percentage.

20. Alpharetta (Ga.), 13-3

Another Georgia team that lost in the state championship last season, Alpharetta is looking to capture the state crown this year.

21. Laramie (Wyo.), 0-0

The Plainsmen have won consecutive 4A state titles, and Madeline Stuckey is back to pursue another after recording 736 assists and 172 kills last fall.

22. Buford (Ga.), 10-1

The Wolves knocked off Sequoyah to win the state crown last season. They return their kills leader, digs leader and assists leader.

23. Fayetteville (Ark.), 1-0

The Bulldogs are aiming for a three-peat and will be relying on Stanford beach volleyball commit Brooke Rockwell, who had 503 kills and 274 digs last year, and Florida State commit Kennedy Phelan, who finished with 1,123 assists in 2021.

24. Bishop Gorman (Nev.), 1-0

The Gaels have won the last three state titles contested in the state of Nevada and bring back star hitter Leilia Toailoa, who notched 491 kills last year.

25. Olathe Northwest (Kan.), 0-0

The Ravens have one of the top junior players in the country in Nebraska commit Skyler Pierce, who racked up 425 kills and 345 digs last year.

Phillip Suitts is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. He has worked at a variety of outlets, including The Palm Beach Post and Southeast Missourian, and done a little bit of everything from reporting to editing to running social media accounts. He was born in Atlanta but currently lives in wintry Philadelphia. Follow Phillip on Twitter @PhillipSuitts.

Top-seeded Montréal suffered a surprising loss in their first 2025 PWHL Playoffs game on Thursday, falling 3-2 to postseason debutant No. 3-seed Ottawa.

Despite a tense back-and-forth battle, Ottawa forward Shiann Darkangelo broke through with a third-period game-winning goal, pushing the Charge to an early lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Victoire, who notably used their No. 1-seed advantage to handpick the Charge as their semis opponent, have yet to log a playoff win, adding Thursday's defeat to last season's first-round sweep by Boston.

Even so, Montréal is already viewing the loss as fuel to even the score this weekend.

"We outshot them, we had a lot of great opportunities. We were right there," said Victoire forward Laura Stacey. "If we can put that game together for a whole 60 minutes, it'll look scary I think."

Toronto takes Game 1 from defending champs Minnesota

In the PWHL's other semifinal matchup, No. 2-seed Toronto claimed a one-win advantage over No. 4-seed Minnesota on Wednesday, halting the defending champion Frost's late-season surge with a 3-2 Sceptres victory.

Captain Blayre Turnbull opened scoring in the first period, giving Toronto a lead that they never relinquished, while rookie Julia Gosling netted a second-period brace to secure the Sceptres' win.

Minnesota, acknowledging the tough road they face to return to the championship ice, has already set their eyes on Game 2.

"It's going to be a hard-fought series," said Frost head coach Ken Klee after the Frost's Game 1 loss. "We didn't get one tonight…[so now] we're looking forward to Friday."

How to watch the 2025 PWHL Playoffs this weekend

Toronto and Minnesota are back in action for Game 2 of their series at 7 PM ET on Friday, before traveling to St. Paul for Game 3 at 6 PM ET on Sunday.

Sunday will also see Montréal’s attempt to even their series with Ottawa, with the puck dropping on their Game 2 matchup at 2 PM ET.

All games will stream live on the PWHL YouTube channel.

The 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season officially wraps on Saturday, with Chelsea preparing to claim even more history on the heels of their sixth-straight league title.

The still-undefeated Blues will face sixth-place Liverpool in their final outing, with Chelsea on the cusp of becoming the fourth-ever team to finish a WSL season unbeaten.

Should they do so, Chelsea will join 2012's Arsenal, 2016's Manchester City, and their own 2018 squad in achieving perfection — those this year's Blues would be the first to accomplish the feat in the expanded 22-match campaign.

While the team only needs a draw to remain undefeated, a win would secure Chelsea another record, becoming the first club to tally 60 points in a single campaign — two more than the current mark the Blues claimed in 2022/23.

Despite their astounding WSL record, the Blues have fought hard for their dominance this season, with first-year head coach Sonia Bompastor strategically using her entire roster to maintain the winning legacy left by now-USWNT boss Emma Hayes.

"Don't think it's easy. It's never easy," said Bompastor after Chelsea's 2024/25 title win. "It's a great achievement and a lot of work every day — I don't let my players breathe."

Battle for second-place continues on final WSL matchday

While Chelsea chases records, other top WSL clubs are still jockeying for positions on the league's final 2024/25 table.

Along with the Blues, Arsenal and Manchester United are locked into Champions League qualifying positions for next season — but United could leapfrog Arsenal for a second-place WSL finish on Saturday.

Separated by just one point, the Red Devils and the Gunners will face off against each other in the season's final blockbuster matchup.

Arsenal has extra incentive for a good showing, as the Gunners try to snap their two-game WSL losing streak and gain momentum before battling Barcelona in the May 24th Champions League final.

Chelsea also has a shot at another trophy looming, with the Blues chasing a second domestic treble — winning the league, FA Cup, and League Cup.

However, a tough Manchester United stands in the way of Chelsea's third and final treble title, with the pair facing off in the FA Cup's May 18th championship match.

How to watch WSL matches this weekend

All 12 WSL teams will kick off their season's last matches at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday.

Both Chelsea's game against Liverpool and Manchester United's visit to Arsenal will stream live on ESPN+.

As tune-up tournaments like this week's 2025 Italian Open dominate tennis ahead of the 2025 French Open, one familiar name is back in the headlines, with world No. 48 Naomi Osaka making significant strides on the clay court.

Coming off her first tournament win since 2021 at L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 event — last weekend, Osaka immediately advanced to the Italian Open's third round this week.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has shown glimpses of brilliance after returning from her 2023 pregnancy, with Osaka now aiming to keep up momentum on her historically weakest surface.

"Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst," Osaka posted after her May 4th victory. "That's one of my favorite things about life though, there's always room to grow and evolve."

Osaka isn't the only tennis star cooking in Europe, as heavy-hitters like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff also moved ahead in Rome as they look to hone their Roland-Garros form.

Not usually a clay court specialist, Sabalenka has looked particularly formidable, defeating Gauff to take the 2025 Madrid Open title just last week.

How to watch the 2025 Italian Open

The 2025 Italian Open's Round of 32 kicks off early Saturday morning, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.

Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.

Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.

Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.

Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.

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Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday

That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.

The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.

Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.

"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."

How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason

New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.