In just her third start with the Dash, Ebony Salmon got back to her scoring ways, burying a hat trick in Houston’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday.

The English striker joined the Dash in a trade from Racing Louisville last month amid some controversy. Despite a breakout 2021 season with Louisville, Salmon wasn’t getting much playing time this season, averaging just 15 minutes in five appearances.

The 21-year-old voiced her displeasure with the club after the trade.

“I think I was at a point where I’d kind of given it long enough. I’m not going to play here,” Salmon told The Striker Texas on June 27. “I need to go somewhere where I am going to play and where I’m valued.”

Salmon has started all three games she’s appeared in for the fourth-place Dash and made an immediate impact on the attack, earning her JWS Player of the Week honors.

In 84 minutes Saturday, Salmon recorded 16 touches, created one chance and scored three goals in an incredibly efficient performance.

🎩 of 3 for @ebony_salmon of the @HoustonDash in the @NWSL pic.twitter.com/Zah7kwVbGS

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 17, 2022

🎩🎩 of 3 for @ebony_salmon of the @HoustonDash in the @NWSL pic.twitter.com/cgbukJO6ze

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 17, 2022

Salmon’s debut goal for the Dash came in the 11th minute. She then doubled Houston’s lead with her second finish of the night just before the half.

The forward continued to cause problems for Chicago’s backline after the break, slotting home another goal to complete the hat trick in the 55th minute.

🎩🎩🎩 of 3 for @ebony_salmon of the @HoustonDash in the @NWSL pic.twitter.com/nXSUx09bB5

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 17, 2022

“My confidence was quite low after not playing earlier this season. I missed one that I should’ve scored, but we didn’t take our foot off the gas,” Salmon said of her performance Saturday.

Salmon is not only lethal in the final third, but also an expert at pulling defenses apart and exploiting space while flawlessly timing her runs in behind the backline. With Salmon, Houston’s attack is brimming with potential, averaging a league second-best 1.7 goals per game.

Following the international break, Houston will regain its top two goal scorers in Canada’s Nichelle Prince and England’s Rachel Daly. The new offensive trio has the potential to catapult the club atop the league. The Dash (5-3-4) sit just four points back of the first-place San Diego Wave.

No. 3-seed Texas A&M made history on Sunday, taking down the No. 1-seed Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 in the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship final to lift the Aggies' first-ever national volleyball trophy.

Down by as many as six points in the first frame, the Aggies had to save a Kentucky set point early before surging to a 26-24 opening win — with Texas A&M then finding their groove, never relinquishing the lead as they took the second set by a dominant 25-15 scoreline before easily closing out the sweep 25-20 in the third.

"I just said, 'It's going to take one or two points, start to get firing, they're going to be there,'" said third-year Texas A&M sideline leader and 2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Jamie Morrison.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Senior opposite Logan Lednicky and sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers again led the Aggies' attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla shut down the Wildcats at the net with four blocks — before her eighth kill of the night clinched the championship for A&M.

Following a whirlwind tournament that saw Texas A&M end the seasons of one No. 2 seed (Louisville) before ousting three straight No. 1 seeds (Nebraska, Pitt, and Kentucky), Sunday's unlikely victory saw the Aggies' claim just the second-ever NCAA volleyball title for the SEC — and shed their underdog status for good.

"It's a testament to the work we put in in the practice gym and just generally in all of our careers," Lednicky said afterwards. "It's been a long time coming for us, a lot of work put into this moment."

NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC has found a home, with the franchise announcing Friday that it plans to play the majority of the club's 2026 inaugural season at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium while moving some matches to Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Home to the NFL's New England Patriots, Gillette will also serve as a host site for the men's 2026 World Cup, pushing the Boston Legacy to relocate some conflicting summer clashes to Centreville Bank Stadium.

Located approximately 22 miles by car from Foxborough, Pawtucket's soccer-specific venue is home to second-flight USL Championship side Rhode Island FC.

"As we expand across two exceptional venues, we see this as an opportunity to connect with even more soccer fans across the region," said Boston Legacy president Jennifer van Dijk in Friday's club statement.

Meanwhile, the Legacy is still moving forward on a public-private partnership with Boston's White Stadium for the 2027 season and beyond, with the Franklin Park venue still undergoing renovations through the 2026 season.

How to attend the first-ever Boston Legacy FC match

With the club aiming to move into its state-of-the-art performance center prior to making its NWSL debut, Boston Legacy FC is also gearing up for its first-ever home opener, which will kick off inside Gillette Stadium at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, March 14th.

Though the expansion side's opening opponent — as well as the rest of the league's 2026 schedule — is still unknown, fans can be a part of NWSL history by snagging tickets to the club's first-ever match at BostonLegacyFC.com.

As Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball gears up for Season 2, broadcast partner TNT unveiled additional 2026 coverage plans last week while the offseason league crowned its team captains across the expanded field.

Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will captain the Lunar Owls and Mist BC, respectively, while Season 1 veterans Jackie Young (Laces BC), Kahleah Copper (Rose BC), and Dearica Hamby (Vinyl BC) will also resume their boss roles next month.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Earning first-time captain status for the 2026 campaign are three league newcomers, with Kelsey Plum helming Phantom BC while 2025 WNBA rookies Sonia Citron and Paige Bueckers lead incoming Unrivaled expansion teams Hive BC and Breeze BC, respectively.

Stocked with eight clubs and an extra night of weekly programming, TNT is doubling down on Unrivaled this winter, tapping three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker to lead the network's coverage in the hot seat.

Joining Parker will be fellow WNBA retiree and All-Star Renee Montgomery as well as host Lauren Jbara, with special appearances throughout the season by basketball legend Lisa Leslie.

Each week will now feature four nights of Unrivaled basketball, with TNT airing Friday and Monday games while truTV broadcasts the 3x3 league's action on Saturdays and Sundays.

How to watch Unrivaled Season 2

The second season of Unrivaled Basketball will tip off with all eight teams in action across a pair of doubleheaders — one in the afternoon and one in the evening — beginning at 1 PM ET on Monday, January 5th, with live coverage airing on truTV and TNT.

The Houston Rockets are reportedly shooting for the Sun, with sources telling ESPN last week that the NBA team's ownership group has entered "substantive" talks with the Mohegan Tribe to buy and relocate the WNBA franchise from Connecticut.

Calling the discussions "positive," a source told ESPN that Houston apparently improved upon the $250 million bid put forth by the WNBA to purchase the Connecticut Sun back in August.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

However, as neither party has signed a formal agreement, the Sun's longterm future remains uncertain.

The Mohegan Tribe began exploring the sale in 2024, with Houston emerging as a possible landing place after the WNBA reportedly blocked the Sun's $325 million sale to former Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca — with the league preferring to find a buyer with past expansion team experience.

The Sun also fielded a bid from the State of Connecticut to keep the team in the area, though ESPN reported last week that those talks have slowed.

Notably, Houston boasts deep WNBA roots as one of the league's founding markets, with the Texas city serving as home to the four-time champion Comets from 1997 to 2008.

Of course, the league's current CBA negotiations are further complicating any transaction — especially after the WNBPA voted last Thursday to approve a potential strike.