The start of the 2022 volleyball season has been historic for Conroe High School (Texas). The Tigers have won 32 straight matches to start the season, by far their best start in program history, dropping just five sets in the process.

Over the last 15 seasons, Conroe hasn’t won more than 29 games in a single season. The Tigers have already surpassed that mark this fall and still have over 10 games remaining in the regular season.

Senior Ariana Brown has helped propel the Tigers to their unbeaten start with 367 kills, averaging more than five kills per set. The University of Louisiana Monroe commit, who is coming off a seven-day stint that earned her Just Women’s Sports Player of the Week honors, transferred to the school in the offseason and is getting the opportunity to play for her mother, coach Charvette Brown, while closing out her varsity career.

Kenedi Medford is usually the one setting for Brown, racking up 456 assists along the way, while her sister Kaiden Medford has tallied 119 kills. Emma Malak recently surpassed 1,000 career digs, with 439 of them coming this season.

Conroe began the season unranked, but thanks to the unbeaten start, the Tigers have arrived at No. 4 in this week’s JWS volleyball team rankings.

Check out the complete rankings below, and click here to see last week’s rankings.

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

The Dons opened up their 2022 campaign last week with a convincing sweep of La Costa Canyon, winning all three sets by eight points or more.

2. Marymount (Calif.), 4-0

The Sailors have not lost since 2019 and have dropped just one set so far this season.

3. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.), 12-0

Senior Ava Sarafa, a Kentucky commit, is averaging more than nine assists per set this season.

4. Conroe (Texas), 32-0

While the Tigers finished 24-19 last year, their last playoff appearance was in 2017.

🚨🚨🚨 BIG WIN AT HOME TONIGHT AGAINST WILLIS!!! It was the place to be tonight—PACKED HOUSE! 32-0!!! #oneteamonemission #SicEm pic.twitter.com/0jC9OuaQQ2

— ConroeVolleyball (@ConroeTigerVB) August 31, 2022

5. Wayzata (Minn.), 2-0

The Trojans extended their winning streak to 56 games with consecutive victories to start the season.

6. Byron Nelson (Texas), 24-1

The Bobcats distribute the wealth. They have a trio of attackers with more than 200 kills and two setters with more than 300 assists.

7. Cornerstone Christian (Texas), 31-1

Senior Nayeli Gonzalez leads the way with 307 kills, and sophomore Megan Fitch isn’t far behind with 288 kills.

8. Prestonwood Christian (Texas), 14-1

The Lions’ sole loss is to Cornerstone Christian, and they bounced back by handing Highland Park just their second loss of the season.

9. Blue Valley North (Kan.), 2-0

The reigning state champions have picked up where they left off last season.

10. Highland Park (Texas), 23-2

The Scots’ two losses have both come against Prestonwood Christian.

11. Buford (Ga.), 15-1

The Wolves have reeled off nine wins in a row, dropping just two sets during that streak.

12. Tompkins (Texas), 21-3

The Falcons have cooled off slightly, falling in two of their past seven matches.

She said NO!! @SimiElliott Great win tonight over Cinco Ranch!! Let’s keep it up! @OTHSVolleyball @PrepDigTX @houstonjuniors pic.twitter.com/X4IfhIfZVS

— Brooklynn Merrell (@BMerrell5) August 31, 2022

13. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 2-0

The Sharks have played two games and secured two straight-set victories in the past week.

14. Sante Fe (Fla.), 3-0

The Raiders have played nine sets this season and have won all nine as they look to repeat as Class 4A state champions.

15. Cleveland (Tenn.), 16-1

Since losing their second match of the season, the Blue Raiders have reeled off 15 consecutive wins, dropping just four sets.

16. McCutcheon (Ind.), 9-1

The defending Class 4A state champions have dropped just three sets this season, although two of those dropped sets resulted in a loss during tournament play.

17. Dike-New Hartford (Iowa), 7-1

The Wolverines fell in pool play of the Centennial Early Bird Tournament but bounced back to claim the trophy in a stacked field that included some of the top teams in Iowa.

Congrats to the Early Bird Tournament Champions! Quite a day in Ankeny where the field featured 16 teams: #1 in Class 2A, #11 in 3A, and 10 teams ranked in 5A. #rollblue #MomentsThatMatter pic.twitter.com/qsExq3OxH8

— Justin Stockdale (@DNHSUPT) August 28, 2022

18. Mira Costa (Calif.), 9-2

The Mustangs returned to their winning ways Tuesday with a sweep.

19. Assumption (Ky.), 6-0

A perennial contender, the Rockets are off to another hot start.

20. Alpharetta (Ga.), 17-3

After starting the season 9-3, the Raiders are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, during which they’ve lost just one set.

21. Papillion-La Vista South (Neb.), 6-1

The Titans’ 45-game winning streak came to an end Saturday with a straight-set loss, but they avenged that defeat days later with a sweep of the same opponent.

22. Fayetteville (Ark.), 3-0

The Bulldogs have played nine sets and won all of them.

23. Bishop Gorman (Nev.), 2-0

The Gaels’ pursuit of a fourth consecutive state championship is off to a good start.

24. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 13-1

The Trailblazers have played Mira Costa twice this season, splitting the series.

25. Mother McAuley (Ill.), 8-0

The Mighty Macs have yet to drop a set after falling in last year’s Class 4A state title game.

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.

College basketball made its return by unleashing a blockbuster slate of games to tip off the 2024/25 NCAA season on Monday.

While fans will have to wait until Thursday for their first season look at No. 2 UConn's preseason All-American Paige Bueckers, 16 of the preseason Top 25 teams hit Monday's court, including No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 LSU, and No. 8 Iowa State.

Paris doubleheader tips off college basketball season in style

It all started with a ranked doubleheader in Paris, France. First, No. 3 USC squeaked by No. 20 Ole Miss 68-66 behind double-doubles from preseason All-Americans JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen.

Even though USC led by 11 points after the first half, they needed both sophomore phenom Watkins's 27 points and 10 rebounds plus Stanford transfer Iriafen's 22 points and 13 rebounds to stave off the Rebels' 40-point second-half surge.

As for Ole Miss, guard KK Deans made an early season statement by leading her team with 19 points. All-SEC shooter Madison Scott put up another 14. Out of the gate, the Rebels expertly disrupted the Trojan offense, forcing USC to commit 26 turnovers in their season opener.

Later, No. 5 UCLA followed USC in bringing a season-opening win back to California. Led by star center Lauren Betts's 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, the Bruins — who committed 22 turnovers — defeated No. 17 Louisville 66-59.

Despite the loss, Louisville freshman guard Tajianna Roberts made a major splash, racking up 21 points in her college basketball debut.

Notably, the first-ever Paris NCAA basketball game was contested to open the 2023/24 season. At that time, South Carolina defeated Notre Dame, kicking off an undefeated run all the way to the 2024 NCAA Championship — a path USC and UCLA will be eager to follow after Monday's victories.

Other Monday matchups showcase NCAA basketball talent

Overseas battles aside, much of the NCAA's opening day pairings were dominated by ranked schools. Top-25 teams triumphed over lesser opponents, none more so than No. 19 Florida State's 119-49 win over North Florida.

However, the day's most intriguing ranked-unranked matchup is still to come, when No. 1 South Carolina takes on Michigan in Las Vegas.

With the exception of Chicago Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks return every starter and most of their bench from last season's championship roster. They'll look to extend their unbeaten run into this season, starting with the Wolverines.

How to watch the South Carolina vs. Michigan NCAA basketball game

South Carolina women's basketball will tip off against Michigan in Las Vegas at 7:30 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage on TNT.

The 2024 NWSL Playoffs are officially set, with Portland and Bay FC clinching the final two postseason spots this weekend.

The Thorns punched their ticket with Friday's 3-0 win over Angel City thanks to a trio of first-half goals from attackers Christine Sinclair, Sophia Smith, and Morgan Weaver. The victory officially extends Sinclair's pro career by at least one more match, and saw the soccer legend notch her final goal in front of a Providence Park home crowd in her 200th regular-season game.

Then on Saturday, a brace from forward Racheal Kundananji boosted Bay FC to a 3-2 win over Houston, snagging the 2024 expansion team the postseason's No. 7 seed in the process. Even more, Bay became the winningest first-year team in NWSL history with 11 wins, surpassing 2022 expansion team San Diego's 10 victories.

Top NWSL playoff teams build postseason momentum

The top four playoff-bound teams rolled through their last regular-season matches, with Orlando, Washington, Gotham, and Kansas City securing both victories and important postseason momentum.

Notably, Shield-winners Orlando snapped their two-game skid with Saturday's 3-2 win over Seattle, giving Pride fans hope for some more 2024 hardware.

North Carolina and Chicago, however, floundered in losses. Washington striker Ashley's Hatch's 37th-minute goal was the difference-maker in North Carolina's 1-0 loss on Saturday, the Courage's first home defeat since April 2023, when they also fell to the Spirit on a Hatch game-winner.

Like the Courage, the Red Stars locked up their playoff spot weeks ago, but their 3-1 Sunday loss to KC had arguably the most potent impact on the postseason picture. The combination of Chicago's defeat and victories from Portland and Bay sent the Red Stars down to eighth place on the table, their lowest standing in the league all season.

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Chawinga officially clinches NWSL Golden Boot Award

The other big weekend winner was KC's Temwa Chawinga. Chawinga officially took the 2024 Golden Boot title behind her league-record 20 goals and six assists, despite sitting out the Current's Sunday victory with a knee injury.

Also impressing from the injured list this season is Spirit rookie Croix Bethune, who finished as the year's NWSL assist leader. Before her season-ending meniscus tear in August, Bethune notched 10 assists to tie the NWSL record held by Tobin Heath.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL Playoffs

The NWSL's first-ever eight-team bracket is locked up, with the quarterfinals kicking off on Friday.

No. 1 Orlando will face No. 8 Chicago at 8 PM ET on Friday, streaming live on Prime, with No. 4 Kansas City battling No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday at 12 PM ET on CBS.

Sunday's doubleheader will air on ABC, with No. 2 Washington hosting No. 7 Bay FC at 12:30 PM ET before No. 6 Portland visits No. 3 Gotham at 3 PM ET.

The year's final major tennis tournament begins on Saturday when the sport's highest-ranked athletes descend on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to compete in the 2024 WTA Finals.

Featuring the eight best singles players and eight best doubles teams, Slam winners and Olympic medalists alike will compete for the Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova trophies before the winter break.

Also up for grabs is a piece of the record $15.25 million prize pool, larger than any Grand Slam purse and a nearly 70% increase over the 2023 pot. Should the champions go undefeated through the tournament, the singles winner will bank $5.155 million, while the top doubles duo will take home $1.125 million.

Eight days of elite tennis action

In both the WTA Finals singles and doubles categories, competitors are split into two groups of four.

Each singles player or doubles pair will play all others in their group for a total of three matches across the first six days. The top two in each group will then compete in the November 8th semifinals, with both finals set for November 9th.

In the singles contest, the Purple Group includes No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, No. 5 Elena Rybakina, and No. 7 Qinwen Zheng, while the Orange Group lists No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 8 Barbora Krejčíková.

In both competitions, 25% of the top eight athletes represent the USA. Along with Gauff and Pegula on the singles court, the doubles tournament includes No. 5 US duo Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk as well as Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Taylor Townsend in the Nos. 6 and 8 pairs, respectively.

Will Sabalenka play Świątek at the WTA Finals?

A showdown between Sabalenka and 2023 WTA Finals champion Świątek could be the event's blockbuster match. The top-ranked players have yet to square off in a major tournament in 2024 — a year rife with highs and lows for both athletes.

Sabalenka started the WTA season by winning her second Australian Open, then later struggled through a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. She capped the Grand Slam season in style, though, winning her first US Open in September.

As for five-time Grand Slam victor Świątek, 2024 brought the Polish phenom her fourth French Open title. A rockier second half to the season — including a third round and quarterfinal ousting from Wimbledon and the US Open, and a fall from the No. 1 ranking for the first time since November 2023 — motivated Świątek to seek a new coach.

How to watch the 2024 WTA Finals tennis tournament

The 2024 WTA Finals kicks off on Saturday, when US Open winner Sabalenka plays 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng at 11 AM ET.

Later, 2023 US Open champ Gauff will take on 2024 US Open runner-up Pegula at 8:45 AM ET on Sunday.

All 2024 WTA Finals matches will be broadcast live on the Tennis Channel.

In today’s episode of the Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wraps up the USWNT's October window with a look at the team’s 3-0 win over Argentina, from how rotation became the US’s strength to center back Naomi Girma's unparalleled ability to do it all.

Then, Watkins refocuses on the NWSL, where six of the league's 14 clubs will complete their 2024 seasons this weekend. First, however, the league will determine the eight playoff teams, pulling from a postseason race that could come down to Sunday's final regular-season match.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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