It’s not often that a visit to Disney World is overshadowed by something else, but that’s exactly what happened last weekend when Ashley Mullen and the Liberty (Mo.) volleyball team traveled to Orlando, Fla.

The Blue Jays competed in the KSA Events Fall Classic Volleyball Tournament, and that’s where the real magic took place. Mullen earned MVP honors as Liberty went 7-0 and didn’t drop a single set on their way to securing first place at the showcase.

In 14 sets played, the 5-foot-10 senior setter had 126 assists, 16 aces with a 93.8 percent service, 14 digs, three blocks and three kills, adding another accolade in the aftermath — JWS Next Player of the Week.

“There was a lot of team bonding throughout that entire experience. It was also really tiring,” Mullen said. “You’re walking around for five to seven hours after you’ve just played however many matches of volleyball where you’re running and jumping, so it was definitely a physical challenge as well. But it was a really fun experience.”

So proud of our Jays! After an amazing 4 days in Orlando we are returning home Champions of the KSA Volleyball Tournament. Congrats to our #16 @ashleymullen_16 named MVP & HBD to our #18 @jrenfro18 who turned 18 this week! So many awesome memories w/ this special group! #Sivako pic.twitter.com/D9QjMZ7NRY

— LHS Volleyball (@jaysvb) September 4, 2022

The Blue Jays returned home and stuck to their winning ways on Tuesday, sweeping Lee’s Summit in a 3-0 decision. The UCLA commit, ranked No. 12 in the nation in JWS’ high school player rankings, didn’t slow down a bit, amassing 31 assists to go along with six digs and two blocks.

Mullen is one of two co-captains who have led the way for Liberty, now 11-0 on the season after knocking off Park Hill 3-2 on Thursday evening.

“As the setter and what we call the quarterback of the team, she’s got a big responsibility,” Blue Jays coach April Fleming said. “She touches the ball just about every single time it comes across the net, so for her to play consistent volleyball, that just makes our team better and helps our team go.”

Mullen, one of six seniors on this year’s Liberty squad, is coming off a 2021 campaign in which she recorded 1,094 assists. She verbally committed to the Bruins program in early September, choosing UCLA over NC State in the end. Mullen said she was drawn to the two programs because both head coaches were setter coaches and had experience with USA Volleyball.

“The experience and consistency that she brings to our team is huge,” Fleming said about Mullen. “A lot of our success is because we have a girl that can run and spread out our offense.”

In June, Mullen was selected to compete at the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando in December along with 23 other standout high school players. She will be joined by Team Dynasty club volleyball teammate Calissa Minatee, a Minnesota commit who’s currently a senior at North Kansas City (Mo.).

“I think that once I was selected and heard my name, it was a little bit of a relief, but it was really exciting,” Mullen said. “To know that I’m going to get to play with some of the best players in the country, it’s pretty cool.”

Beyond blessed to be invited to the Under Armour All-America game in Orlando this upcoming December. Thank you @uanextvolleyball and @vballrecruiter for the opportunity! pic.twitter.com/Yd5N7Z89xT

— Ashley Mullen (@ashleymullen_16) June 26, 2022

For now, Mullen is focused on embracing the moment and enjoying her final varsity season at Liberty, including the opportunity to play one final season with her sister, Abigail, a sophomore opposite hitter who helped lead Team USA to a gold-medal finish at the Pan American Cup in July.

“It means a lot. My parents have been watching us play on separate teams for years, and we both know that we’re really good athletes,” Ashley said. “Just knowing that we’re able to play with each other and that we’re also family is pretty cool.”

Mullen has individual goals in mind — she wants to be named Gatorade Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year and win the Evelyn Gates Award, awarded to the top female volleyball player in the Kansas City area — but it all starts with her team’s success.

And there’s no shortage of ambition there, either. She wants to go out a state champion.

“Not every team gets to have a fairytale ending,” Mullen said. “I feel like this team has been through thick and thin. We can totally strive for that state championship. We’ve got to take it one day at a time.

“So far, we’ve had a really good season, and I really think that we can get all the way there.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.