On the way home from Georgia’s Class 7A volleyball state championship, the Buford Wolves were silent. They had just become three-time state champions, yet a quiet reflective spirit enveloped the bus.

In five sets, Buford defeated Lambert 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 23-25, 19-17), and it was no easy feat. They dropped the first and fourth set, setting up a dramatic final set.

Even as pressure mounted, senior outside hitter Ashley Sturzoiu kept her composure, scoring the match-winning point from the back row. While leading the Wolves to victory, she recorded 22 kills, 11 digs and three aces, earning JWS Player of the Week honors along the way.

“It was 18-17 for us, and that one point was a great representation of the entire game,” Sturzoiu said. “We really fought for it, and I had the opportunity to get the game-winning point, gave it my all and scored.”

That 🏆 moment, as @hailstatevb commit @AshleySturzoiu sealed the @OfficialGHSA 7A title for @Buford_VB. pic.twitter.com/IlcfKszuhv

— LakePoint Sports (@LakePointSports) November 6, 2022

This season, the 6-foot senior led the team in six categories: kills (487), kills per set (4.4), digs (302), digs per set (2.7), receptions (374) and aces (71).

“She’s very confident in her ability,” coach Christina Lecoeuvre said. “Just watching her, I’m thinking of her being able to rally her teammates and give them constructive criticism. She’s not afraid to help critique little things in the middle of the game that has helped us win. It’s not necessarily the physical things, but the intangible stuff.”

Volleyball caught Sturzoiu’s eye at a young age. She remembers watching her parents play in a park nearby. At age 9, she begged them to let her play, and she was persistent.

“Eventually, my dad was like ‘OK, you wanna play so bad. I’ll teach you,’” she said.

So they signed her up for volleyball lessons at a local recreation center. And from there, her love for volleyball exploded. Even as a young player, those around her knew she was destined for greatness. The center’s director told Sturzoiu’s mother to “call him back when her daughter makes it big.”

“My mom was like, ‘You just want my money, but thank you,’” Sturzoiu said with a laugh.

At age 13, Sturzoiu discovered her secret weapon on the court — goggles. After breaking her glasses in a tournament, she went into an optical store where she found Oakley sunglasses.They were for outdoor sports, which gave Sturzoiu an idea. Instead of using the traditional tint, she asked to make them with clear lenses. They didn’t just help her eyes on the court. They helped shape her persona as a volleyball player, and now she’s known as “Goggles.”

“A lot of it is part of her swag,” Lecoeuvre said. “She’s a standout player in general, and I think at a young age, she said, ‘I’m just going to ride these goggles out. I’m going to embrace it.’”

On Wednesday, in front of the school, Sturzoiu made her college decision official when she signed her National Letter of Intent to play for Mississippi State, and in January, she will begin her career as a Bulldog. She’s graduating early in part to acclimate to life as a Division I student-athlete.

We did it again!! So proud of my team!! 💪🏼🏐🏆🥇@HailStateVB @julesdarty @Coach_Lay @oakley @usavolleyball @PrepVolleyball @PrepDig @VBallrecruiter @MaxPreps @OfficialGHSA #onelastride #3peat pic.twitter.com/PSkpUhcxvZ

— Ashley Sturzoiu #15 (Goggles) (@AshleySturzoiu) November 9, 2022

“I think going early gives you a buffer zone to take your time to, A, get prepared and, B, just living in college, getting used to being there and learning how to manage your time,” Sturzoiu said.

In the meantime, she’s soaking up the little time she has left with her classmates and teammates. She’ll leave behind quite the legacy at Buford. She recorded 1,027 career digs and 1,368 kills and is a three-time state champion and a four-time all-state, all-region and all-county player.

“It’s obviously an end. It’s sad. I’m going to have to make new friends, but in terms of volleyball, this is just kickstarting the rest of my career.” Sturzoiu said.

Nika Anschuetz is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @nlanschuetz.

As the NWSL returns from the international break, powerhouse clubs below the playoff line are preparing for a midseason push that could make — or break — the 2025 regular season.

With just three matchdays left before the league's extended summer break, which begins June 23rd and ends on August 1st, clubs will look to shore up their spots on the NWSL table before pressing pause on regular-season play.

Hovering just outside the 2025 postseason line in a 12-point tie are a trio of NWSL clubs, all hunting midseason weekend wins to boost them back into contention:

• No. 9 Gotham FC vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): Having slipped under the playoff line while off hoisting the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup, the Bats have their work cut out for them against the league-leading Current on Saturday — though Gotham could see their midfield bolstered by the return of star Rose Lavelle from her 2024 ankle injury.

• No. 11 Bay FC vs. No. 5 Portland Thorns, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Bay FC's bid to jump into the league's Top 8 runs through the second-hottest club in the NWSL right now, with the Thorns looking to add to their five-match regular-season unbeaten streak this weekend.

• No. 4 Washington Spirit vs. No. 10 North Carolina Courage, Sunday at 4 PM ET (Paramount+): The Courage have dropped just one of their last five matches after a winless season start, but they'll face a Washington side hungry for a win in DC. Despite holding a league-record 5-0-0 road tally this season, the Spirit have stumbled on the home front, earning just one 2025 victory in Washington.

The NWSL outlined new rules for expansion roster building and intra-league loans on Thursday, as two new franchises prepare to enter the league in 2026 without the benefit of an expansion draft.

"With the introduction of free agency and the elimination of the NWSL Draft and Expansion Draft, it was important for us to establish alternative player acquisition assets that support incoming teams while maintaining competitive balance across the league," said NWSL VP of player affairs Stephanie Lee in a league announcement.

Incoming clubs Boston Legacy FC and NWSL Denver will each have access to over $1 million in allocation funds to spend on players beginning on July 1st through the end of 2027.

Both teams can also sign players without being held to a salary cap until the secondary transfer window in 2025, providing players can be loaned out, put on Season Ending Injury designation, or acquired with allocation money used toward the salary cap.

Once the secondary transfer window opens this year, both Boston and Denver will have a $250,000 cap under which they can ink college athletes or international players not under contract.

In addition, the NWSL declared open season on intra-league loans on Thursday, allowing all teams to add athletes to their rosters from other league entities — provided both the player and the league approve the loan.

Each team can have no more than 12 players either in or out on loan at a time, and clubs can only bring in or send out a maximum of three athletes to/from any other single squad.

Overall, the NWSL intends these moves to bolster competition for both its current and future clubs.

"The introduction of intra-league loans — available to all teams — adds greater flexibility and opportunity for player development and strategic roster management league-wide," noted Lee.

World No. 2 Coco Gauff earned a ticket to her third career Grand Slam final on Thursday, advancing to the 2025 French Open championship match by ending French wild-card No. 361 Loïs Boisson's Cinderella story with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory.

"This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that [the crowd] was to be 99% for her, so I was trying to block it out," said the 21-year-old US star. "When [the crowd was] saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself up."

"[Loïs has] shown she's one of the best players in the world," Gauff added about her opponent's remarkable tournament run following their clash. "I hope we have many more battles in the future, especially here. Today it was just my day."

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The player standing between the 2023 US Open champ and her second Grand Slam trophy is none other than world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who looked at ease taking down four-time French Open winner No. 5 Iga Świątek 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 in the tournament's other semifinal on Thursday.

Notably, the three-set defeat was Świątek's first Roland-Garros loss in an astounding 1,457 days — a 26-match winning streak that dated back to 2021.

The 2025 French Open will now be the third straight Slam in which Sabalenka has reached the final, with the top-ranked tennis star making six WTA title-match appearances in 2025 alone.

Head-to-head, Sabalenka and Gauff have an evenly split 5-5 record.

While Gauff earned her US Open title with a Sabalenka defeat, Sabalenka has the recent edge, snagging wins over Gauff in three of the pair's last four meetings — including May's clay battle in the 2025 Madrid Open final.

How to watch the 2025 French Open final

The world's top two tennis players will square off at the 2025 French Open championship match at 9 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on TNT.

The 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) are headed to a winner-take-all Game 3, as Texas Tech evened this week's best-of-three championship series with a 4-3 victory over Texas on Thursday.

Anchored by another gutsy performance from star pitcher NiJaree Canady, the Red Raiders capitalized on missteps by the Longhorns, plating their four runs thanks to a hit-by-pitch, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and a fielding error.

Down but not out, Texas broke through with a sixth-inning home run from star senior Mia Scott before plating two more in the game's final frame.

With the tying run just 60 feet away, Canady locked in, ending the Longhorns' threat with a strike-out to claim Texas Tech's first season win over their state rivals at just the right time, keeping the Red Raiders' national title hopes alive.

"NiJa was huge," said Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco about his ace's Game 2 performance. "She went out there and pitched her tail off."

Canady likely to toss every Texas Tech pitch at WCWS

After Wednesday's botched intentional walk put Texas within one win of the NCAA trophy, Canady bounced back by again assuming control in the circle, tossing every Texas Tech pitch for the seventh postseason games in a row — a streak dating back to the Red Raiders' first Super Regional game.

"Obviously [Wednesday] night wasn't my best game. I feel like this game wasn't my best game, either," said Canady, despite stifling Texas's late surge. "I was just leaving it out on the field."

Glasco will undoubtedly tap Canady to throw Friday's decisive clash as well, with Texas Tech's championship hopes resting on their $1 million player.

Should she complete Game 3 and secure a program-first national championship in the process, Canady will become the first pitcher since 2012 Alabama ace Jackie Traina to toss every WCWS pitch for a title-winning team.

On the other hand, Texas's four-pitcher bullpen game means sophomore ace Teagan Kavan — who threw just two outs on Thursday night — should be fresh and ready to test the Red Raiders in the final game of the 2025 NCAA softball season.

How to watch the 2025 WCWS championship game

The decisive Game 3 of the 2025 WCWS championship series will take the field in Oklahoma City at 8 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ESPN.