The quarterfinals of NCAA golf match play weren’t without drama Tuesday. Here’s how the action unfolded.

Arizona vs. Stanford

While Arizona snuck into match play Monday night and earned the No. 8 seed, the Wildcats took full advantage of the opportunity Tuesday. With four of the matches split down the middle, it came down to sophomores Angelina Ye of No. 1 Stanford and Gile Bite Starkute of Arizona, who were even for most of the day.

The competition peaked on the 18th hole. Starkute — who hadn’t trailed all day — had to take an unplayable, giving Ye a clear advantage. But Ye missed the two putt that would have sent her team to the semifinals, enabling Starkute to take the bogey and extend the match.

We aren’t done yet! @BiteGile sends us to extra holes! We’re off to ⛳️ 10th on @GolfChannel! #BearDown | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/Em9bdCBlsW

— Arizona Women's Golf (@ArizonaWGolf) May 25, 2021

The two headed to the 10th for extras. Ye holed a critical putt, but Starkute, from the edge of the green, made a monster birdie to lead Arizona to the semifinals and bring an end to Stanford’s postseason dominance.

GILE CALLS GAME! On to the ⛳️semifinals! #BearDown | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/6Jp2wQzUXN

— Arizona Women's Golf (@ArizonaWGolf) May 25, 2021

Arizona could be on its way to another Cinderella run, three years after the Wildcats won the team title as the eight seed.

Ole Miss vs. Texas

Despite Texas holding firm all day, the Longhorns were unable to deliver the knockout punch, allowing Ole Miss to make things interesting late. Fifth-year senior Kennedy Swann finished strong in her match and earned a point for the Rebels, while Julia Johnson’s birdie miss enabled Sara Kouskova to capitalize on the 18th and give Texas the much-needed point.

While Agathe Laisne had as much as a three-stroke lead through 13, Chiara Tamburlini found her way back to tie the match, forcing extras. It wouldn’t take long to decide the winner, as Agathe Laisne birdied the 8th to earn the point for the Longhorns. 

🤘 @agathe_laisne's birdie on No. 8️⃣ to earn the point and give us the lead.

📊 https://t.co/qiz1CgkRwb pic.twitter.com/KZbtoLSELE

— Texas Women's Golf (@TexasWGolf) May 25, 2021

It was the matches between Andrea Lignell and Kaitlyn Papp and freshmen Smila Sonderby and Ashley Park that held all of the drama. Ole Miss needed to win both matches in order to advance to the semifinals. And win they did. 

Lignell spun one in against Papp to extend the match, and Ole Miss’ semifinal chances, even further. She then made par, before a routine tap-in by Papp extended the match.

Papp then had a big shot on the next hole that set her up for the birdie putt to send Texas through. Papp’s putt missed by centimeters, leaving the door open for Lignell. The two would remain tied through the 22nd hole of competition, where Lignell would sink the birdie and put a point on the board for Ole Miss — and the pressure on the freshman Sonderby.

ANDREA. LIGNELL.

She wins it in 22 holes.

Match all tied up 2-2 pic.twitter.com/ARcXKGwt6j

— Ole Miss Women’s Golf (@OleMissWGolf) May 25, 2021

Sonderby had been substituted in for Ellen Hume of Ole Miss on Monday after Hume had to bow out with a nerve injury. The true freshman proved to be up for the task.

On the 18th, Park missed the birdie, leaving the door open for Sonderby to walk through and take advantage. She birdied the hole to tie the match and extend Ole Miss’ run.

THE FRESHMAN!@smillaTsonderby ties her match up with 1 hole to play! Buckle up folks.

📊 https://t.co/BnOyxalAuf
📺 @GolfChannel pic.twitter.com/a7U2FiD6Z2

— Ole Miss Women’s Golf (@OleMissWGolf) May 25, 2021

The two would duke it out all the way to the 21st, where Park missed the bogey putt, setting up Sonderby to complete Ole Miss’ comeback and send Texas home.

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄!!!

The Rebels win epic match 3-2 to advance to #NCAAGolf semifinals. #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/O9KNMR85af

— Ole Miss Women’s Golf (@OleMissWGolf) May 25, 2021

Duke vs. Arizona State

Defending national champion Duke took care of business easily against Arizona State, winning 3-1-1. Anne Chen led Alessandra Fanali all day, taking care of business for the Blue Devils and earning the point.

Gina Kim sunk her own putt to put a second point on the board for the Blue Devils and take the win over Olivia Mehaffey.

𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄@gina_kim0504 wins her match 2&1‼️#GoDuke #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/lF3FMh8D1T

— Duke Women's Golf (@DukeWGOLF) May 25, 2021

Phoebe Brinker then took care of business and advanced the Blue Devils into the semifinals to face off against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State vs. Auburn

Compared to the rest of the field, Oklahoma State vs. Auburn was about as routine as it gets. 

OSU dominated this one as world amateur No. 7 Maja Stark took care of business for the Cowgirls. Teammates Lianna Baile and Rina Tatematsu also held their own and took wins in their matches. Isabella Fierro and Megan Schofill took 19 holes to decide their match, but eventually Fierro sunk one to take the win.

That magic moment.

📺 @GolfChannel#NCAAGolf I #GolfSchool pic.twitter.com/kj74NEeBSK

— OSU Cowgirl Golf (@OSUcowgirlgolf) May 25, 2021

Elena Hualde had the only win of the day for Auburn.

Next up: The semifinals, with Duke taking on Oklahoma State and Arizona facing off against Ole Miss.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.