Kentucky Volleyball won their first-ever National Championship Saturday, bringing to conclusion a season unlike any other. While they say history isn’t made easily, the Wildcats certainly made it look like that at key moments Saturday night, as they beat the Texas Longhorns 3-1 in Omaha.

Here’s how the action unfolded.

No. 2 Kentucky battled in the first set, but No. 4 Texas jumped out to an early lead. At the highest level of the sport, the serve and pass battle is what matters most, and Texas was passing dimes. The combination of Logan Eggleston and Skylar Fields proved lethal for the Longhorns, and when Jhenna Gabriel had the ball in her hands close to the net, Kentucky had to respect the efficiency of each hitter on the floor.

The Wildcats had their opportunities. Kentucky setter Madison Lilley, the AVCA National Player of the Year, often had the ball in her hands, but Kentucky couldn’t find the floor. Texas continued to ride their early momentum to a 14-10 before eventually taking the first set 25-20. Kentucky seemed to be playing with some nerves, as they only hit .216 in the opening set with seven errors — their worst numbers of the season.

Horns ⬆️ 1️⃣-0️⃣! 🤘 pic.twitter.com/BSiO0Fup6I

— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) April 25, 2021

This game was always going to be played on the pins. Eggleston (the Big 12 Player of the Year) and Alli Stumler (First Team All American and Kentucky’s kill leader) were going to carry a huge load for their respective teams in this match. And whichever team could hold the other player in check was going to have a good chance of winning the championship. 

Kentucky came out swinging fearlessly in set two. The dynamic pin play of Stumler and the Skinner sisters proved to be too much for the Texas defense, as Kentucky found a new level from the service line and forced Texas to play one-option volleyball. This helped Azanhi Tealer, as she got an early read on the block and could disrupt Eggleston and Fields. Kentucky dominated the set from start to finish, with an ace from Stumler sealing it, 25-18.

National 👏 Player 👏 of 👏 the 👏 Year 👏 solo 👏 block 👏 @mplilley03 #NCAAVB x @KentuckyVB pic.twitter.com/2XzI7ep6Po

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) April 25, 2021

In set three, I expected both teams to find their go-to pin players. Lilley has said in interviews that she’s not afraid to ride the hot hand of her team as the match goes in waves. That player has been Stumler all year, and she continued to deliver on Saturday.

Tied at 13-13, this set was closer than the previous two until Kentucky made a run. Texas brought it within one at 22-23 but missed a crucial serve to give Kentucky game point. Kentucky won the set on yet another Madi Skinner kill.

You did WHAT @GabbyyyCurryyy?! 🤯#NCAAVB #SCtop10 x @KentuckyVB pic.twitter.com/bwBVS7dt7J

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) April 25, 2021

Set four, and with a national championship on the line, Texas came out firing. Off to a 6-1 lead, past sets would have indicated a strong start would lead to a set win. Kentucky was facing the largest deficit they had seen all tournament, but the Wildcats clawed their way to a 14-13 lead, their first advantage of the set. 

The teams swapped sideout points and Kentucky battled to keep Eggleston in check. A crucial Avery Skinner kill put Kentucky at 21-19, and the Wildcats rolled from there. A service ace gave Kentucky room to breathe, and in the most fitting ending, Ali Stumler’s 26th kill of the match sealed Kentucky’s fate and won the NCAA championship, both the program’s and the SEC’s first.

Dreams ➡️ Reality

Stars ➡️ Legends

KENTUCKY ➡️ Champions#WeAreUK | #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/Bno4cjqPEh

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) April 25, 2021

Congratulations immediately began flowing in from various Kentucky luminaries: 

WOW!!!!

Can’t begin to tell you how how happy I am for this team, the players and the coaching staff. What an accomplishment.

What @UKCoachSkinner has done to build this program: AMAZING. Every season they have gotten better and better, and now: NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! https://t.co/F1cdaaoOVe

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) April 25, 2021

Congratulations to the NCAA National Champions, @KentuckyVB! This incredible team made history last night, bringing home the first title for the @universityofky. You make Kentucky proud! #BBN

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) April 25, 2021

While students burned couches in the streets of Lexington: 

Kentucky students burn couches while celebrating the volleyball team’s national title Sunday morning on State Street. @heraldleader @KentuckySports @pbaniak pic.twitter.com/TfN1FfUBho

— Alex Slitz (@AlexSlitzPhoto) April 25, 2021

In the end, it only seemed fitting that a year like no other should end with history being made in the championship game.

Congrats, Wildcats!

The road to the College Cup begins this weekend, as the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament kicks off with a stacked first-round field on Friday.

The strength of the ACC again leads the charge with three of the 64-team bracket's four top seeds hailing from the conference.

Snagging the overall No. 1 seed is Stanford, with the Cardinal outlasting fellow NCAA top-seed Notre Dame in a penalty shootout to claim their first-ever ACC tournament title last weekend.

Joining the Cardinal and Fighting Irish in the remaining No. 1 spots are the ACC's Virginia Cavaliers and the SEC-leading Vanderbilt Commodores.

Meanwhile, the 2025 tournament's No. 2 seeds — Michigan State, TCU, Duke, and Georgetown — are gearing up to play spoiler, with other underdogs also lurking throughout the bracket.

Already eyeing future upsets are four-time national champions and No. 3-seed Florida State, No. 4-seed and Big Ten champion Washington, and undefeated mid-major dark horse Memphis, who enters the 2025 field as a No. 7 seed.

The ACC's on-pitch dominance also sees defending champion North Carolina in an unfamiliar position, entering the 2025 NCAA tournament unseeded after the 22-time title-winners finished seventh in the conference behind a 12-6 overall and 6-4 ACC season record.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament

The 2025 NCAA women's soccer tournament kicks off with 32 first-round matches across Friday and Saturday, all on ESPN+.

The action begins with unseeded Ohio State taking on No. 8-seed Georgia at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN+.

Two USWNT legends are seeing their legacies cemented, as the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that retired forwards Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly are first-ballot inductees as members of the Class of 2026.

Both Heath and O'Reilly retired as World Cup champions and Olympic medalists, winning their 2008 and 2012 Olympic golds as well as their 2015 World Cup title as teammates.

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The USWNT icons led all voting on the Hall of Fame's Player Ballot of 20 finalists, which only allots two to three athletes per annual class for induction.

O'Reilly snagged 47 of the 48-person selection committee's votes, with Heath earning 45 nods for inclusion.

Fellow former USWNT star Sam Mewis finished fifth on the ballot with 32 votes in her first year of eligibility, while longtime NWSL and USWNT player Amy Rodriguez came in seventh with 28 votes.

Longtime Seattle Reign defender Stephanie Cox — a 2008 Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT — also snagged votes, ranking 15th on the Class of 2026 Player Ballot.

Though they fell short of making the cut, a trio of former USWNT stars also earned votes on the 10-finalist Veteran Ballot, with longtime midfielder-turned-broadcaster Aly Wagner as well as legendary '99ers Tiffany Roberts and Lorrie Fair all snagging tallies.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will induct Heath and O'Reilly as part of its six-person Class of 2026 in a ceremony at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 1st.

Orlando Pride captain and Brazil legend Marta is back in the spotlight, topping the 2025 shortlist for the second-annual FIFA Marta Award — the women's goal-of-the-year prize established in her honor in 2024.

The 39-year-old attacking midfielder took home the inaugural trophy at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony last December, earning the title for a stellar long-range shot that helped lift Brazil over Jamaica 4-0 in a June 2024 friendly.

Marta's 2025 nomination, however, comes from an iconic goal in club play, with the FIFA Award spotlighting the Orlando game-winner against Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals — a goal that saw the Pride star force four Current players to the ground with her footwork.

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Marta has steep competition for this year's trophy, however, with 10 other goal nominees including a viral scorpion kick by former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle, Seattle Reign defender Jordyn Bugg's long-range missile against the North Carolina Courage, forward Ally Sentnor's first-ever USWNT goal at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, and more.

How to vote for the 2025 FIFA Marta Award

Holding 50% of the vote, fans can view and rank their top three goals of 2025 until voting closes on December 3rd.

Voting for the second-ever Marta Award winner is now open at FIFA.com.

South Carolina and USC are bringing fireworks to the 2025/26 NCAA basketball court this weekend, as the No. 2 Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Trojans in "The Real SC" showdown on Saturday.

Both standout programs enter the matchup undefeated in early-season play, with the Trojans touting a Top-10 win after narrowly edging out No. 10 NC State 69-68 last weekend.

"You don't know exactly what you have until you're put in these situations, which is why we schedule them," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the upcoming clash. "And I think it's a chance for us to redefine our identity a little bit."

South Carolina's depth will likely test the new-look Trojans, as USC aims to solidify their identity with star JuJu Watkins sidelined with injury for the season.

That said, freshman Jazzy Davidson is giving the Trojans new life, with the No. 1 high school recruit co-leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game.

South Carolina, however, has seen early dividends from familiar faces, as sophomore Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 18.3 points per game, with high-profile transfer Ta'Niya Latson close behind with a 16.3 point average.

How to watch USC vs. South Carolina in the "The Real SC" NCAA game

No. 8 USC will welcome No. 2 South Carolina to LA's Crypto.com Arena for the inaugural "Real SC" game on Saturday.

The clash will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.