Just Women’s Sports is proud to announce the Just Women’s Sports Varsity Squad, a one-of-a-kind program that gives student-athletes the opportunity to work in tandem with the team at JWS.

As part of the program, 13 student-athletes will learn about the media profession while working to elevate and grow women’s sports coverage alongside JWS. These athletes will also have the chance to build their brands with an assist from industry insiders as they use their voices and platforms to promote JWS’ mission.

Get to know the 13 student-athletes representing the inaugural JWS Varsity Squad.

Katie Meyer, Soccer, Stanford University

A redshirt junior goalkeeper at Stanford, Meyer was part of the 2019 NCAA championship team. Majoring in international relations, Meyer has been working with the JWS team as a marketing and production intern.

Sophie Jones, Soccer, Duke University

The 2018-19 Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Jones made her way to Duke and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2019. Jones is excited to be a part of the JWS team, where she will look to grow her knowledge in writing and interviewing.

Lexie Hull, Basketball, Stanford

A senior at Stanford, Hull played a key role during Stanford’s national championship run last season. With a major in management science and engineering, Hull is in the process of starting a camp business and will be working with JWS to learn more about the industry.

Hensley Hancuff, Soccer, Clemson

A senior goalkeeper at Clemson, Hancuff trained with the NWSL’s Orlando Pride during her senior year of high school. Look for Hancuff, a big fan of JWS, to be doing some social media takeovers.

Jocelyn Alo, Softball, Oklahoma

Alo has been a dominant force in college softball since arriving at Oklahoma, most recently being named the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. A redshirt senior, Alo will work with JWS to grow her social media presence.

Jayda Coleman, Softball, Oklahoma

Coleman had a breakout freshman season with the Sooners, finishing in the top three for National Freshman of the Year. The 2019-20 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, Coleman will also look to grow her social media presence with the help of JWS.

Erin Matson, Field Hockey, UNC

A senior at North Carolina, Matson has been dominating since her freshman season, when she led UNC in goals and assists. With a major in advertising and public relations, Matson is stoked to be a part of the JWS team and will have her hands in everything she possibly can.

Rachel Jones, Soccer, UNC

A senior at UNC, Jones was named to the 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America All-District Team two years in a row. After graduating early in May, she now attends the UNC School of Law while still tearing up the pitch.

Zoe Hasenauer, Soccer, Oregon

A senior at Oregon, Hassenauer is ecstatic to join the JWS Varsity Squad. With an interest in writing and social media, Hasenauer will focus on diversifying her knowledge of women’s sports media while working with JWS.

Kalyany Steele, Gymnastics, UCLA

A star on the bars, Steele is a junior at UCLA with a career-high score of 9.925 in the bars event. An English major with a Creative Writing concentration, she’s excited to improve her writing with JWS.

Abigail Forbes, Tennis, UCLA

A junior at UCLA, Forbes was most recently named the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year with Jada Hart. One of her relatives is Karina LeBlanc, the former professional soccer player who was recently named general manager of the Portland Thorns. Forbes, who has an interest in business, will work with JWS on money-making opportunities.

Logan Eggleston, Volleyball, Texas

A junior at Texas, Eggleston was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2020. With an interest in sports media, Eggleston is eyeing a career in broadcasting and will work with JWS on a multitude of projects.

Erica Sullivan, Swimming, Texas

Sullivan is no stranger to JWS, having already made an appearance on the Just Women’s Sports Podcast. A freshman at Texas, Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal in the 1500m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer. With a passion for film, Sullivan is interested in exploring the bigger picture for women in sports.

The first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs ends on Friday night, when the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury and No. 5 New York Liberty return to Arizona for a winner-take-all Game 3 — with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

"The message is, 'Everybody keep our heads up. This is a series, and Phoenix is a tough team,'" Liberty star Breanna Stewart said ahead of Friday's matchup.

Still battling an MCL sprain in her left knee, Stewart hopes for more quality time on the court to help New York bounce back from the Mercury's Game 2 blowout win.

While neither team has successfully defended at home so far, Phoenix will look for a boost from the Mercury fans as they try to oust the defending WNBA champs.

"It's just nice for everyone to get a home game," said Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. "[But] in order to win a series, you got to win on the road."

"You see how competitive, how balanced this is," said Stewart, commenting on the league's new home-away-home first-round format. "How important it is for these kind of series to be going back and forth."

How to watch the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3

It's win-or-go-home for both the No. 5 New York Liberty and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Friday.

The high-stakes matchup will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

The 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year race ended in a tie on Thursday, as dominant seasons at both ends of the court saw Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith each receive 29 of the media panel's 72 total votes.

After finishing first this season in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156), Wilson became just the fourth player in WNBA history named Defensive Player of the Year at least three times — adding this year's title to her previous 2022 and 2023 honors.

As for Smith, who picked up the award for the first time this year, the Lynx star ranked second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for 10th in total steals (55) on the season.

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Also snagging votes were Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who came in second with nine votes, as well as Phoenix Mercury triple-double phenom Alyssa Thomas and fellow Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who received three and two votes, respectively.

The win by both Wilson and Smith marks the first time in history that the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honor has ended in a tie, reflecting both the top-notch level of talent on display across the league as well as the hyper-competitive nature of the 2025 end-of-year awards race on display across multiple categories.

Next up on the league's awards docket is Saturday's Sixth Player of the Year announcement, followed by the highly anticipated reveal of the 2025 WNBA MVP on Sunday.

The NWSL promises a tense mid-table battle this weekend, as the No. 4 Portland Thorns take on the No. 5 San Diego Wave with both teams looking to keep late-season lags at bay.

After strong starts, the Thorns and Wave each have just one win in their last five games, with San Diego aiming to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Gotham last weekend.

Even more, both clubs currently sit in a four-way tie for points on the NWSL table, giving Saturday's match extra weight in potentially shifting the standings this weekend.

"It's a really important moment for us as a team," said San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall. "Because adversity will happen to people or teams at various points, and everything about now is how we respond."

Portland will also look to regain ground, perhaps drawing inspiration from the past after announcing Wednesday that the club plans to retire legendary forward Christine Sinclair's jersey in an October 4th ceremony.

Sinclair established herself as the Portland Thorns' all-time leading scorer, retiring last year with 79 goals across all NWSL competitions — the second-most ever scored by an NWSL player.

How to watch the Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave

The No. 4 Portland Thorns will host the No. 5 San Diego Wave at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the NWSL match airing on ION.

No. 2 Las Vegas narrowly avoided a 2025 first-round postseason series upset on Thursday night, defeating the No. 7 Seattle Storm 74-73 in a deciding Game 3 to advance to the Aces' seventh-straight WNBA semifinals.

Aces star A'ja Wilson put her team on her back with another dominant performance, posting 38 points — including 25 in the second half — to outscore the rest of the Las Vegas lineup entirely.

"I am so proud of my team, we were resilient, that's what we need to be in these playoffs and I love each and every last one of them," Wilson said postgame.

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Las Vegas got off to a slow start this year, but a late-season surge fueled by a renewed focus on depth saw the 2023 WNBA champs take the No. 2 playoff seed — and book yet another trip to the WNBA semifinals.

"I remember Chelsea [Gray] saying in a timeout, 'There's no time for my-bads anymore,'" said Wilson. "We have to play perfect basketball."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

Up next for No. 2 Las Vegas is a No. 6 Indiana side punching above their weight.

That said, the Fever did score a 2-1 record against the Aces in the 2025 regular season — and Las Vegas's lone win over Indiana came back in June.

"They haven't seen the real Aces yet," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said of the Fever. "They caught us when we were a bit in turmoil."

The Aces will take aim at Indiana in Sunday's 3 PM ET semifinals opener, airing live on ABC.