When Kennedy Phelan and the Fayetteville volleyball team walked into Bank Ozk Arena in Hot Springs, Ark., they felt at home. The stage for the Class 6A state championship was just how they left it.

On Saturday, the two-time defending state champions set out to defend their title, and with Phelan at the helm, the Bulldogs won 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-18) against Southside for their third title in a row. Phelan was once again named state tournament MVP after registering 37 assists, 18 digs and seven kills.

“The last two years, it was kind of a dog fight. We didn’t know who was going to win,” said the senior setter, who was also named JWS Player of the Week in the aftermath of the state title. “This year, we’ve kind of had a target on your back. It was a different kind of pressure when you’re the seniors, you’re undefeated, you’re supposed to win this game. There were a little bit of nerves.”

The Bulldogs have quite the impressive resume, crossing off every goal they set at the start of the season. The team was consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally, most recently landing at No. 7 in the JWS volleyball team rankings.

Fayetteville was undefeated against Arkansas teams, taking home the third-place trophy in the Durango Fall Classic, one of the nation’s premier volleyball tournaments. And on Saturday, they capped it off with another state title.

DOGS WIN!!!! STATE CHAMPS! 3-0! @FHSVolleydogs pic.twitter.com/sY5BPoR2bU

— FHS Bulldogs (@FayBulldogs) October 30, 2022

As the team succeeded, so did Phelan. She led the team with 977 assists and 80 aces while finishing third in digs (277) and hitting percentage (.334), recording 217 kills. With 3,972 career assists, she walks away as the Bulldogs’ all-time assists leader.

Phelan has been a Bulldog all her life. Her mom and head coach, Jessica Phelan, began coaching at Fayetteville while pregnant with Kennedy.

“I know for her, being a Bulldog and being a part of Fayetteville volleyball was important. Long before she put that jersey on, she was a part of the team,” Jessica said. “I think for her, it’s been a culmination of her childhood.”

Kennedy became accustomed to the mother-daughter, coach-player dynamic at a young age.

“In practice, she’s Coach. She’s Phelan. She’s not mom,” she said. “It’s been that way for a long time. That’s made it easy.”

Jessica is a volleyball legend in Arkansas — more specifically, a Southeastern Conference legend. She was a middle blocker at the University of Arkansas and the most decorated volleyball player in the program.

“I, unfortunately, didn’t inherit her height,” Kennedy said with a laugh. “She’s 6-foot-1. I’m 5-foot-7.”

Kennedy says it’s easy to be overlooked as an undersized player, but she’s used it to her advantage, focusing on what she could be in the absence of height.

“I was going to try to run my offense perfectly,” Kennedy said. “I was going to make it up in every other area.”

Now, with Kennedy’s storied high school career over, she turns her attention to the club season, which will prepare her to become a Florida State Seminole. She’ll play both indoor and beach volleyball for FSU.

I am sooo excited to announce that I have committed to play both indoor and beach volleyball at Florida State University!!! I’ve had endless support from my parents, family, teammates, Jenny, and many other coaches and friends. Go Noles!!! pic.twitter.com/TvzUv0UGxz

— Kenna Phelan (@PhelanKennedy) July 9, 2021

When she takes the court in Tallahassee, she’ll feel at home with head coach Chris Poole, the former volleyball coach at the University of Arkansas.

But for now, as the mother and daughter take time to bask in their third consecutive state title, it’s a bittersweet moment.

“It’s definitely something I’ve waited a long time for,” Kennedy said. “Not everyone gets to share the court with their best friends and their mom. I’m definitely going to miss it.”

“As a mom, I’m really proud of the career she’s had and the leader she is and the relationship she’s had with her teammates,” Jessica added. “Now I get to be her fan, so that’s fun, too.”

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

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.