Mother McAuley (Ill.) volleyball is a decorated program that has claimed 15 state titles, as well as a national championship in 2016. But the Mighty Macs achieved a first this past weekend when they won the prestigious Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament, defeating national powerhouse Assumption (Ky.) in the championship.

The Chicago school won all six matches in the 24-team field, which had a combined 122 state championships, and they capped the run with a sweep of Assumption, which was previously unbeaten on the season and is a 22-time state champion.

No caption needed. #MACS pic.twitter.com/eJJ98EIVgt

— McAuley Volleyball (@McAuley_VB) September 11, 2022

The tournament title prolonged an undefeated start to the season for the Mighty Macs and showcased the skill of Michigan commit Ellie White, who finished with 26 kills and already has more than 200 on the year.

Not to be outdone, Northwestern commit Gigi Navarrete was virtually everywhere on defense with 22 digs against Assumption, pushing her past 150 for the season.

Behind that outstanding play and on the back of a stellar tournament run, Mother McAuley has risen 12 spots to No. 10 in this week’s Just Women’s Sports volleyball team rankings.

Check out the complete rankings below, and click here to see last week’s rankings.

1. Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), 17-0

The Dons cruised to another tournament title, beating reigning state champion Marymount in the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament championship. They have yet to drop a single set this season.

2. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.), 22-0

Kentucky commit Ava Sarafa is averaging nearly 10 assists per set, setting up a trio of attackers that all have more than 100 kills.

3. Byron Nelson (Texas), 28-1

The Bobcats have reeled off 18 consecutive wins and avenged their only defeat with a win over Southlake Carroll on Friday.

4. Westminster Christian (Fla.), 11-0

The Warriors have two wins over out-of-state competition, including No. 5 Cornerstone Christian.

5. Cornerstone Christian (Texas), 43-2

After falling to Westminster Christian, the Warriors have reeled off seven sweeps in a row.

6. Dike-New Hartford (Iowa), 17-1

The Wolverines look to win their second title this season when they host the Dike-New Hartford tournament this weekend.

7. Prestonwood Christian (Texas), 25-1

The Lions won their district opener Tuesday. Their sole blemish remains a loss to Cornerstone Christian.

The Lady Lions fought hard and WON tonight against Bishop Lynch in their district opener!

Congratulations Ladies!!!!! #AllIn #FaithFilledLions pic.twitter.com/jJ88v7SLTU

— PCAAthletics (@PCAAthletics) September 14, 2022

8. McCutcheon (Ind.), 12-1

Aside from a tournament loss, the Mavericks have dropped just two sets all season.

9. Mira Costa (Calif.), 12-2

The Mustangs have not dropped a set since a loss to No. 19 Mater Dei last month.

10. Mother McAuley (Ill.), 15-0

The Mighty Macs defeated teams from Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio en route to the LIVT championship.

11. Cleveland (Tenn.), 24-1

Kinslee McGowan powers the Blue Raiders’ offense with over 8 assists per set. She has a total of 538 assists on the year.

12. Highland Park (Texas), 27-2

Regional semifinalists a year ago, the Scots seem primed for a deep postseason run.

13. St. James Academy (Kan.), 11-0

The Thunder knocked off reigning Class 6A state champions Blue Valley North on Saturday, one of five wins they picked up on the day.

St. James Academy stays undefeated through loaded schedule to start season | East/Southeast Kansas volleyball standouts#KSHSAACovered x @capfed https://t.co/wAVeL1ENTl

— KSHSAA (@KSHSAA) September 13, 2022

14. Tompkins (Texas), 24-3

The Falcons are leaning on their senior experience, including their top two attackers and their assists leader.

15. Fayetteville (Ark.), 13-0

The Bulldogs have dominated the opposition, winning 36 of their 37 sets played this season.

16. Santa Fe (Fla.), 10-1

Jalyn Stout, Florida’s Miss Volleyball last season, is averaging over six kills per state for the reigning Class 4A state champions.

17. Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 16-2

With junior Sade Ilawole averaging over 9 assists per set, the Trailblazers have defeated some high-quality competition in California.

18. Redondo Union (Calif.) 12-4

The Sea Hawks’ schedule is a gauntlet, with wins over Mater Dei and Marymount and a loss to Sierra Canyon, among others.

19. Mater Dei (Calif.), 10-3

The Monarchs lost two of their first four matches, but since then, they’ve won eight of their last nine, including a win over Assumption on Wednesday.

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20. Assumption (Ky.), 15-2

After winning its first 15 matches, Assumption has lost two in a row, both against ranked opponents.

21. Conroe (Texas), 35-1

The Tigers have already won more matches this season than they did the last two years combined.

22. Wayzata (Minn.), 9-1

The Trojans’ winning streak ended at 61 matches, but they bounced back with consecutive wins.

23. Cypress Ranch (Texas), 29-2

Seniors Bianna Muoneke and Kirby Kliafas lead the Mustangs’ offense with 474 kills and 542 assists, respectively.

24. North Allegheny (Pa.) 12-1

The Tigers suffered their first loss of the season in pool play of the Upper St. Clair Tournament but recovered to win the tournament.

25. Alpharetta (Ga.), 21-3

The Raiders enter the home stretch of the regular season with eyes on returning to the state championship after falling just short of a title last year.

Phillip Suitts is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. He has worked at a variety of outlets, including The Palm Beach Post and Southeast Missourian, and done a little bit of everything from reporting to editing to running social media accounts. He was born in Atlanta but currently lives in wintry Philadelphia. Follow Phillip on Twitter @PhillipSuitts.

Chelsea FC is once again looking across the pond to bolster their roster, with the six-time reigning WSL champions reportedly aiming to make a deal with NWSL side Angel City to acquire ACFC and USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson, per The Guardian this week.

Though the two clubs have yet to reach terms, Chelsea would need to have the deal signed before the WSL transfer window closes next Thursday.

Any agreement for Chelsea to snag Thompson from Angel City will likely feature yet another historic transfer fee, with cost projections topping former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle's record $1.5 million transfer to the Orlando Pride earlier this month.

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The 20-year-old phenom is currently under contract with ACFC through the 2028 season after inking a three-year extension this past January.

With six goals and two assists in her 16 regular-season appearances in 2025 so far, the 2023 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick is trailing only rookie Riley Tiernan's seven goals on this year's Angel City scoresheet.

Should the transfer go through, Thompson would be the third ACFC player in a week to be moving to the UK, with the NWSL club transferring defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem to the newly WSL-promoted London City Lionesses on Wednesday.

As for Chelsea, the Blues have been a major player in recruiting US players over the last few seasons, with Thompson potentially joining her USWNT teammates Catarina Macario and Naomi Girma in suiting up for the WSL side's upcoming 2025/26 season.

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.

"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."

After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.

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The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.

Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open

With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.

Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current have been unstoppable this season, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's game against the No. 9 North Carolina Courage and inching closer to claiming a franchise-first NWSL Shield.

The Current's dominant 12-point advantage over the No. 2 Washington Spirit marks the league's largest top-table margin since the Courage finished 15 points ahead in 2018.

Even more, Kansas City tops the NWSL in goals scored (34) while also registering the fewest goals allowed (10), entering the league's 18th weekend of play with a record-tying five consecutive shutouts.

After coming in fourth in 2024, the Current's defense has continued to improve under manager Vlatko Andonovski, while another MVP-level year from star forward Temwa Chawinga has bolstered Kansas City's offense.

Chawinga currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals through 17 games, while sitting in the league's Top 3 for both shots and shots on goal.

"I think because we have such a powerful offense, the defensive things, maybe people don't notice as much," Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper said earlier this week. "I think something absolutely important to us is our entire back line and the commitment to get little touches in, to take [advantage] of angles, and block shots."

How to watch the Kansas City Current this weekend

No. 1 Kansas City will host No. 9 North Carolina — one of just two teams to defeat the Current all season — at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on ION.

The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.

While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.

"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."

Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.

"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."

The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.

"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."

How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend

No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.