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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mater Dei Athletics (@mdathletics)

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.

Hailey Van Lith is reportedly on her way to TCU, says Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The former Louisville star joined LSU for the 2023-24 season, but a disappointing run in Baton Rouge saw her enter the transfer portal once again at the season’s end. Van Lith opted to use her fifth year of eligibility versus declaring for the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was admittedly less effective as a Tiger. Her field goal percentage decreased from .411 in 2022-23 with Louisville to .388 at LSU. She also went from averaging 19.7 points per game to just 11.6, due in part to a change of position from shooting guard to more of a point guard role.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

At an end-of-season banquet last week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey used her speech to wish Van Lith well, calling her "one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever coached."

"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," Mulkey said, according to NOLA.com. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'

"And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well."

The decision to commit to TCU may come as a surprise after Van Lith paid a visit to Mississippi State last weekend. The Horned Frogs finished out the 2023-24 season 21-12 overall, coming in 9th in the Big 12 and scoring an average of 69.5 points per game. The program also made headlines in January when they held mid-season open tryouts in response to an onslaught of sidelining injuries.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."