Nebraska has four players who have committed to its volleyball program in Just Women’s Sports’ inaugural volleyball high school player rankings, including three in the top five.

The Cornhuskers finished last season as runners-up to Wisconsin in the championship of the NCAA Tournament but are sure to have a loaded 2023 class. Texas also has four commitments featured in the rankings, while the Badgers have two.

Participants on the United States U19 team that won gold over the summer at the Pan American Cup were also well represented with eight players. Team USA opened the tournament with a scrimmage loss to Brazil before getting revenge in the final, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17).

“We got better over the course of the tournament,” U.S. coach Jamie Morrison said. “We talked about learning from each match and making sure we fixed any problems the next morning, and then we went into the next match. We continued to do that pretty perfectly.”

With the 2022 fall season set to begin, here are JWS’ top 25 high school volleyball players from around the country.

1 | Harper Murray, Skyline (Mich.), Sr.
6-foot-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska

Murray was a dominant force on an Eagles team that finished 55-4-2 a year ago as runners-up in Division 1, recording a whopping 652 kills with a .430 hitting percentage. She also had 312 digs defensively to go along with 82 aces, 50 assists and 35 blocks. Murray also competed for Team USA at the U18 World Championship in 2021 and was a member of Team USA’s U19 gold-medal team at the Pan American Cup in July, where she earned Best Spiker honors.

2 | Chloe Chicoine, McCutcheon (Ind.), Sr.
5-10 Outside Hitter / Libero
Committed to Purdue

Prior to being named Indiana’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, Chicoine guided the Mavericks to a 30-6 record and the Class 4A state crown. During the 2021 campaign, she notched 440 kills with a .420 hitting percentage and had 20 aces. Defensively, Chicoine finished with 196 digs. She was also a member of the Pan Am Cup team that won gold over the summer.

3 | Julia Blyashov, Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), Sr.
6-3 Outside Hitter
Committed to Stanford

Blyashov led the Dons to a 36-5 record and the regional finals of California’s Open Division tournament last season. She played just 40 sets for Cathedral Catholic but recorded 139 kills to go along with 82 digs and 15 aces. Blyashov was also a Team USA participant at both the U19 Pan Am Cup and the U18 World Championship.

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4 | Caroline Jurevicius, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (Ohio), Sr.
6-2 Rightside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska

The Lions went 15-8 in 2021, with Jurevicius racking up 279 kills in 58 sets played. She also had 128 digs defensively to go along with 43 aces and 37 blocks. Jurevicius later helped guide the Americans to a bronze medal at the U18 World Championship in Mexico.

5 | Bergen Reilly, O’Gorman (S.D.), Sr.
6-1 Setter
Committed to Nebraska

Behind Reilly’s versatile presence, the Knights were crowned back-to-back Class AA champions, finishing with a 23-4 record. She closed out the year with 393 assists to go along with 191 kills (.341 hitting percentage). She also had 174 digs, 43 aces and 29 blocks and went on to be named South Dakota’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. Over the summer, Reilly was named MVP and Best Setter at the Pan Am Cup. She also competed at the U18 World Championship in 2021.

6 | Brooklyn DeLeye, Washburn Rural (Kan.), Sr.
6-1 Outside Hitter
Committed to Kentucky

DeLeye led the Blues with 586 kills and had 259 digs defensively. She also notched 133 aces and 38 assists, as Washburn Rural finished 41-2 on the year and was a state semifinalist. DeLey is a three-time all-state selection and is coming off a season in which she was named the Class 6A Player of the Year as well as Kansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year.

7 | Ella Swindle, Rock Bridge (Mo.), Sr.
6-2 Setter
Committed to Texas

Swindle powered the Bruins to the Class 5 semifinals and was named Missouri Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. She finished the season with 690 assists and 173 digs to go along with 57 blocks and 36 aces. Offensively, she had 141 kills with a .494 hitting percentage.

8 | Kyndal Stowers, Guyver (Texas), Sr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Baylor

With 493 kills, Stowers dominated from the outside for the Wildcats in 2021. She had a .317 hitting percentage and also contributed 497 digs defensively. She added 61 blocks and 27 aces for Guyver, which finished the season with a 21-11 mark.

9 | Jordyn Byrd, Cardinal Mooney (Fla.), Sr.
6-4 Rightside Hitter / Middle Blocker
Committed to Texas

The Cardinals were ousted in the regional quarterfinals in Class 3A, but that didn’t stop Byrd from posting eye-popping numbers in 2021. She was named Florida Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year after amassing 551 kills, 56 blocks and 25 aces. She also chipped in 258 digs on defense.

10 | Claire Little, Vista Murrieta (Calif.), Sr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to BYU

Behind Little’s play, the Broncos qualified for the CIF State Open Division for the first time in program history. She led Vista Murrieta with 442 kills and was second on the team in digs with 238. Little has been committed to BYU since the eighth grade.

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11 | Skyler Pierce, Olathe Northwest (Kan.), Jr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska

The top-ranked junior in these rankings, Pierce paced the Ravens with 425 kills a year ago. She also had 62 blocks and 38 aces while adding 345 digs defensively. Olathe Northwest finished the season with a 27-13 record.

12 | Ashley Mullen, Liberty (Mo.), Sr.
5-10 Setter
Committed to UCLA

The Blue Jays finished 26-5 last season, while Mullen recorded 1,094 assists. She added 179 digs on defense and had 54 kills offensively. Mullen also finished with 49 aces and 27 blocks.

13 | Laney Choboy, Leesville Road (N.C.), Sr.
5-3 Libero / Defensive Specialist
Committed to Minnesota

Choboy was named Best Receiver when Team USA won a gold medal at the U19 Pan Am Cup in July. She was also a member of the bronze-medal team at the U18 World Championship.

14 | Jordyn Harvey, Bountiful (Utah), Stanford, Sr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Stanford

The RedHawks claimed the Class 5A state title, finishing with a 27-3 record. Harvey had 375 kills to go along with 63 aces and 20 blocks. Defensively, she notched 228 digs.

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15 | Charlie Fuerbringer, Mira Costa (Calif.), Jr.
5-11 Setter
Committed to Wisconsin

Fuerbringer was selected to compete for Team USA at the Pan Am Cup but was forced to miss due to health concerns. The Mustangs went 28-9 on the season, with Fuerbringer contributing 140 digs in 30 sets played. She also had 56 kills (.352 hitting percentage), 30 aces and 37 blocks.

16 | Sydney Helmers, Assumption (Ky.), Sr.
6-3 Outside Hitter
Committed to Texas

The Rockets finished 30-6 on the year but were ousted in the region semifinals. She finished the season with 421 kills, 42 blocks and 92 digs.

17 | Eloise Brandewie, Bishop Hartley (Ohio), Sr.
6-3 Middle Blocker
Committed to Ohio State

Brandewie competed in just 49 sets but was third on her team with 171 kills, finishing 2021 with a .437 hitting percentage. She also had 65 blocks, 43 digs and 20 aces for the Hawks, who were 22-6 on the season. Brandewie was also a member of Team USA’s bronze-medal team at the U18 World Championship.

18 | Torrey Stafford, Marymount (Calif.), Sr.
6-1 Outside Hitter
Committed to Pittsburgh

Stafford helped guide the Sailers to a 35-0 record and the CIF State Open Division title. She recorded 320 kills on the year to go along with 55 blocks and 207 digs. Stafford was also a Team USA participant at the U19 Pan Am Cup in July.

19 | Saige Damrow, Howards Grove (Wisc.), Sr.
5-7 Libero / Defensive Specialist
Committed to Wisconsin

Damrow began receiving college offers in seventh grade and committed to the Badgers when she was an eighth grader. Last season, she guided the Tigers to a 43-5 record and the Division 3 state title, recording 496 digs along the way. She also contributed 300 kills and 83 aces on offense.

20 | Avery Jackson, Hockaday (Texas), Jr.
5-10 Outside Hitter
Commited to Stanford (Beach Volleyball)

Jackson and the Daisies went 31-7 a year ago, winning the Southwest Preparatory Conference title for the first time in 13 years. Jackson finished with 583 kills and had a .355 hitting percentage. She also contributed 525 digs defensively to go along with 62 aces and 38 blocks.

21 | Kennedy Wagner, Valparaiso (Ind.), Sr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Ole Miss

Wagner hit .379 and had 432 kills for the Vikings, who finished 22-11 last fall. She chipped in 243 digs defensively to go along with 50 aces and 32 blocks.

22 | Carlie Cisneros, Liberty North (Mo.), Jr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Arizona

Cisneros was a first-team all-state selection in 2021 for an Eagles team that went 32-4 before falling in the Class 5 quarterfinals. She led Liberty North with 389 kills on the season and added 306 digs on defense. Cisneros also recorded 32 aces and 30 blocks.

23 | Izzy Starck, Rampart (Colo.), Jr.
6-2 Setter
Committed to Penn State

A member of the Pan Am Cup team, Starck finished last season with 392 kills for the Rams, who concluded the year with a 21-6 mark. She hit .368 and had 85 aces and 50 blocks to go along with 410 assists and 257 digs.

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24 | Nya Bunton, DuPont Manual (Ky.), Sr.
6-5 Middle Blocker
Committed to Texas

The Crimsons finished 22-13 in 2021, led by Bunton’s 388 kills. She also contributed 42 blocks, 38 aces and 168 digs defensively and was a gold medalist on the Pan Am Cup team in July.

25 | Alex Acevedo, Skyview (Idaho), Jr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Oregon

Acevedo concluded her 2021 campaign with 466 kills and 376 digs for the Hawks, who were crowned Class 5A champions. A first-team all-state pick, Acevedo also had 52 aces on the year.

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

An age-old rivalry headlines the WSL this weekend, as second-place Arsenal gears up for Sunday's Stamford Bridge showdown against league leaders — and reported recipient of USWNT star Naomi Girma — Chelsea FC.

Both clubs are on an undefeated tear, with Chelsea yet to register a loss halfway through the 22-match 2024/25 season.

Meanwhile, newly minted head coach Renée Slegers's Arsenal will attempt to avenge the Gunners' lone loss — a 2-1 October stumble to first-season WSL boss Sonia Bompastor's Blues.

Chelsea and Arsenal's dominance goes beyond the WSL, as both sides also advanced to the semifinals of the League Cup with massive shutout wins this past Wednesday.

Wright shines spotlight on WSL investment debate

A product of a system that often places men's and women's teams under the same leadership, Chelsea and Arsenal have set the standard for the top-flight UK league — and cast other clubs in their shadow.

As some WSL teams continue to snag top international stars, those seeing departures risk falling by the wayside — putting into question a system that might be inhibiting the league's growth and parity.

"In England, with the women's league, I believe if you gave some owners the opportunity to back out of supporting the women's game, I think they would, simply because I feel like they're all about profit," Arsenal legend and outspoken women's football advocate Ian Wright told The World Economic Forum in Davros this week.

Wright acknowledged that the women's game, which suffered from a near 50-year FA ban, is still "playing catch up on every level, infrastructure, training, coaching and every level of development."

"Because of the past it wasn't allowed to be built up, so we are trying to do that now. So, it needs owners, individuals and corporates that will invest."

Currently, the English FA is considering expanding the lower tiers of the women's football pyramid to incentivize development and professionalization at the club level.

How to watch WSL rivals Chelsea vs. Arsenal in the London Derby

Sunday's WSL rivalry match pits the league-leading Blues against the Gunners at 7:25 AM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is back, as a second slate of weekend games shines a spotlight on the new league's three winless teams as they rally for redemption.

Phantom BC, Mist BC, and Rose BC are all 0-2 out of the gate, with the six-team league evenly divided between the undefeated and the winless after last week's debut.

At least one of the three will end up in the win column on Friday night, with the Mist and Phantom squaring off in the first game of the doubleheader.

Both lineups contain serious firepower, with Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart leading the Mist alongside sharpshooter Jewell Loyd, whose 20 points per game have her currently in fourth-place on the league's stat sheet. The Phantom boasts the talents of Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner.

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While both have fallen victim to more cohesive game-plans, the Phantom in particular have struggled, posting a league-low average of 58.5 points per game to ultimately drop their first two outings by an average of 29 points.

Saturday's action sees Chelsea Gray and Angel Reese's Rose BC step into the spotlight, going up against a Mist team facing back-to-back matchups.

The Rose roster features two of the offseason league's top scorers in Gray and Kahleah Copper, who each averaged 14.5 points per game through Unrivaled's opening weekend. However, they'll need to lock in on defense to quiet Mist standout DiJonai Carrington's shooting in transition.

Friday's Unrivaled doubleheader tests undefeated teams

The second game of Friday's doubleheader flips the script as two teams put their undefeated starts on the line.

The Laces, led by Kayla McBride's 24.5 points per game, will take on a Vinyl side that rosters three of the league's Top 10 scorers — more than any other Unrivaled team. The trio of Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, and Arike Ogunbowale are poised to cool the Laces' hot start.

How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball games

Unrivaled's second weekend slate tips off on Friday with the Phantom vs. the Mist at 7:15 PM ET, before the Laces play the Vinyl at 8:15 PM ET. Live coverage of both games will air on TNT.

One of the NCAA's fiercest rivalries hits the hardwood on Friday, when undefeated No. 5 LSU travels to No. 2 South Carolina for yet another high-stakes SEC basketball battle.

Anticipation for the matchup has been building since Wednesday, when the NCAA postponed the game. Originally set for Thursday, winter weather disruptions in Louisiana delayed LSU's ability to safely travel to Columbia.

"It's a rivalry, it really is," newly re-signed South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley​ said earlier this week. "It's not only a rivalry between the programs on the floor, but it's a rivalry with the fanbases."

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A championship-fueled SEC basketball clash

With the last three national championships under their belts,​ LSU (2023) and South Carolina (2022, 2024) have seen WNBA superstars like Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston pass through their ranks.

This season's lot is just as talented, with LSU's Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson preparing to lead the Tigers against the a dominant Gamecock defense anchored by team rebounds leader Chloe Kitts.

Coach Kim Mulkey's roster will have their work cut out for them in Columbia, where South Carolina is on a 68-game home winning streak. Even more, the Gamecocks haven't lost to the Tigers since January 2012, winning 16 consecutive meetings between the pair.

That said, while last year's South Carolina team ran the table on their way to a national title, LSU is one of just two Division I teams to still hold a perfect season. The Tigers' 20-0 record is the second-best start in program history, just below their 2022/23 team who strung together 23 wins before South Carolina handed them a first season loss.

If Staley's squad can do it again on Friday, they'll earn an eighth victory over currently ranked teams — and third over a Top 10 roster — so far this season. Their lone loss came at the hands of No. 1 UCLA, the only other program still holding an undefeated record.

On the other hand, LSU has just two victories over ranked teams so far, with Friday's matchup marking their first Top 10 test of the season.

How to watch LSU vs. South Carolina college basketball

LSU tips off against South Carolina at 5 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN.

Friday's Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball debut was an unequivocal success for TV partner TNT Sports, as the new offseason 3x3 league's opening lineup became the most-watched women's basketball games in the broadcast network's history.

The doubleheader logged viewership averages of 313,000 and 311,000, respectively, with the first game peaking at 364,000.

Notably, these numbers do not include viewers on Max, where every Unrivaled game is available to stream live under the league's six-year, $100 million media deal with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

In 2022, WNBA games averaged 372,000 viewers across Disney networks, with the league later surpassing 500,000 across ABC, ESPN, and CBS in 2023 before reaching a 1.19 million average on ESPN in 2024.

Unlike the well-established WNBA, which is on the cusp of entering its 29th year, Unrivaled is a new-look product in its first-ever season. With that in mind, Unrivaled's initial numbers are promising, particularly for a league that's prioritizing long-term wins over instant gratification.

"I think we put ourselves in a great position to be successful right away, but it’s a marathon,"  league president Alex Bazzell told The Athletic before Unrivaled’s launch. "We’re not running out there from Day 1 trying to get millions of viewers out of the gate."

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One piece of the Unrivaled fan engagement puzzle

Viewership is just one way the league is measuring fan engagement, with Unrivaled also turning an eye toward social media metrics.

"[Viewership is] not fully indicative of what is the overall fan interest because there’s so many ways to consume leagues and teams and highlights," noted Bazzell.

It's one reason that partnering with WBD was so appealing to the new league. The media giant's already robust sports social media channels are elevating Unrivaled content across platforms to an established, sports-hungry audience.

To that end, Unrivaled’s opening weekend content garnered 31 million views across WBD’s social channels and fueled a 59% viewership boost of the media giant's women's sports-specific TikTok account.