Any hopes the Washburn Rural (Kan.) volleyball team had of going undefeated in 2022 were quickly dashed after the Blues lost their second match of the season back on Aug. 30.

From that point on, however, they didn’t lose again.

Washburn Rural ended the season on a 44-match winning streak, winning the Class 6A state championship this past weekend for the eighth state title in program history and the first since 2012.

Unbelievable year to say the least!! Ended the season in the best way possible!! STATE CHAMPSSS!!🏆🏆 Thank you seniors for being such great leaders and motivators on and off the court!! Way to go lady blues!! 45-1🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/H7RAPjdMgX

— WRHS Volleyball (@LadyBluesVB) October 29, 2022

After losing in the state semifinals last year, the Blues didn’t drop a single set throughout postseason play this season. In fact, they lost just four sets all year.

It was a fitting end to a stellar high school career for Kentucky commit and reigning Kansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye. The No. 6 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 was one of five seniors to end their time at Washburn Rural with that elusive state title, one year after losing in the state semifinals.

Thanks to the impressive 40-plus match winning streak, capped by a championship trophy, Washburn Rural moves up two spots in the Just Women’s Sports team volleyball rankings, cracking the top five at No. 4.

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

1. Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), 37-0

The Dons still haven’t dropped a set this season. That record will be put to the test in the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section Open Division championship Friday against Torrey Pines.

2. Cornerstone Christian (Texas), 55-2

The Warriors made a tradeoff — they tested themselves against the best teams in the country with a national schedule, giving up the chance to play for a state title by forgoing district matches due to travel requirements.

3. Mira Costa (Calif.), 36-3

Drew Wright notched 25 kills, and Erin Inskeep recorded 19 digs as the Mustangs beat Mater Dei in a five-set thriller this past weekend and booked a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division I Championships final against Sierra Canyon.

4. Washburn Rural (Kan.), 45-1

The Blues will lose DeLeye but return several key contributors next year.

5. Westminster Christian (Fla.), 26-0

The Warriors are just two wins away from their first state title since 2016 and have not dropped a set since Sept. 3.

6. Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.), 33-1

The Royals have already knocked off one top-25 team on their way to the Class 4A state final, and they will have to beat another to win the state crown. Hamilton Southeastern, which ended No. 17 McCutcheon’s season in the regional final, faces No. 16 Yorktown for the title Saturday.

7. Fayetteville (Ark.), 36-2

It was only appropriate that the seniors led the way as the Bulldogs won their third consecutive state title. Stanford beach volleyball commit Brooke Rockwell smacked 17 kills, and Madeline Lafata added 13 in a straight-set championship victory. Kennedy Phelan was everywhere with 37 assists, 18 digs and seven kills, while Ashley Ruff had a team-high 22 digs. Those four were part of Fayetteville’s 14-player senior class.

It’s a 3-peat! #purplereign pic.twitter.com/BB3fIJYgtr

— Brooke Rockwell (@brookerock20) October 31, 2022

8. Prestonwood Christian (Texas), 37-1

The Lions ended the regular season on a 25-match winning streak and now turn their attention to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools playoffs.

9. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.), 43-1

The Mustangs opened the playoffs Wednesday with a straight-set victory in the district semifinals, booking a spot in Friday’s district championship.

10. Highland Park (Texas), 41-2

The Scots dominated their postseason opener, not allowing their opponent to win more than 10 points in a set.

11. Tompkins (Texas), 37-3

The Falcons are riding a 17-match winning streak and eyeing the University Interscholastic League Class 6A state crown.

12. St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.), 40-3

The Saints defeated St. James Academy for the third time this season to claim the 5A state championship. Two of their losses came against Washburn Rural.

13. Oconomowoc (Wis.), 37-1

Cordelia Kearns became the Raccoons’ all-time kills leader in a postseason victory this past weekend. Kearns has 394 kills this season alone, and now the senior and her teammates are just three wins away from a state title.

CONGRATS TO @cordeliakearns FOR BREAKING THE ALL TIME KILL RECORD!!! I 😤 pic.twitter.com/sjl43WVE0c

— Oconomowoc Volleyball (@Oconomowoc_VB) October 29, 2022

14. Cypress Ranch (Texas), 43-2

The Mustangs opened the playoffs the same way they ended the regular season, with a sweep. But a tough test awaits Thursday against The Woodlands, who are 39-9 with a win over Cornerstone Christian.

15. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 32-4

The Trailblazers defeated reigning state champion Marymount for the second time this season to finish unbeaten in pool play and set up Saturday’s showdown with No. 3 Mira Costa.

16. Yorktown (Ind.), 34-2

Charlotte Vinson had 20 kills, Addi Applegate contributed 27 digs and Kynnadi Bell added 25 assists as the Tigers knocked off Floyd Central in the state semifinals to set up a championship showdown with No. 6 Hamilton Southeastern.

17. McCutcheon (Ind.), 33-2

The Mavericks’ season ended last week in a loss to Hamilton Southeastern in the regional finals.

18. Mother McAuley (Ill.), 35-3

The Mighty Macs avenged one of their three losses with a taut, three-set victory over Marist in Wednesday’s sectional final.

19. ‘Iolani (Hawaii), 25-5

The Raiders ended the season on a 12-match winning streak, earning the Division I state title as Brooke Naniseni racked up 16 kills in the state championship match. Tessa Onaga contributed 32 digs, and Maya Imoto-Eakin dished out 39 assists.

In case you missed it ... or wanted to relive it ... Friday night's HHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship Final. What a night to remember! #iolanioneteam #blackbanner pic.twitter.com/yia30LwqtU

— ‘Iolani School (@Iolani_School) November 1, 2022

20. Dike-New Hartford (Iowa), 45-2

The Wolverines play for the Class 2A state championship Thursday, with Madelyn Norton leading the way with 894 assists. Twins Payton and Jadyn Petersen lead the team with 456 kills and 295 digs, respectively.

21. Buford (Ga.), 37-5

If the Wolves beat Lambert in the 7A state championship Saturday, it will be their third state title in three years.

22. Marymount (Calif.), 30-8

The Sailors struggled in the CIF Southern Section Division I Championships, going 1-2 in pool play, but their season isn’t over yet. They could receive an invite to the Southern California Regional Open Division playoff bracket.

23. St. Francis (Calif.), 29-0

The Lancers’ reward for winning their CIF Central Coast Section semifinal match Wednesday is a fifth matchup against Archbishop Mitty.

24. Assumption (Ky.), 33-7

The Rockets are just three wins from another state championship. First, they must navigate past a Mercy team they have already beaten twice this season.

25. Flint Hill (Va.), 31-0

The Huskies haven’t faced the same caliber of competition as Cathedral Catholic, but just like the top-ranked Dons, the new top-25 entrant has yet to drop a set this season.

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.

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."