The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament kicked off Wednesday with first-round matchups. Undefeated No. 1 seed Wisconsin is projected to win it all, with Kentucky, Minnesota and Texas rounding out the top four.

As the event gets underway, we’ve compiled a list of six players we think will lead their teams deep in the tournament and help them contend for the national title.

1. Dana Rettke, Middle Blocker, Wisconsin

Bio: 6-foot-8 senior from Riverside, Ill. 2017 2018, 2019 AVCA First Team All-American. 2017 AVCA Freshman of the Year. 2019-2020 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.

2020-21 stats
Total kills: 138
Hitting percentage: .456
Total blocks: 70

This season, Rettke has proven once again that she is a force to be reckoned with at the net. With 263 kill attempts, 138 kills and only 18 errors, she is an incredibly efficient offensive weapon. Defensively, she’s recorded 70 blocks since the start of the season, a product of her 6-8 stature and lateral speed at the net.

. @dana_rettke is not a regular Badger, she's a cool Badger 🦡 pic.twitter.com/QkGg0tGsgW

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) April 1, 2021

2. Stephanie Samedy, Opposite Hitter, Minnesota

Bio: 6-2 senior from Clermont, Fla. 2020 Big-10 Player of the Year. 2017, 2018 AVCA First Team All-American. First Minnesota freshman ever to receive First Team All-American honors.

2020-21 stats
Total kills: 259
Hitting percentage: .278
Total blocks: 47
Total digs: 158

Samedy is unbelievably fun to watch. The newly crowned Big 10 Player of the Year can jump out of the gym and has a wicked cross-swing (which is very hard to do as a right-handed opposite hitter). A go-to player for the Gophers, Samedy has taken 668 total offensive attempts and has capitalized on 259 of them while committing just 73 hitting errors. If she’s having a bad day on offense, she’s able to make up for it on defense with strong blocks and the ability to dig balls in the backcourt.

.@StephanieSamedy averaged a league-best 4.11 kills per set during Big Ten competition. Take one more look back at her Big Ten Player of the Year performance! pic.twitter.com/OHInaC2kcN

— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) April 12, 2021

3. Yossiana Pressley, Outside Hitter, Baylor

Bio: 6-0 senior from Cypress, Texas. 2019 AVCA National Player of the Year. 2019 ESPNW National Player of the Year. 2019 AVCA First Team All-American.

2020-21 stats
Total kills: 447
Hitting percentage: .247
Total blocks: 55
Total digs: 193

If you find yourself playing volleyball against Pressley, you should be scared. She’s only 6-feet tall, but she makes up for it by jumping higher, hanging for longer and hitting the ball harder (and faster) than most other college players. She’s a dual threat who can kill the ball from the front and back row and is just as impressive on defense.

S2: She's a BEAST! 💥#SicEm 🐻🏐 | @yossiana22 pic.twitter.com/t7WLa7Wch2

— Baylor Volleyball (@BaylorVBall) March 26, 2021

4. Logan Eggleston, Outside Hitter, Texas

Bio: 6-0 junior from Brentwood, Tenn. 2019 AVCA Second Team All-American. 2018 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. 2020 three-time Big-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

2020-21 stats
Total kills: 379
Hitting percentage: .333
Total blocks: 42
Total digs: 205
Service aces: 41

Eggleston is a key player for four-seed Texas. The two-time All-American took 873 swings this season, racking up 379 kills for the Longhorns. She’s aggressive behind the service line, as evidenced by her 40 aces, and dug over 200 balls on defense. Eggleston has the tools to lead a balanced Longhorn team deep into the tournament.

LOOK OUT! @loganeggleston_'s first kill of the night is a Rocket!

Texas ⬆️ 1️⃣2️⃣-8️⃣! #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/ioB6lbepYi

— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) March 4, 2021

5. Lauren Stivrins, Middle Blocker, Nebraska

Bio: 6-4 senior from Scottsdale, Ariz. 2018 AVCA First Team All-American. 2019 AVCA Second Team All-American. Ranked third in the Big Ten in 2019 with a .412 hitting percentage during conference play.

2020-21 stats
Total kills: 181
Hitting percentage: .471
Total blocks: 61

Stivrins is one of the best middle blockers in the country and critical to the success of five-seed Nebraska. She’s quick on offense and has a good “volleyball IQ,” meaning she’s able to see the court and anticipate the next play before it happens. With 181 kills, and only 33 errors on 315 kill attempts this season, Stivrins is incredibly efficient at the net, opening up opportunities for the Huskers’ outside and opposite hitters to score.

Name something @LaurenStivrins can't do.

We'll wait. 🤷‍♀️ @Huskervball pic.twitter.com/nGdG01WeXD

— Nebraska On BTN (@NebraskaOnBTN) March 21, 2021

6. Madison Lilley, Setter, Kentucky

Bio: 5-11 senior from Overland Park, Kent. 2017, 2018, 2019 AVCA Second Team All-American. 2017 SEC Freshman of the Year. Named Gatorade Player of the Year in high school.

2020-21 stats
Assists: 791
Total digs: 153
Total blocks: 47
Total kills: 47

Recently named the 2021 SEC Player of the Year, Lilley was integral to the Wildcats winning the conference championship and securing the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With 791 assists on the season, Lilley has excellent court vision and the ability to spread the Wildcats’ offense across the net. If Kentucky is going to advance to its first Final Four in program history, the three-time All-American will play a huge role in getting them there.

LAST CHANCE TO HELP THESE WILDCATS, #BBN!!!!!!!!!!

Help @KentuckyVB's Gabby Curry and Madison Lilley win the Senior CLASS Award by voting HERE by Wednesday, April 14https://t.co/HMEQOC2PDy pic.twitter.com/h9NMQd0tsG

— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) April 13, 2021

Tune in: Tournament matches will be streamed on ESPN3, with the Final Four airing on ESPN2.

• First round: April 14, ESPN3
• Second round: April 15, ESPN3
• Regional Semifinals: April 18, ESPN3/U
• Regional Finals: April 19, ESPN3/U
• Semis: April 22, ESPN2
• National Championship: April 24, ESPN2

US skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is officially back, clinching her spot on Team USA's 2026 Winter Olympics roster this week behind stellar recent performances on the sport's World Cup tour.

The 41-year-old made headlines two weekends ago when she became the oldest Alpine Ski World Cup winner since the circuit's 1967 inception, taking first in the downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland on December 12th — her 83rd World Cup victory.

"Every single thing that I could do to be faster, I did," said Vonn after winning the downhill event. "And now, now this is what happens. You get the reward."

Vonn is continuing to rack up the rewards, claiming podium finishes in four of the five total races she's competed in so far this season, earning another second-place downhill finish in St. Moritz before taking third in both downhill and the Super G in Val-d'Isère, France, last weekend.

As for her fifth World Cup race, Vonn clocked in at a still-impressive fourth.

"Four podiums in five races, I couldn't really be any happier," the Olympic gold medalist said in response.

Those finishes have the US ski legend sitting at No. 1 in the World Cup downhill standings and No. 3 in the Super-G — with her downhill ranking putting her far enough ahead to guarantee Vonn one of the four Team USA roster spots at the 2026 Olympics.

"Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication," said US Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, confirming Vonn's Team USA qualification in a Tuesday statement. "She's proven once again that elite performance isn't just about past success, it's about rising to the moment, race after race."

Success spurs Vonn to extend final competitive season

Returning to competitive skiing in November 2024 following her retirement in February 2019, Vonn spent part of her five-year hiatus undergoing and recovering from a titanium knee replacement that ultimately returned her to the slopes.

Though Vonn previously planned to retire immediately after February's Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, she's now setting her sights on completing the World Cup circuit in March — though that will officially be the end of the road for the US icon.

"I feel like I'm rolling the dice enough as it is, being 41 and putting myself through this," Vonn told The Athletic. "So this is a one-season, final season."

That said, she'll look to add to her trio of Olympic medals before hanging up her competitive skis.

"For Cortina, things are looking pretty f—ing awesome."

The No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks are calling in roster reinforcements, announcing Monday that French forward Alicia Tournebize will join the NCAA basketball team after the holidays.

"Alicia has an incredible skill set and basketball IQ," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a news release. "She has great touch around the rim, can shoot it out to the 3-point line and is a shot blocker."

While they've only dropped one game so far this season, the Gamecocks' roster has been running thin due to injuries — including losing star forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending ACL injury in October.

With the continued absence of forward Ashlyn Watkins, who is out this season as she continues to rehab a January ACL tear, South Carolina has suffered additional temporary roster losses this month as injuries forced forward Madina Okot and guard Agot Makeer into concussion protocol.

Though Okot, who is currently averaging a double-double, returned to play last Thursday, Makeer remains out, as the Gamecocks and their traditionally deep bench continue a 2025/26 campaign that's seen just three games played with a healthy 10-player roster.

The midseason signing of Tournebize will add both depth and height to bolster South Carolina, as the 6-foot-7 freshman rivals Chicago Sky forward Kamilla Cardoso as one of Staley's tallest-ever players.

The 18-year-old daughter of French basketball Hall of Famer Isabelle Fijalkowski — one of the inaugural WNBA players for the Cleveland Rockers — is already making a name for herself in Europe, leading the France's youth squad in both scoring and rebounding as they claimed bronze at last summer's 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket.

Tournebize also packs professional experience, coming to Columbia from French club Tango Bourges Basket.

The young star will likely make her NCAA debut as South Carolina kicks off SEC conference play in early 2026.

Monday's AP Top 25 Poll featured few dramatics, as the Week 8 tally reflected another consistent slate from the 2025/26 NCAA basketball elite with only one shift in the Top 10 and marginal movement at the bottom.

Undefeated TCU keeps making gains, rising one spot to tie Oklahoma at No. 8 after taking down Big 12 foe Kansas State 77-55 behind senior guard Olivia Miles's 29-point performance on Saturday.

On the other hand, a 90-64 loss to No. 1 UConn on Saturday saw Iowa skid three spots, with the now-No. 14 Hawkeyes falling to a 1-2 record against ranked opponents this season.

Outside the relatively stationary Top 10, some blue chip programs are threatening to exit the AP Poll entirely after dropping ranked games last weekend.

Baylor experienced the greatest slide, dropping seven spots to No. 22 after falling 61-60 to Big 12 rival and rankings newcomer No. 21 Texas Tech on Sunday — the Bears' third loss in their season's four ranked games so far.

Tennessee saw a similar dip, plummeting six spots to No. 23 after losing to a surging No. 13 Louisville 89-65 on Saturday.

How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week

The ranked action returns on Sunday, as No. 4 UCLA visits No. 19 Ohio State at 2 PM ET, live on the Big Ten Network.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 8

1. UConn (12-0, Big East)
2. Texas (14-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (12-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (11-1, Big Ten)
5. LSU (13-0, SEC)
6. Michigan (10-1, Big Ten)
7. Maryland (13-0, Big Ten)
T8. TCU (13-0, Big 12)
T8. Oklahoma (12-1, SEC)
10. Iowa State (13-0, Big 12)
11. Kentucky (12-1, SEC)
12. Vanderbilt (12-0, SEC)
13. Louisville (12-3, ACC)
14. Iowa (10-2, Big Ten)
15. Ole Miss (12-2, SEC)
16. UNC (11-3, ACC)
17. USC (9-3, Big Ten)
18. Notre Dame (9-2, ACC)
19. Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten)
20. Nebraska (12-0, Big Ten)
21. Texas Tech (14-0, Big 12)
22. Baylor (11-3, Big 12)
23. Tennessee (8-3, SEC)
24. Michigan State (11-1, Big Ten)
25. Princeton (12-1, Ivy)

USWNT star Catarina Macario could be on the move, with ESPN reporting Monday that numerous interested NWSL teams may make a play for the 26-year-old Chelsea FC forward in 2026.

Macario's contract with the reigning six-time WSL champions expires on July 1st, though FIFA regulations allow her to sign with a new club as early as January, with other European clubs expected to join hopeful NWSL teams in the race.

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Despite leading the USWNT with eight goals in 2025, Macario did not dress for Chelsea's recent UWCL league-phase finale against Wolfsburg last week, with the attacker starting just six of the Blues' 11 WSL matches so far this season.

Should an NWSL club make an offer, its viability could hinge on the league's current salary cap dispute, with the Board of Governors suggesting the adoption of a "High Impact Player" rule to help teams keep or attract big names.

However, the NWSL Players Association came out against the mechanism last week, pushing instead to raise the overall cap to match any potential special relief.

Though a Macario NWSL deal is mere speculation at the moment, leagues on both sides of the Atlantic are beginning to grapple with the demands of retaining or drawing top talent in the increasingly competitive — and expensive — global women's game.