News & Updates

Be still, any American hearts who tuned into Wednesday’s qualifier of the Ostrava Elite16.

Had any USA fans tuned into the broadcast on Volleyball TV around 10:45 a.m. Pacific, they would have been treated to a pair of frenetic, close-your-eyes-and-hope-for-the-best affairs. On center court were Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner, deep in a third set with Austria’s Moritz Pristauz and Robin Seidl. At the same time, on court two, Andy Benesh and Miles Partain were enduring one of the wildest seesaws of a third set you’ll ever find at the Elite16 level.

Benesh and Partain, the 3 seed in Wednesday’s qualifier, had staked themselves to an early 7-3 lead. A four point lead is, typically, quite a safe one for those two, who have finished with a pair of top-fives and a victory in AVP Huntington Beach this season.

Safe was not a word to be used on Wednesday.

That 7-3 lead was held to 11-8 when an abrupt and frankly alarming implosion took place. A sideout from Estonia’s Kusti Nolvak preceded a block from Mart Tiisaar on Partain, then a transition swing from Tiisaar after a fantastic dig from Nolvak, another block on Partain, an error down the line from Partain, and another block from Tiisaar, this time sealing a line swing.

In a blink, the Americans’ 11-8 lead was flipped into an 11-14 deficit. That’s a type of deficit that is, in most every case at this level of the sport, near guaranteed elimination.

Meanwhile, less than 100 yards away, Crabb and Brunner were leading Seidl and Pristauz, 13-12, in the third set when Crabb mishandled a swing from Seidl down the seam. On the ensuing point, Pristauz, having dug a Crabb line shot, missed an opportunity of his own, swinging angle — directly into the block of Brunner. After failing to convert on five set points in the opening set, Brunner and Crabb now had their first match point, one that Pristauz would put away with a line swing after covering Seidl off the block, tying it up at 14-14.

Had you flipped, understandably, off of court two, thinking Partain and Benesh doomed vs. Estonia, you may very well have fallen off your chair to find their score matching that of Brunner and Crabb: 14-14. Benesh had buried an angle swing, Partain converted a dig due to a miscommunication on offense from Tiisaar and Nolvak, and Benesh put the roof on a Tiisaar angle swing, tying it, unbelievably, at 14 apiece.

On center court, Brunner optioned to take a 15-14 lead, while Tiisaar stroked a cut shot around Benesh to take a lead of the same score on court two. An option from Seidl and a line swing from Partain matched the scores at 15 apiece.

Side switch.

Breathe, everybody.

A float serve, slow and down the seam, tripped up Brunner and Crabb. Both reached in. Brunner only half-committed. Off the forearm it went, a seam ace that looked painfully reminiscent of the same ace that doomed them in a 24-26 opening set loss. After failing to capitalize on two match points, they were now staring down their first match point defense. On court two, after another Tiisaar swing into the angle, Partain and Benesh were forced to fend off their fifth, which Benesh did with authority, hitting an option into the angle that would go untouched. Brunner and Crabb did so as well, albeit with far more stress, Brunner needing to block a transition opportunity from Seidl to keep the match tied at 16-16.

And then the break: Another Brunner block, his sixth of the match, sealing an angle swing from Seidl. Match point No. 3. At the same time, Benesh put up a block that looked like a clone of Brunner’s, sealing an angle swing from Nolvak to give Benesh and Partain their first match point. But a dig from Partain on the enusing floated to close to the net, into Tiisaar’s swingspan, and down it went — one match point fended off by Estonia.

Austria couldn’t do the same. Seidl swung angle again. He eluded the block of Brunner this time, though he also, unfortunately for him, eluded the court, spraying it wide, the final point of a 17-15 belter of a third set.

“Qualifying is basically useless,” Crabb said afterwards, maybe joking, maybe not, you never really know. “We need to go all out tomorrow and escape pool.”

It all depends, of course, on your definition of useless. Partain and Benesh may argue otherwise, in favor of the utility of a main draw berth. After a Partain swing into the angle, their match, and main draw ticket, was punched with a Partain ace down the seam, a positively bonkers, 18-16 third set victory complete.

“Highest pressure I’ve ever been under,” Partain said. “The win was a send from God.”

Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil, the final American team to qualify on Wednesday, needed no such divine intervention. They swept China and Lithuania in a combined 64 minutes, winning by a total of 27 points. Ostrava marks the fifth straight main draw of the season for Sponcil and Cannon, who are currently No. 3 in the USA in the Olympic ranks, behind Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes and Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, both of whom were seeded directly into the main draw.

Left on the cutting room floor on Wednesday were Emily Stockman and Megan Kraft, the recent Queens of the Court (see below) who fell to Italians Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi (21-12, 20-22, 15-13). Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez escaped the first round with a win over Italians Margherita Bianchin and Claudia Scampoli (15-21, 21-19, 17-15) but fell in the second to Brazil’s Barbara and Carol (21-18, 21-16).

For the men, Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk were shown the door by Crabb and Brunner in the first battle of the exes, in convincing fashion, no less, a 21-15, 21-16 win in which Brunner logged five blocks and Bourne hit 17 errors.

“A nice warm up,” Crabb joked of that match.

There was no such nice warm up for Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, who fell in the first round to Brazil’s Evandro and Arthur in what was a rematch of the gold medal match in last month’s Saquarema Challenge. Neither was there much of a warm up for Paul Lotman and Troy Field, who were swept by Estonia in the first round.

After all of that, then, six American teams remain in the hunt: Crabb and Brunner, Partain and Benesh, Cheng and Hughes, Nuss and Kloth, Sponcil and Cannon, Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint. And, of course, the first match Thursday of the main draw is an all-American one, between Nuss and Kloth and Sponcil and Cannon in Pool A. Partain and Benesh will play Germans Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in Pool D, and Crabb and Brunner meet France’s Arnaud Gauthier and Youssef Krou in Pool A.

Two hours later, Hughes and Cheng have yet another matchup with Barbara and Carol, their third match this calendar year (Hughes and Cheng have won both). At the same time Hughes and Cheng are scheduled to play Brazil, Flint and Scoles have a rematch of the semifinals of last fall’s Torquay Elite16 against Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho.

The afternoon slate includes four additional American matches: Sponcil and Cannon vs. Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, Nuss and Kloth vs. Brazil’s Ana Patricia and Duda, Partain and Benesh vs. Chile’s Grimalt cousins, and Brunner and Crabb vs. Brazil’s Pedro and Guto.

You can watch all matches on VolleyballTV. 

Sevilla secured a record-extending seventh Europa League title after beating Roma 4-1 in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Gonzalo Montiel, who converted the winning penalty for Argentina in the World Cup final, scored the deciding spot-kick.

The Europa League specialists condemned Roma manager Jose Mourinho to his first European final loss, having triumphed on five such occasions previously.

“I have to fight for these lads and therefore not say objectively that I will remain,” Mourinho told Sky Italy in the aftermath of the defeat. “I lost this one, but I return home prouder than ever this time.”

A furiously contested encounter, where more yellow cards were issued to coaching and technical staff in respective dugouts than players, went to extra-time after Gianluca Mancini’s own goal cancelled out Paulo Dybala’s well-taken opener, before Sevilla prevailed in the shootout.

Similar to Roma, but to a greater extent, Sevilla have endured an arduous domestic campaign, marred by relegation fears until recently, but continental competition tends to be their mecca.

The Andalucian club’s air of invincibility was under threat after Dybala collected Mancini’s defence-splitting pass, allowing the ball to roll across his body onto his favoured left boot and finding the far corner in one swift motion (35).

But, during a particularly argumentative tussle, Mancini’s own goal 10 minutes into the second half gifted Sevilla parity, and after a lifeless period of extra-time, Montiel settled the tie with the winning penalty – crucially, only after benefiting from a retake when goalkeeper Rui Patricio was adjudged to encroach on his first effort, which was saved.

How Montiel became the penalty hero – again

Five months after scoring the winning penalty on the biggest stage of all, Montiel converted the clinching spot-kick, this time in a European final, to crown Sevilla champions at the expense of Mourinho’s Roma.

A hot-tempered affair was narrowly edged by the masters of Europe’s second-tier competition, who will journey home to Spain with an unbelievable seventh scalp.

Mourinho, whose Roma future is now in question, was on track to become the most decorated European manager in history with six trophies when Dybala overcame a problem ankle injury in time to give the Serie A side the lead.

But Mancini, who had provided the assist for Dybala, then turned awkwardly into his own net as a tempestuous tie finished 1-1 after 120 minutes.

“I don’t want silver medals. I don’t keep silver medals, so I gave it away,” the irritated Roma boss later told Movistar.

Both benches were visibly tetchy from the off, with English referee Anthony Taylor tasked with overseeing proceedings, helped in so small part by the magnitude of what was at stake – European glory, but also the chance to earn a spot on the billing of next season’s Champions League.

Tempers frayed, particularly when Lucas Ocampos went over Roger Ibanez’s trailing leg and Taylor pointed to the spot late in the second period, only for VAR to intervene, highlighting minimal contact as the award was swiftly rescinded.

While the names piled up in the Taylor’s black book, Roma almost had the last laugh but Andrea Belotti, on for Tammy Abraham, miscued a volley after a smart free-kick routine.

The shootout started with Ocampos and Erik Lamela scoring either side of Bryan Cristante doing so for Roma, but it was advantage Sevilla when Mancini’s tame effort rebounded off a diving Bono’s outstretched leg.

Ibanez then saw his strike cannon agonisingly against the post and while Patricio appeared to have given Roma hope when tipping Montiel’s spot-kick on to the upright, his encroachment gave the full-back another chance he was reluctant to refuse.

Ocampos’ audacious no-look penalty

Sevilla midfielder Lucas Ocampos speaking to Spanish TV channel Movistar:

“It was a Sevilla-style match. We have to suffer to win. This is not easy. What we have with this competition is something that cannot be explained.”

Mourinho uncertain over Roma future

“I have to fight for these lads and therefore not say objectively that I will remain,” the 60-year-old told Sky Italy. “I spoke to the club in December when I had that approach from the Portuguese national team.

“I have not had any contact with anyone else since then. I have a year left on my contract and this is the situation.

“We are dead tired, but proud. I always say you can lose a football match, but never your dignity or professionalism.

“I lost this one, but I return home prouder than ever this time. The lads gave absolutely everything this season.”

What’s next?

Sevilla visit Real Sociedad in their final LaLiga game of the season on Sunday; kick-off 5.30pm. Meanwhile, Roma host Spezia on the same day in their final Serie A encounter of the campaign at 8pm.

Key dates 2023/24: Premier League, EFL, WSL, SPFL and more

Fixture releases, start dates, final days and play-offs – get the key dates for your diary for the 2023/24 season in the Premier League, EFL, WSL, SPFL and beyond.

Ultimately, veteran Annie Drews led the way, but a couple of Volleyball Nations League newcomers did more than their shares Wednesday as the USA opened the international women’s tournament with a 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12 victory over Serbia.

Later Wednesday, host Türkiye swept Korea. 

Earlier in Nagoya, Japan, Bulgaria swept Croatia and China got past Brazil in five.

The USA women have Thursday off, but there are five matches on the VNL schedule.

In Japan, Bulgaria plays the Dominican Republic and Brazil plays the Netherlands.

In Türkiye, Canada plays Thailand, Poland plays Italy and Türkiye plays Serbia.

The Americans are back in action Friday against Italy.

USA 3, SERBIA 2: Drews, the former Purdue star and spectacular opposite in the Tokyo Olympics, had 22 kills — hitting .370 — a block, a match-high 14 digs and two aces to top all scorers in Antalya. Türkiye.

But two outside hitters, former Kentucky and Baylor star Avery Skinner and USC’s Khalia Lanier, had big numbers in their respective VNL debuts. 

Skinner had 17 kills, hitting .410, 10 digs, a block and an ace, while Lanier had 13 kills — including a perfect pass and then the match winning kill — a block, 10 digs and two aces. 

“We were just focusing on our side,” Skinner told VolleyballMag.com’s Emily Ehman, the Volleyball World television analyst. “We can’t control what Serbia did. They played an amazing match, but for us it was coming to the middles, realizing what we can do and fighting together.”

Former Texas standout middle Brionne Butler had five kills, hitting .556, and eight blocks. Her Texas teammate, Asjia O’Neal, was a reserve and the middle had four kills, hit .500, and had a block.

Veteran setter Micha Hancock, dealing with an inordinate number of out-of-system passes, had three kills, six digs and her team hit .343.

“We had some new faces come out and take some heavy swings and started placing the ball as our defense picked up as well,” Hancock told USA Volleyball. “Our serving pressure got better as the match went on. I’m really excited to see what this group can do.”

The USA lost to Serbia in the 2022 VNL quarterfinals.

Serbia’s Ana Bjeclica had 17 kills and two aces. Bianka Busa had 14 kills, 10 digs and an ace, Maja Aleksic had nine kills, two blocks and two aces, and Sara Lozo also had nine kills and two blocks to go with an ace. Mina Popovic had five kills and three blocks. Teodora Pusic had 14 digs and Bojana Drca 11.

TÜRKIYE 3, KOREA 0: Melissa Vargas led Türkiye with 13 kills, a block and an ace. Ilkin Aydin had 11 kills, a block and two aces, and Ebrar Karakurt had nine kills.

Jiyun Jeong had nine kills and a block for Korea.

BULGARIA 3, CROATIA 0: Buglaria cruised to a 25-12, 25-17, 25-19 victory. Maria Yordanova led with 10 kills and three aces. Marinova Radostina had 11 kills and an ace. Mila Pashkuleva had 14 digs. 

Croatia’s Martina Šamadan, who played at Seattle U, had nine kills and Izabela Štimac had 13 digs.

CHINA 3, BRAZIL 0:  Li Yingying had 25 kills and an ace as China battled to a 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 win. Xiangyu Gong added 15 kills, two blocks and an ace, Xinyue Yuan had nine kills and three blocks, Yunlu Wang had nine kills, 13 digs and an ace, and Yuanyuan Wang added eight kills and a block. Mengjie had 15 digs.

Brazil’s Kisy Nascimento had 16 kills, four blocks and an ace. Ana Christina had 16 kills and a block, Diana Duarte had 14 kills, a block and an ace, and former Georgia Tech star Julia Bergmann had 15 kills and a block. Natalia Araujo had 14 digs.