The Women’s Volleyball Nations League wrapped up its final week of preliminaries with a 3-2 loss for No. 8 Team USA against No. 5 China on Sunday at College Park Center. China snapped Team USA’s five-game run while extending its own to four. The victory marked China’s ninth win in the 2025 VNL. With multiple core rotation changes and several new players on the roster, Team USA faced tribulations early in the preliminary round. After rallying in week two, the team finished week three 3-1 and closed out the phase with seven wins in 12 matches. “Obviously when you make changes, you expect maybe the flow to change a little bit,” head coach Erik Sullivan said. “I thought our players did a good job of staying in our systems and competing real hard.” China stumbled early in the game, letting Team USA quickly take control and win the first two sets. Miscommunication and errors put China in an early hole. The U.S. used its size and power to overwhelm China with strong serves and aggressive net play, deepening China’s early deficit further. By set three, Team USA had conditioned China to expect heavy spikes, creating gaps in coverage that allowed well-placed dinks to land. However, China looked refreshed after the break and cut down on errors. They took the next two sets to even the match, but Team USA held firm as they battled through the fifth set in search of a win. Setter Rachel Fairbanks said China has a unique play style compared to other teams they recently faced. Even with scouting, she said it's up to them to compete against every team. Point-defining blocks and diving saves fueled a back-and-forth battle, drawing shouts from fans with each rally. The arena shook with energy as the match reached a fever pitch. With the fifth set tied at 16, China gained the upper hand and drove in the dagger that sent Team USA into the final plunge to end the set 18-16. Women’s VNL play ramps up for the final week as Team USA and 17 other national teams head into the elimination round in Łódź, Poland. The quarterfinals begin July 23 with the semifinals starting July 26 and the finals happening the following day to wrap up the week. The quarterfinals opening game will have Team USA challenge defending champions No. 1 Italy. The elimination bracket match-ups are available to view on Volleyball World, with all matches set to be available for streaming on VBTV. “We’ll go back to Anaheim and start training, work through some kinks,” libero Morgan Hentz said. “There’s definitely things we can get better at and focus on, so I think it's just that mindset of trying to get 1% better every day.” @kaleivie_

The final leg of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase began as Team USA took to the stage with five other national teams set to play Wednesday through Sunday at College Park Center. To begin the tournament in Arlington, the VNL opened day one with a 3-2 win by No. 7 Germany over No. 15 Canada. After a disheartening 3-1 finish to start the preliminary phase in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Team USA bounced back with a 3-1 overall in week two at Belgrade, Serbia. The team has returned to home soil with an No. 8 standing to kick off week three. Team USA opened this week with a 3-1 win over No. 17 Thailand in the final match of the tournament’s first day at 7:30 p.m. at College Park Center. The victory marked the team’s third straight win in the tournament. Team USA has undergone significant roster changes and additions to the tournament team, with 10 week one VNL debuts and four returning players. “I think the players are getting more comfortable on the competition court,” said Erik Sullivan, Team USA head coach. “The systems that we’ve put in place and been working on for the last month, month and a half, are starting to tighten up and be better.” The first three sets were tightly contested, but Team USA maintained the upper hand and found steady momentum, leading for most of the match. The team held a clear size advantage over Thailand and used it to their benefit throughout the series. Blocked spikes and hard-driven serves helped set the team up for success, but Thailand stayed within reach using set pieces and coordinated plays to keep pressure on USA. “They run a very fast and complex offense, which when they’re in system can be really hard to defend,” Team USA libero Lexi Rodriguez said. “I think it took us the first two sets to adjust to their speed, their style of play and it tests you to be a little bit more disciplined and patient.” Thailand took the second set, but USA held off a late rally to win the third. With momentum on its side, Team USA closed out the match in dominant fashion, taking the fourth set 25-15. The team held at least a seven-point lead throughout the latter half of the final frame and had two 4-0 runs. Team USA setter Jordyn Poulter said Thailand is a scrappy and unique team to face. She called the victory a “total team win” and said she was proud of the team’s ability to stay composed and not get caught up in the opponent’s style of play. The tournament will continue with Team USA facing off against No. 11 Dominican Republic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. The U.S. will play two more matches to close out the women’s preliminary phase, facing Canada at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and No. 6 China at 7 p.m. Sunday. All games are available to stream on VBTV. @kaleivie_

The Dallas Wings (6-13) secured a dominant 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury (12-6) on Thursday at packed College Park Center. The match marked a two game win streak for the Wings, coming off a 79-71 victory over the Mystics. It was also the team’s fourth home game win. On Thursday, Wings guard Paige Bueckers was named June’s Rookie of the Month. She averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.7 steals. Additionally, Bueckers was named a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game alongside former No. 1 overall pick and this year’s All-Star captain, Catlin Clark. This game also featured the return of center Teaira McCowan and center Luisa Geiselsöder, who were across seas for the FIBA Eurobasket that took place June 18-29 across Germany, Greece, Czechia and Italy. From the first tip-off, the crowd and the Wings were explosive, shown through cheering fans whenever the Wings broke into a fast break or found a bucket. Early in the game, the Mercury played physical against Buecker in an attempt to slow her down. The team resorted to doubling and pressuring the No. 1 overall pick throughout the game. Other players took this as an opportunity to show out and take over. “I’m human, sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, just in terms of all the physicality that's let go, but I gotta get used to it, gotta embrace it. That's every night in this league,” Bueckers said. In the first quarter, the Wings went on a 16-5 run, stifling the Mercury’s offense. Guard JJ Quinerly led the charge going 3-4 and 50% from range. The Wings ended the first quarter hot with a 32-20 lead. In the second half, guard Aziaha James and Bueckers dominated. James scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half and finished the game with a career-high. The two scored 34 combined points. “One of my areas I need to work on is just being patient, I feel like I was being patient tonight and just allowing my shots to come to me,” James said. In the second half, the Wings came out slow with multiple fouls called on them which allowed Mercury guard Kahleah Copper to gain momentum. Copper went 10 for 17 on field goal attempts and scored nine free throws to record 33 points. “Proud of our team for sticking to a game plan and executing. Wasn’t perfect, still fouling too much,” head coach Chris Koclanes said. “We’re putting teams to the free throw line, but I thought we did a lot of really positive things.” The Wings had 38 rebounds over the Mercurys' 26. Li Yueru was a main contributor, recording 11 rebounds. The game added her fourth career double-double and third with the Wings. The Wings will go on the road for a rematch against the Phoenix Mercury at 9 p.m. Monday. This game will be available to stream on WNBA League Pass and broadcast on KFAA. @tracysansomjr sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Texas Rangers (41-43) dropped their series finale 6-4 in extra innings against the Seattle Mariners (43-40) on Sunday at Globe Life Field. The Rangers opened the series against the Mariners with a 7-6 loss Friday, then bounced back with a 3-2 win Saturday. Every game in the series went into extra innings. Earlier in the series, former shortstop Elvis Andrus — who signed a one day contract to retire with the Rangers last September — was inducted into the Rangers’ Hall of Fame. Andrus debuted with the Rangers in 2009 and spent 12 of his 15 MLB seasons in Arlington. Additionally, there was a moment of silence before the first pitch Sunday for three-time Golden Glove winner Dave Parker, who died Saturday from Parkinson’s disease. Parker will be posthumously inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27. Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter said that trial and error has gone into his game, but he is trying to keep it as simple as possible. Leiter recorded six innings and delivered seven strikeouts while on the mound. “There’s so many little things you could think about as a starting pitcher in this game. You can dive into all the little nuances or you can keep it as simple as possible; I’ve seen it done both ways,” he said. The Rangers opened the scoring in the second inning off an RBI from third baseman Josh Jung, who ran in outfielder Evan Carter. The Rangers were then held scoreless for seven innings. Mariners catcher Mitch Garver tied the game in the sixth inning with an RBI single. Seattle added two more runs to open extra innings and took the lead. In response, Rangers shortstop Corey Seager smashed a two-run home run over left center field, running in catcher Kyle Higashioka and tying the game. Seager recorded three RBIs and one hit in four at-bats, and tallied his 10th home run of the 2025 season. After a scoreless 11th inning, the Mariners broke through in the 12th inning on a sacrifice fly, running in outfielder Luke Raley. Immediately after, Garver hit his second home run of the game, sending a left-center field hit over the wall that scored outfielder Randy Arozarena. The Rangers managed one more run off a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th, but could not overcome the deficit. A pop out by Ranger’s second baseman Marcus Semien secured the game and the series for the Mariners. Despite the overall outcome, Leiter was pleased with what he saw from the team. “Obviously wish we could’ve gotten a win, gotta shout out [Jacob] Latz and Luke [Jackson] and Cole [Winn]. The bullpen has been great all year and those guys kept us in it,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch everybody in the bullpen work.” The Rangers revisit the Baltimore Orioles at home, having just won a three-game away series against the team earlier in the week. Texas will host Baltimore at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Globe Life Field. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Dallas Wings (4-13) failed to come back from an early deficit in a 94-86 loss against the Indiana Fever (8-8) Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Fever played without 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, who was out due to a left groin injury — her second injury of the season. The highly anticipated match would have been the first WNBA meeting between the Wings’ 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers and Clark. Several notable figures attended the high-profile game, including 2016 NBA champion Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks’ 2025 No. 1 draft pick and Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, among others. For the first time in franchise history, the Dallas Wings played a home game away from College Park Center. The game was a sellout, with over 20,000 fans in attendance, setting the largest recorded crowd for a professional basketball game in Texas. The crowd was loud from the opening tipoff and stayed that way throughout the game. Fans erupted in boisterous cheers while twirling towels after every play that went in the Wings’ favor. Indiana opened the game with a 14-0 run, taking a 16-2 lead less than four minutes in. The run was tanked after a personal foul was overturned on review, setting up a free throw from rookie guard Bueckers to get the Wings back on the board. The Fever held a 20-point lead by the end of the first quarter. The Wings struggled to convert shots and secure rebounds, giving the Fever chances to capitalize. Bueckers found her rhythm in the second half, more than doubling her first-half scoring. She finished with six assists and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. “I think really the spark was that third quarter defensively, us locking in and really paying attention to the details of the scout and making things as difficult as possible for them,” Bueckers said. In the fourth quarter, Wings guard JJ Quinerly tied the game with a fouled jump shot and granted Dallas its first lead with the ensuing free throw. Shortly after, Indiana responded with a 9-0 run. Down by seven with 36 seconds left, Dallas missed three shots, failing to close the gap, and Indiana pushed through for a 94-86 win. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 32 points and seven assists, playing a key role in Indiana’s assertive runs. Mitchell said Bueckers’ performance stood out, calling out how she plays great basketball and sets up her teammates to do the same. “Paige is just such a smart player, she reads defenses well, she knows how to pick you apart and so when you play against her, you have to make sure that you’re aware of where she is at all times,” Mitchell said. The Wings will host the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. Saturday at College Park Center. The game will stream on WNBA League Pass and be broadcast on KFAA. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Western Athletic Conference will rebrand in July 2026 as the United Athletic Conference, with UTA set to be the flagship university, forming a consortium with the Atlantic Sun Conference, UTA Athletics announced Thursday in a press release. The new NCAA Division I conference will be led by executive director Jeff Bacon, the Atlantic Sun Conference’s current commissioner, according to a WAC press release. The initiative aims to improve operational efficiency, strengthen collaboration and longevity, and promote innovation across the conference. The alliance promises reduced travel demands for student athletes, continued access to NCAA tournaments and competition among like-minded institutions. The partnership with the Atlantic Sun Conference also opens new opportunities for UTA and other transitioning programs, including new potential revenue streams, joint scheduling initiatives and shared resources. The United Athletic Conference is set to host eight institutions. UTA can expect to see familiar schools like Tarleton State University and Abilene Christian University, alongside five new schools from the Atlantic Sun Conference: Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama and University of West Georgia. The Atlantic Sun Conference is expected to maintain membership of seven institutions. The balance will allow the conference to remain intact and operate independently while still supporting the transition. “We are thrilled about this groundbreaking move,” athletics director Jon Fagg said in UTA’s press release. “As college athletics sees changes across the country, we believe that these types of partnerships and associations represent the future landscape of college athletics.” @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu