In big upset, top-seeded UCLA men’s volleyball season ends

Their fortunes changed in a flash.

One moment, the UCLA men’s volleyball players were celebrating a trip to the Final Four.

The next, they were mourning the end of their season.

That’s how quickly the momentum shifted Saturday night after what appeared to be the winning point was wiped out by an official review during the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament quarterfinal against UC Irvine.

Given new life, the unseeded Anteaters went on to complete the comeback, knocking off top-seeded UCLA, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 19-25, 16-14, at Pauley Pavilion.

How big of an upset was this?

The Bruins (29-2) had lost just once previously this season, with their only other setback coming against Pepperdine a month ago.

“Being honest,” said UCLA senior outside hitter Zach Rama, his eyes reddened with sadness, “I don’t think it’s anything any of us expected just because of how confident we are and our ability to play together. I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet.”

Rama’s attack error on match point sparked a wild celebration for UC Irvine (20-8), which had trailed 8-4 in the fifth set and appeared momentarily beaten after an earlier match point had been awarded to the Bruins before being reversed.

Anteaters coach David Kniffin said he was confident the replay would given his team the critical point because he had heard a UCLA player touch the ball on the play.

Advertisement

“But sound doesn’t carry on a challenge review system,” Kniffin said, “so you never know what the camera is going to pick up. But, for me, it wasn’t even if we got the touch or not, it was about sustaining belief.”

In the Bruins’ huddle, there was determination to not let the call beat them twice.

“We did talk about being able to move on even if the call was to be overturned,” senior setter Andrew Rowan said, “so do our best to bounce back from a call like that.”

This was already an unusual situation for the Bruins, who were forced to rally to force the fifth set. They had trailed 2-1 only three times previously this season, including a comeback victory over the Anteaters on Feb. 28 that they won in five sets.

After the reversal on match point pulled the Anteaters to within 14-13, an attack error on UCLA middle blocker Cameron Thorne tied the score.

The Bruins then unsuccessfully challenged a kill by UC Irvine’s Andreas Brinck, which gave the Anteaters match point. They capitalized on Rama’s attack error that sailed out of bounds.

As their fans roared in approval, the Anteaters’ reserves bounded onto the court and senior William D’Arcy pulled the front of his jersey over his head in celebration.

Meanwhile, the Bruins were left to contemplate a Final Four that will be held without them on their home court. UC Irvine will play fourth-seeded Ball State in one semifinal May 9 at Pauley Pavilion, and third-seeded Long Beach State will play second-seeded Hawaii in the other semifinal.

“I mean, it’s obviously tough,” Rowan said. “It’s the first time we haven’t been past this game in our collegiate career, so it’s tough. It hasn’t really set in yet.”

UCLA’s seniors had been part of two championships before finishing as runners-up last season. There would be no happy ending in their farewell season.

“I’m incredibly sad for them,” Bruins coach John Hawks said. “We had an incredible run, and I’m sorry to see it end.”

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

In big upset, top-seeded UCLA men’s volleyball season ends

Their fortunes changed in a flash. One moment, the UCLA men’s volleyball players were celebrating a trip to the Final Four. The ...

Read More

Lauren Burnham Reveals Why She Doesn’t Like ‘Call Her Daddy’ Host Alex Cooper: ‘Took It Too Far’

Lauren Burnhamis clarifying why she’s not a huge fan of “Call Her Daddy” podcast hostAlex Cooper.

Posting viaher TikTok accounton Friday, May 1,The Bacheloralum, 34, said she wanted to “clear the air” and “give you the short and not-so-sweet information” about why she had a strong dislike for Cooper.

Burnham says the beef stems from when the “Call Her Daddy” podcast previously had a recurring segment to make fun of her then-unborn daughter Alessi, 6, whom she shares with husbandArie Luyendyk Jr.(The couple are also parentsto 4-year-old twins Senna and Lux and 7-month-old daughter Livvy.)

“They had this regular segment ongoing and they thought it would be funny to make fun of our unborn baby,” Burnham explained.

Alex Cooper Breaks Her Silence on Alix Earle Feud: ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’

Burnham said she didn’t care if she and her husband were mocked, but her unborn child was crossing a line.

“Make fun of us, don’t care. But they took it too far. They made a regular segment before she was born and after she was born where they were sexualizing our child and talking very inappropriately and disgustingly about her,” Burnham added.

The reality TV alum said the comments reached the point that she and Luyendyk considered taking legal action against Cooper but ultimately chose not to.

Advertisement

“We thought it would blow over. She just kept going on forever. Eventually she stopped and we kind of forgot about it and now that it’s resurfacing again, it still makes me so furious,” Burnham added. “I just hope that all of this controversy that’s hanging around her right now causes her to rethink the level that she is willing to stoop to to get attention, views, whatever it is that she’s looking for because it’s not okay and that’s all I have to say about that.”

Us Weeklyreached out to Cooper’s representative for comment.

Alix Earle Responds to Alex Cooper’s Request to Air Their Drama Publicly: ‘On It!’

Burnham previously spoke about her fury over the comments during an episode of the “Unplanned” podcast in 2023.

“I was really upset because they would mention her and then make inappropriate comments right after. It was so classless,” she said at the time.

Burnham continued, “Arie was like, ‘Don’t do anything about it.’ I was about to hire a lawyer. Honestly, they should be in big trouble for doing that. It’s not OK. I never said anything because he felt like if we addressed it publicly, it would only make it bigger. That’s what they want.”

Earlier this week,Burnham declaredshe was throwing her support behindAlix Earleamid the influencer'sdrama with Cooper.

“Team @alixearle all the way,” Burnham wrote via her Instagram Stories on Thursday, April 30. “It’s about time Alex Cooper gets called out. & yes, it's personal.”

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

Lauren Burnham Reveals Why She Doesn’t Like ‘Call Her Daddy’ Host Alex Cooper: ‘Took It Too Far’

Lauren Burnhamis clarifying why she’s not a huge fan of “Call Her Daddy” podcast hostAlex Cooper. Posting viaher TikTok accounton...

Read More

Olympian Molly Huddle Runs Marathon Six Months Postpartum, Says It Was Something She ‘Needed to Do’ (Exclusive)

Molly Huddle ran a marathon six months postpartum to challenge herself and inspire other mothers

NEED TO KNOW

• Now, she is writing a book offering advice for mothers training through pregnancy and postpartum

• Huddle emphasizes the importance of individualized recovery timelines and balancing motherhood with personal goals

Six months after having her second child, two-time OlympianMolly Huddlecrossed the finish line atEvery Woman's Marathon.

For Huddle, 41, completing the race was something she felt she needed to do for herself and, by extension, for other women.

Now, Huddle is working on a book specifically for mothers, where she talks to experts such as pelvic health physical therapists, nutritionists, mental health counselors and researchers studying female athletes who train through pregnancy and postpartum, to offer advice on training.

"They all say it's difficult to advise because it's complex what happens to you in pregnancy and postpartum, and it's very individualized too, like how quickly you can come back or what issues you might face, given what kind of birth you had, what kind of athlete you are, so many things," Huddle tells PEOPLE. "I feel like that has been the excuse for why there isn't much [research] out there, and I feel like that's not a great excuse."

One of the reasons she wanted to write a book of helpful tips was because, oftentimes, "pregnancy and postpartum is one of those phases where women walk away from sport."

"Athletes who maybe were running every day or racing or having it in their life in such a positive way, often that's when it drops," the long-distance runner shares. "I hope to provide a resource to help you get through this time more easily because I see how running and sport in general are an enriching part of a woman's life."

Huddle notes that, with all the changes motherhood brings, it's crucial for women to find time for themselves to move their bodies.

"Especially in motherhood, for that to drop, that's the last thing that needs to fall out of your life. I feel like it's a multipurpose, beneficial thing in your life. Working out, exercising and running are such easy ways to do it," she shares.

Her goal, she says, is "to make it simpler for pregnant and postpartum women to keep running."

However, she acknowledges that it can be hard to find time for exercise, as moms are often told to "sleep when the baby sleeps."

"I'm probably running when the baby sleeps. She's in the stroller, and I'm running. Otherwise, when would I do it?" she asks.

While Huddle, who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, was able to get back into running a few months after birth, she emphasizes that it can feel like there's not much "nuance" around timelines.

"I ran this marathon six months postpartum, which I wouldn't say is aspirational," she says. "It may take someone a long time to return to marathon running postpartum. That's a relatively quick timeline."

Advertisement

She notes that "postpartum recovery is too often rushed."

"I wouldn't want anyone to take that into their running recovery, too," she says. "If you're not running a marathon six months postpartum, that is completely normal. It might take a year, it might take a year and a half, but I'm intense, and I'm a professional runner, so for me, it was, like, just something I needed to do."

Mothers, she says, "get a lot of rush signals, bounce back signals," and for Huddle, running the Every Woman's Marathon, presented by Team Milk, was more of a "personal challenge" rather than feeling like she was "trying to bounce back to my old self."

"It was more just, I feel alive when I'm trying to chase something, like a challenge. I like to push myself. That's what this is more about," Huddle affirms.

"I coach some women who are postpartum and training for road races and stuff, and every once in a while, someone will be like, 'I'm frustrated, this isn't going well, or that's not going well.' It'll only have been a couple of months."

Ultimately, she shares that goals are "individual" and "it takes generally longer than that to come back."

Balancing competing and motherhood is always shifting, but the way Huddle looks at it is to pick certain priorities at a time and stick to them. She admits that "a lot of other things are a lot less focused on" when she is training for a marathon — and that is okay. For her most recent race, she wanted her training to be built around her life, rather than the other way around.

"I'm postpartum and trying to take care of myself, and I might have one other work-related thing, like coaching or writing a book, then cleaning and cooking, and maybe things I normally would do for someone fall to the wayside during that season," the mother of two says.

"I'm really letting some things drop so that I can focus on some other things. That's what I did with this," she continues. "Weekends are for my long run, for four or five weeks. So maybe we put aside something else we were gonna do that day, we definitely have a messy house, definitely have a lot of laundry [and] definitely eat chicken nuggets that day. But that's what we did."

"It's the compromises that come in and out, and it's not forever, but that was my approach," Huddle adds.

A race to her is "great to kind of encourage you to make space for that every day."

"Ideally, you do say, 'My health is important, and I have 30 to 60 minutes a day to dedicate to it,' but sometimes, everything stacks up, and it gets squeezed out," she tells PEOPLE. "I'm competitive, so I like to train for racing. So putting a race like Every Woman's Marathon on the schedule made me think, now I have to make a certain amount of time every week to do this. It takes care of so many others, it ticks so many boxes for me anyway."

Read the original article onPeople

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

Olympian Molly Huddle Runs Marathon Six Months Postpartum, Says It Was Something She ‘Needed to Do’ (Exclusive)

Molly Huddle ran a marathon six months postpartum to challenge herself and inspire other mothers NEED TO KNOW No...

Read More

Orioles calling up top pitching prospect Trey Gibson to start Sunday vs. Yankees, says manager Craig Albernaz

The Baltimore Orioles will reportedly activate top pitching prospect Trey Gibson to start against the New York Yankees on Sunday.

The move hasn’t been officially announced, but Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said the plan was for Gibson to pitch on Sunday, according tothe Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka. He’ll be opposed by Max Fried pitching for the Yankees.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander was called up from Triple-A to join the Orioles’ taxi squad of minor leaguers that travels with the major-league club on road trips to provide replacements when necessary.

For Baltimore, a starting pitcher is certainly necessary.Trevor Rogers(illness),Dean Kremer(quad) andZach Eflin(elbow) are on the injured list,among the 12 playersthat are currently sidelined for the Orioles.

Advertisement

Gibson, 23, is ranked as Baltimore’s No. 3 prospectby MLB.comandBaseball America. He signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Liberty University and has steadily progressed through the minor-league system.

From MLB.com:

“Gibson has a power-pitcher build and power-pitcher stuff. He’s a 6-foot-5, 240-pound right-hander with a four-seamer that he can rev into the high 90s, a two-seamer to generate ground balls and an array of secondary offerings designed to miss bats in abundance.

“He throws two different sliders and an above-average curveball, both in the low-to-mid 80s, as well as a cutter and developing changeup. He’s added velocity and proven durable since entering pro ball, cutting his walk rate as he’s climbed to the upper levels.”

In starts for Triple-A Norfolk this season, Gibson has a 4.01 ERA in six starts with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in 24 2/3 innings. He was already scheduled to start on Sunday, so will be on his normal turn in the rotation.

The Orioles went into Saturday’s matchup versus the Yankees (21-11) with a 15-17 record, six gamesout of first placein the AL East.

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

Orioles calling up top pitching prospect Trey Gibson to start Sunday vs. Yankees, says manager Craig Albernaz

The Baltimore Orioles will reportedly activate top pitching prospect Trey Gibson to start against the New York Yankees on Sunday. ...

Read More

Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

Sofia Cantore scored two goals, Trinity Rodman added a goal and two assists, and the Washington Spirit won their fourth straight with a 4-2 victory over the Orlando Pride on Saturday.

In other National Women's Soccer League matches, the Utah Royals beat Angel City FC 1-0 on the road and the Kansas City Current edged the host North Carolina Courage 2-1.

After a 90-minute weather delay, Washington wasted no time. Rodman picked out Cantore who struck from outside the box in the second minute for a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, Rodman passed to Cantore, who dribbled past Anna Moorhouse and slotted it home to double the lead.

The two goals (5:27) were the fastest ever in the league’s history with Cantore eclipsing the previous record set by Uchenna Kanu in 2024 by 13 seconds.

Golden boot leader Barbra Banda drew a foul in the box on defender Esme Morgan, but Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver denied the penalty kick from Ally Lemos. On the ensuing corner kick, Banda scored for her sixth goal of the season to narrow the margin.

Banda completed a first-half brace with the equalizer and seventh goal in the 39th to tie it.

Paraguay international Claudia Martínez earned her first NWSL start and tallied her second goal of the season in the 55th minute, giving the Spirit (4-1-3) back the lead.

Rodman scored the game’s final goal in the 70th minute, marking her third consecutive game with a score.

Despite Banda’s second consecutive game with two goals, the Pride (2-3-2) have dropped both results.

Advertisement

Royals win fourth straight

Captain Paige Cronin delivered a pinpoint cross onto Cloé Lacasse’s head for the game’s only goal in the 32nd minute, giving Utah (4-2-1) a fourth straight win.

In first half stoppage time, Maiara Niehues received a direct red card for violent conduct towards Lacasse. It was the first in club history for Angel City FC, who would also play down a player the entirety of the second half.

Royals Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn started her first match of the 2026 season and earned the clean sheet with four saves.

After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Angel City FC (3-3-0) have now lost three straight.

Current hold on for road win

Croix Bethune and Michelle Cooper scored first-half goals for the Current (3-4-0), who hung on for the win on the road.

Bethune opened up the scoring with a volleyed goal in the eighth minute. In the 23rd, Cooper dribbled past goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and finished from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Manaka Matsukubo trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the 85th for North Carolina (2-2-3) with a goal off a rebound.

Courage defender Felicitas Rauch was handed a straight red card in second half stoppage time for violent conduct on Haley Hopkins.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

Sofia Cantore scored two goals, Trinity Rodman added a goal and two assists, and the Washington Spirit won their fourth straight with a...

Read More