The cardiac kids

The GIST: They’re No. 1 seeds for a reason. Pitt, Louisville, Nebraska, and Penn State — the top four teams in the volleyball national tournament field — are your final four squads standing.

• Only two can advance to Sunday’s championship game — here’s what you need to know to rally before tomorrow’s semis.

🐈‍⬛ Pitt vs. 🐦 Louisville — 6:30 p.m. ET — ESPN: What a year it’s been for Pitt, who are making their fourth straight Final Four appearance after losing just once this season. They’ll face a familiar ACC foe in Louisville, who’ll be hoping the third time’s the charm as they look to avenge two regular-season losses to the Panthers.

• Louisville freshman setter Nayelis Cabello has, well, set her team up for success, posting 29 assists in a quarter-final win over No. 2 seed Stanford and earning top freshman in the region honors.

• As for Pitt, three players were named AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists. Sophomore right-side hitter and ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, senior setter Rachel Fairbanks, and sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford make up Pitt’s triple threat. So stacked.

🐈 Penn State vs. 🌽 Nebraska — 30 minutes after game one — ESPN: In another conference clash, Big Ten foes Nebraska and Penn State meet for a Big Ten championship game rematch after the Nittany Lions won in four sets to claim part of the conference title.

• Penn State is playing in its 14th program semifinals after surviving No. 2 seed Creighton in the quarter-finals thanks to a 41-assist performance from freshman setter Izzy Starck. Junior libero Gillian Grimes was also key to the victory, turning in a match-high 17 digs.

• Last year’s runner-up, Nebraska is looking to return to the promised land after last hoisting the trophy in 2017. They boast AVCA Player of the Year finalist Lexi Rodriguez, who’s just nine digs away from breaking the school record. Nothing like chasing history and hardware.

The GIST: Twelve teams will compete in the College Football Playoff (CFP), but you can get in the game by choosing your winner and making a free bracket (March Madness style) with The GIST.

What’s on the line: The top three brackets will win Ticketmaster gift cards: $300 for first, $200 for second, and $100 for third — perfect for snagging seats at a sporting event or concert.

How to play: Sign up for free and we’ll remind you to lock in your picks before the CFP officially begins tonight. Touchdown, call the amateurs.

The GIST: History made. Vermont men’s soccer defeated No. 13 Marshall 2–1 in overtime (OT) on Monday to claim its first national title in program history — and the school’s first championship in any team sport. Cardiac Cats, indeed.

How it happened: In dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. Marshall took the lead in the 67th minute with a goal from senior forward Tarik Pannholzer, holding the lead until just nine minutes remained. That’s when Vermont graduate forward Marcell Papp scored the equalizer to force OT.

• Enter: Junior forward Maximilian Kissel, who netted the epic sudden death extra time goal to secure the ’ship for Vermont. Simply incredible.

Zooming out: The Catamounts had been clawing at the door with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances but never made it past the quarter-finals until this season. As if they hadn’t made enough history, they are also the first unseeded team since 2006 to win the title in a non-COVID, full-field tournament.

What they’re saying: "We didn’t finish how we wanted to last year,” graduate defender Zach Barrett said postgame. “So it’s just unbelievable to come back and give more to this program that means so much to me and so much to the entire state of Vermont.” Chills.

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