Ready, set, go
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy weekend!
It’s Friday the 13th, but we’ve got something bad luck can’t touch: A newsletter full of college sports stories. Why get spooked when you can get sporty instead?
— No. 1 overall seed Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher, on why students should come support his team during their Sweet 16 matchup against No. 4 Oregon yesterday. The Panthers gave the crowd something to cheer about during the study break, advancing to the Elite Eight with a thrilling five-set victory. Athletic and academic.
volleyball
🏐 Hit me baby one more time
The GIST: With yesterday’s aforementioned opening action done and dusted, it’s time for day two of the volleyball regionals ahead of the Elite Eight tomorrow and Sunday. In other words, it’ll be down to the Final Four by our next newsletter.
- Track the results here, and read on for a preview of today’s matches. Ready, set, spike.
🐦 No. 2 Creighton vs. 🐮 No. 3 Texas — 1 p.m. ET — ESPN2: The Bluejays are one of the hottest teams in volleyball, riding a program-record 24-match win streak into this meeting with back-to-back defending champs Texas. Meanwhile, the Longhorns boast a little someone named Madisen Skinner, a three-time NCAA champ and the reigning Big 12 athlete of the year. Talk about heavy hitters.
🐈 No. 1 Penn State vs. 🦅 No. 5 Marquette — 30 minutes after Creighton/Texas — ESPN2: AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist Jess Mruzik and Penn State are coming off a four-set second-round win over North Carolina. Across the court, Marquette booked their ticket with an upset over No. 4 Utah, marking the Golden Eagles’ third program Regional appearance and first time advancing by beating a tournament host on its home court.
🦡 No. 2 Wisconsin vs. 🤠 No. 6 Texas A&M — 7 p.m. ET — ESPN2: This is Wisconsin’s 12th straight Sweet 16, while Texas A&M is back for the first time in five years. That said, defending Player of the Year Sarah Franklin and the Badgers will have their hands full with the upset-minded Aggies, who just knocked off No. 3 Arizona State.
🌽 No. 1 Nebraska vs. ✈️ No. 5 Dayton — 30 minutes after Wisconsin/Texas A&M — ESPN2: Nebraska has not one, but two Player of the Year semifinalists in sophomore Bergen Reilly and senior Lexi Rodriguez, who led the Cornhuskers to 11 ranked wins this season. They’ll face the Flyers, who went a perfect 18-0 in conference play and lost just two matches all season. Only one squad can prevail.
⚽ Kickin’ it, championship style
The GIST: From 48 teams down to four, the men’s College Cup semis are set for today, with two spots in Monday’s championship game on the line. Here’s what you need to know about the final four trying to kick the competition to the curb.
No. 3 Denver vs. Vermont — 5:06 p.m. ET — ESPNU: Denver’s yet to allow a goal all tournament, earning the Pioneers their second-ever semifinals appearance. As for Vermont, the College Cup’s lone unranked squad has already made history by advancing to the semis for the first time.
- The Pios are led by junior goalkeeper Isaac Nehme, who’s responsible for three straight shutouts, while Vermont’s redshirt senior forward Yaniv Bazini leads his team with 13 goals.
- And we’re in for a thrilling first either way — neither team has ever played in the title game. Epic.
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Marshall — 7:36 p.m. ET — ESPNU: The top-seeded Buckeyes entered the postseason as the team to beat after losing just one game in the regular season. The player to watch? Senior midfielder Michael Adedokun, who ranks fifth nationally with 11 assists.
- Have no fear though, Bisons faithful, because Marshall brings the offense, too. Senior forward Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos is tied for fourth in the NCAA with 15 goals on the season. Both these teams have one major goal: punching their ticket to the title game.
Together With The GIST
🏈 Hut hut — Enter The GIST’s free College Football Playoff bracket challenge
The GIST: For the very first time, a whopping 12 teams are competing in the College Football Playoff (CFP), which means there’s never been a better time to choose a winner and make a free bracket (March Madness–style) with The GIST.
What’s at stake: In addition to clinching the ultimate bragging rights as The GIST’s top college football fan, the top three brackets will win Ticketmaster gift cards: $300 for first, $200 for second, and $100 for third. Perfect for buying tickets to 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. It’s that easy!
🦶 North Carolina officially names Bill Belichick as head football coach
Six-time Super Bowl champ and legendary former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick officially signed on to lead the Tar Heels yesterday, replacing former coach Mack Brown, who parted ways with the program in late November.
- Belichick retired from the NFL one year ago after coaching the Patriots for 24 seasons. His coaching career began in 1975, but this is the 72-year-old’s first college coaching job. Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?
🍀 No. 8 Notre Dame women upset No. 2 UConn in star-powered matchup
The Fighting Irish topped UConn 79–68 last night behind a monster performance from sophomore guard and friend of The GIST Hannah Hidalgo, who finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
- That near triple-double capped off a big day for Hidalgo, who also signed an NIL deal with Red Bull. It gives you wings, and buckets, apparently.
🏈 Colorado football’s Travis Hunter named AP Player of the Year
The two-way player received 26 of the 43 total votes, beating out Boise State running back (RB) Ashton Jeanty who received 16 votes and Arizona State RB Cameron Skattebo who earned one.
- And that’s not all — Hunter’s largely expected to take home another prestigious honor when the Heisman Trophy winner is announced tomorrow. He just might need a bigger trophy case.
🏒 Two top-10 men’s hockey matchups on deck this weekend
No. 9 St. Cloud State will take on No. 16 North Dakota in a two-game series beginning today at 8 p.m. ET, while defending champs No. 4 Denver face rival No. 10 Colorado College today and tomorrow. The Pioneers lead the Gold Pan series 197-123, but recent meetings have been tighter, with Denver holding a 3-2 advantage in the last five meetings.
- P.S. This is the last chance to watch top-tier men’s hockey before the season winds down for the holidays. Don’t miss out on an icy good time.
Together With Skyscanner
You already know about the growth in women’s sports, but did you know its soaring popularity is impacting global tourism? Our friends at Skyscanner say that Sports Mode, aka, traveling for an athletic event, will be one of the top seven travel trends of 2025.
- Ready to book a flight? Not so fast — first check out Skyscanner, the ultimate travel engine, and find the cheapest fares before you jet off.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
🏃 Who to know
Wyatt Moss, who’ll be running his 50th marathon in Hawaii, dressed as a hot dog. Relish it.
📚 What to read
The New Yorker’s best books of 2024. End the year with these top picks in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
👟 What to wear
Allbirds to keep your feet dry and supported, no matter the winter activity.
Today’s email was brought to you by Eden Laase and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Marga Sison and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.