The GIST: Today marks exactly one month until the end of the WNBA regular season, and the playoff push is just heating up, after fiery games dominated the weekend slate ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline. Ball so hard.

NY Liberty clinch the season’s first playoff berth: The Libs are postseason bound for the fourth consecutive year after locking in one of eight playoff spots with Saturday’s 79–67 win over the two-time defending champ Las Vegas Aces.

• The top of the league seafoam stars have been glowing thanks to standout play from Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, with Ionescu dropping a team-high 23 points in their win over the Aces, while Jones contributed a double-double.

Cailtlin Clark–led Indiana Fever surging: All-Star rookie Clark proved she really is that girl with back-to-back standout performances in the Fever’s two weekend wins.

Connecticut Sun sell out first-ever women’s pro basketball game at Boston’s TD Garden: The second-place team in the W sold 19,156 tickets to tomorrow’s 7 p.m. ET game against the LA Sparks, which will be played at the Boston Celtics’ home venue in front of the biggest crowd in franchise history. A historic day in the Hub.

The GIST: The third annual Tour de France Femmes crossed the finish line yesterday, with Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma (pronounced Nye-vya-doma) edging out defending champ Demi Vollering of the Netherlands by just four seconds to win the yellow jersey. Here’s a breakdown of the week-long race by the numbers, s’il vous plaît.

3: Niewiadoma finished third during both the inaugural 2022 race and last year’s edition, finally reaching the top of the podium this time around. Third time really is the charm, huh? 

4: The four-second difference between Niewiadoma and Vollering (who put up a thrilling fight) was the narrowest margin of victory in the history of the women’s and men’s Tour races. Truly down to the wire.

9: The tour will expand from eight stages to nine next year, compared to the 21 raced on the men’s side. Tour de France Femmes organizers aren’t “closing the door on any possibilities” of future expansion, but are moving cautiously to ensure the longevity of the event.

14: As in a whirlwind 14 days for American cyclist Kristen Faulkner, who went immediately from winning the United States’ first road race Olympic gold in 40 years (not to mention a second gold in the team pursuit), to the top American finisher at the Tour de France Femmes. Casual.

The GIST: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner received an anti-doping sanction yesterday for testing positive for a banned substance twice in March, news that came less than 24 hours after he won the Cincinnati Masters. A BFD, made even bigger by the looming US Open — let’s dig in.

The details: On March 10th, during Indian Wells, Sinner tested positive for low levels of clostebol, a banned steroid that can help athletes increase muscle mass. Eight days later, he again tested positive for the same substance but did not learn of the results until April. He was then suspended, but appealed and was permitted to continue playing.

• Sinner claimed he tested positive because his physiotherapist used a spray containing the steroid on his own hand after cutting himself. The physio then massaged Sinner without gloves on, apparently transferring the clostebol.

• The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) conducted a full investigation that concluded on August 15th and found Sinner “bore no fault or negligence” for the doping violations.

• Furthermore, according to the ITIA’s decision, an independent scientist determined that the very small amount of clostebol in Sinner’s system wouldn’t have had any effect — positive or negative — on his performance, regardless of intent. Alrighty then.

What’s next: As a result of the initial positive drug test, Sinner will forfeit the $325K he won for reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells, as well as the 400 ATP ranking points he earned. But much to the chagrin of some of his fellow players, that’s where the punishment ends.

• Sinner is free to play at the US Open (with a strong chance to win his second major of the season) when the final Grand Slam of the year begins next week. One thing’s for sure, all eyes will be on him in NYC.

The GIST: As August slips away into a moment in time, the best in women’s golf are preparing for the final major of the year, the AIG Women’s Open, which tees off tomorrow with a star-studded field on a historic course. Say less.

Iconic St Andrews plays host to the season’s fifth and final major: The birthplace of golf boasts historic landmarks and the baddest bunkers in the biz, many of which have legends and names of their own — for example, it’s best to avoid the aptly named Coffins bunkers on the 13th hole.

• While this is only the third time the event will be contested at the Grand Old Lady, it’s the 48th edition of the famed tournament and the 24th iteration of the event as a major.

Cash and exemptions on the line: Unlike in previous years, the 2024 purse didn’t increase year-over-year and is sitting pretty at a cool $9M. The $1.35M winner’s check is a nice boost to the bank account, but the champ also receives an AIG Women’s Open exemption, meaning they automatically qualify for future editions so long as they’re playing on a recognized pro tour. Sweet deal.

World No. 1 American Nelly Korda headlines loaded field: One hundred forty-four of the world’s best golfers begin play tomorrow morning, including Korda, defending AIG Women’s Open champ Lilia Vu, and Olympic Gold medalist Lydia Ko.

• The group to watch? The star-studded trio of Korda, Vu, and world No. 10 Charley Hull, who tee off tomorrow at 8:10 a.m. ET. Pure dead brilliant.

The GIST: Just ahead of the regular season resuming post-Olympics, the NWSL and its players association announced a historic new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), effective immediately, that grants players more agency, compensation, and benefits than ever before. HYFR.

NWSL breaks American precedent, eliminates the college draft: A first among major American sports leagues, the NWSL has eliminated the draft, a move that increases player agency by allowing them to negotiate with teams in an open market rather than anxiously wait to see which club chooses them.

• Though operating without a draft is a novel move in the States, it’s the norm in top overseas footy programs like the Premier League and the Women’s Super League.

• The new CBA also removed limitations on season start and end dates, making it possible for the NWSL to run from fall to spring (like most international soccer leagues) in the future as opposed to its current March to November format.

Say hello to guaranteed contracts, unrestricted free agency, and more: The list goes on and on when it comes to new player benefits. All contracts are now fully guaranteed and individual salary caps have been eliminated. Plus, the league’s minimum salary is set to raise from $48.5K in 2025 to $82.5K by 2030. Keep on climbin’.

• Additionally, all players will be granted unrestricted free agency when their contract expires, a shift from the previous CBA, which only permitted such autonomy to players of a certain tenure.

• Perhaps best of all, all trades will require player consent, meaning athletes can’t be sent to a new squad without agreeing to it first. Love to see it.

Putting people at the center: Last but not least, the CBA expands parental leave, childcare benefits, and mental health services, and cements charter flights for teams for up to six legs (three round trips) in a season. This agreement is more than historic — it’s a new precedent for professional athletes worldwide.

Despite being populated by all four No. 1 seeds, Thursday’s 2024 NCAA volleyball semifinals served up the bracket’s biggest upsets, as heavily favored Nebraska and overall top seed Pitt were sent packing by their conference foes.

In front of 21,726 fans — a new record for college volleyball’s postseason — Louisville shocked Pitt with a 3-1 victory before Penn State ousted Nebraska in a five-set instant classic.

Louisville books second national championship ticket

After dropping their first set to Pitt on Thursday night, it seemed the deck was stacked against the Cards, who had already lost twice to the Panthers in the regular season.

However, buoyed by their raucous home crowd, Louisville surged back, sweeping the next three sets to book their first trip to the national championship match since 2022, when they became the first and only ACC team to ever compete in the collegiate final.

As for Pitt, Thursday’s loss was just their second all season, and not even 2024 AVCA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock’s astounding 33 kills could extend their title chase. Notably, their national semifinal curse continues, with the Panthers now falling in the NCAA tournament’s penultimate round for four straight years.

On the other hand, Louisville’s victory was a true team effort, with three senior outside hitters — Anna DeBeer, Charitie Luper, and Sofia Maldonado Diaz — leading the offensive charge with 14 kills each.

The Cardinals’ roster was also required to step up in unexpected ways. Just two points into the fourth set, Louisville star DeBeer crumbled to the court with an ankle injury and did not return to the match. The visibly shocked Cards looked to freshman Payton Petersen, who made a massive statement by recording two kills and four clutch digs to help seal the win.

“I wanted to do this for her,” Petersen said of DeBeer. “She’s meant so much to me.”

Penn State roars back to top Nebraska

In Thursday’s battle between two Big Ten titans, the message was clear: Never count out the Nittany Lions.

After falling behind the Cornhuskers 2-0 in what increasingly looked like an inevitable Nebraska victory, Penn State emerged from the brink of defeat to pull off the first reverse sweep of the Huskers in the NCAA tournament since 1982.

Following a 5-0 run that helped the Nittany Lions stay alive with a third set win, they flipped a 22-16 deficit into a match-point battle that ended the fourth set 28-26 in Penn State’s favor. With the match now equalized, Penn State took control in the fifth, holding off Nebraska 15-13 to clinch their first championship trip since winning their seventh title in 2014.

Star Jess Mruzik led the Nittany Lions’ charge with a 26-kill, 12-dig double-double, putting together what Nebraska head coach John Cook called “one of the best performances [he’s] ever seen by an outside hitter.” 

Like Louisville’s Petersen, freshmen also stepped up for Penn State, with Izzy Starck recording six key blocks and redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius hammering 20 kills against her former team, having transferred from Nebraska in December 2023.

As for the Huskers, their stacked roster showed out, with outside hitter Harper Murray leading the charge with a 20-kill, 15-dig double-double, plus three aces — the most by any player in either match on Thursday. Middle blocker Andi Jackson also had a standout night, putting together a near-errorless performance to finish with 19 kills.

Four-time All-American libero Lexi Rodriguez added program history to Thursday’s mix, closing out her NCAA career as the Huskers’ all-time digs leader with 1,896.

Sunday’s court will make NCAA history

Louisville and Penn State’s semifinal victories have guaranteed that Sunday’s 44th NCAA volleyball championship match will go down in the history books.

With Dani Busboom Kelly leading the Cardinals and Katie Schumacher-Cawley coaching the Nittany Lions, a woman head coach will lift the national championship trophy for the first time.

Only two women have ever coached their teams into the college volleyball final, with Florida’s Mary Wise doing so in 2003 and 2017 before Busboom Kelly followed in 2022.

For context, the last seven Division I basketball trophies came under women head coaches.

The fact that this glass ceiling still exists is partially due to volleyball having less women in head coaching positions than other NCAA sports. Less than half of Division I’s 334 teams are led by a woman, while basketball boasts nearly 68% female leadership and softball claims almost 74%.

Busboom Kelly’s ACC exceeds that 50% stat, but the Schumacher-Cawley remains one of only six women leading the Big Ten’s 18 teams.

Both of Sunday’s sideline leaders know what it takes to win the national championship, with Schumacher-Cawley taking the 1999 title while playing for Penn State and Busboom Kelly doing the same with Nebraska in 2006.

Even so, in some ways, this year’s title will mean even more, as the coaches pave the way for future generations of volleyball leaders.

“[There’s] just honestly no better feeling than being led by a female because that could be me someday, that could be one of my teammates someday,” Mruzik noted. 

How to watch the 2024 NCAA volleyball championship match

Sunday’s final won’t just make women’s coaching history, it could see Louisville earn the ACC’s first-ever NCAA volleyball title. But to do so, the Cardinals, who fell to Penn State 3-0 in early September, will have to deny the Nittany Lions an eighth national championship.

NCAA volleyball will crown its Division I champion in Sunday’s 3 PM ET match, with live coverage on ABC.