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There were a handful of upsets last week in NCAA volleyball, and even a high-profile celebrity (he didnt bring Rihanna with him) taking in a game in person. Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . Heres what you need to know.Making noise nationallyNorth Carolina was picked to win the ACC, and the Tar Heels continue to make a national statement, this time with a come-from-behind win over a Wisconsin team many project to reach the final four.North Carolina upended the Badgers 3-2 in Chapel Hill in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Badgers, No. 6, in this weeks American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, had been ranked No. 2.After splitting the first two sets, Wisconsin nipped the Tar Heels 25-23 for the third. Instead of being deflated, the Tar Heels found energy for a 7-0 run, leading to a 25-20 fourth set. The teams were tied 8-8 in the final set before the Tar Heels won seven of the final 10 points.This is the first time in program history the Tar Heels, who improved to No. 8 in the poll, have wins over two top-10 teams. North Carolina stunned Penn State in five sets on opening weekend, only the 15th loss ever for the Nittany Lions at Rec Hall in State College, Pennsylvania.Redshirt sophomore Taylor Leaths third double-double of the season (23 kills, 19 digs) also marked the first 20-kill performance by a Tar Heel since 2013. Freshman Julia Scoles, MVP of the Penn State Invitational, added 18 kills and 15 digs, her fourth double-double in six matches.North Carolina also got inspired play from Taylor Fricano, who spent her first two years a Badger and is best buddies with Wisconsin middle blocker Haleigh Nelson, playing back near her hometown, Cary. Fricano hit .407 with a career-best 15 kills against her former team; the junior had recorded 20 kills in North Carolinas first five matches.The Badgers played without starter Lauryn Gillis, second on the team in kills, who is out with an ankle sprain. That forced Kelli Bates to move from libero to outside hitter for the first time this season. Wisconsin hit a season-low .139 in the match.North Carolina, which dropped its first match of the season the following night to No. 3 Minnesota, plays its final preconference tournament at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational starting Friday. In addition to the Horned Frogs, the Tar Heels meet Sam Houston State and SMU.Getting it done in fiveNorth Carolinas victory over Wisconsin wasnt the only nail-biter. No. 4 Kansas survived Creighton 3-2, its second five-setter in a row. The Jayhawks nipped Arkansas 3-2 on Sept. 3.In addition to strong play from its veterans, Kansas got support from its newcomers in the Bluejay Invitational, including 22 digs from redshirt freshman Patricia Montero.No. 14 Purdue rallied from two sets down to defeat then-No. 9 Stanford in five at Maples Pavilion, outhitting the Cardinal in four of the five sets.Pitt also ended Michigans unblemished season 3-2, earning what coach Dan Fisher said might be the biggest win in program history. The Panthers won the final set of their own invitational behind tournament MVP Stephanie Williams, a redshirt freshman, who finished with a team-best 21 kills and 13 digs.It was the second win over a ranked opponent for the Panthers, who became the 18th Division I program to notch 1,000 wins when they defeated Colorado State, ranked 25, when the teams played on Sept. 3.Behind 10 aces, No. 19 Ohio State survived Green Bay in five. Senior middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe took home all-tournament honors.No. 6 Washington also got its first win over a ranked team this season, outlasting No. 15 Hawaii in five behind Crissy Jones career-high 22 kills and .300 hitting.Drizzy drops inIts offseason for the Toronto Raptors, so when Drake was seeking out a sporting event last Thursday, he turned up at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. Turns out his goddaughter, Long Beach State junior Ashley Murray, is a starting middle blocker for the 49ers, who responded by sweeping then-No. 25 Loyola-Marymount.Social media spread the word quickly about the rapper, who has almost 34 million Twitter followers, and attendance swelled in the 5,000-seat arena.I was pretty nervous because it was the first time he had ever seen me play, said Murray, who calls Drake a family friend.But Murray, the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2014, didnt show nerves and had her best game of the season -- 11 kills, a .526 hitting percentage and six blocks. Three of the final four points were Murray kills to seal the sweep over a team that reached the Sweet 16 last year.After the game, Drake visited the 49ers locker room and wasnt shy about taking pics with the team. He gave us a motivational speech that I really think is going to help us, said Murray, who grew up in Torrance, California. It was very exciting and brought the whole team a lot closer.Murray said she recalls doing homework when she was younger while Drake sat nearby going over his latest recordings, and that made me believe anything is possible.A sports psychology major, Murray wants to have her own sports clothing line. For the record, she loves every Drake song but her new fave is Fire & Desire.Whos to say if Drake will turn up for any more Long Beach State volleyball games, but basketball season is nearing, and its not unusual for the icon to pop in on Pepperdine mens games in support of Ashleys brother, Lamond Murray Jr., who is the leading scorer for the Waves.Who hasnt lost?No. 1 Nebraska (6-0), which has won 22 straight, including the 2015 national championship, isnt the only undefeated team. Before we get to the others, two more Cornhusker notes: Only Michigan State on Nov. 11 has extended the Huskers to five sets in that span. Florida is the lone team to take a set from Nebraska this season.The other teams with perfect marks: No. 4 Kansas (9-0), No. 5 Washington (8-0), No. 9 Brigham Young (9-0), No. 17 Santa Clara (9-0), Dayton (10-0), South Carolina (9-0), Illinois-Chicago (9-0), East Carolina (8-0), UNLV (9-0) and Weber State (6-0).Filling the stat sheet at Eastern IllinoisA year ago Taylor Smith set the program record at Eastern Illinois for triple-doubles (kills, digs, assists) with seven. She was a freshman.This season the 6-0 outside hitter from Mattoon, Illinois, already has three, including two last week. On Sept. 6, Smith amassed 11 kills, 15 assists and 19 digs against Western Illinois. She followed that up last Saturday with 14 kills, 16 assists and 11 digs against Louisiana Tech. Her first triple-double this season came against Jackson State.Smiths three triple-doubles in 2016 ranks No. 1 in the NCAA. Sean Rodriguez Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Jung-ho Kang Jersey . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. http://www.cheappiratesjerseys.com/ . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. BOSTON -- David Ortiz didnt want it to end.With his team trailing the Cleveland Indians by two runs in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, Bostons biggest star trotted to first base after an eighth-inning walk Monday night and turned toward the Red Sox fans who had cheered him through so many memorable moments for 14 seasons.Raising his hands high above his head , he tried to clap the Fenway Park crowd into a frenzy one more time.It wasnt to be.After providing so many huge hits for the franchise, winning three World Series championships and becoming a beloved figure in Boston, it was time for Big Papis story to end.That four-pitch walk turned out to be the final plate appearance of his storied, 20-year major league career. He was soon replaced by a pinch runner and left to a standing ovation. But he could only watch from the dugout in a red pullover when Travis Shaw hit a game-ending flyout an inning later as the Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs with a 4-3 loss.After the final out, the crowd of 39,530 -- the largest at Fenway since at least World War II -- chanted Were not leaving! and Thank you, Pa-pi! for more than 10 minutes, drawing Ortiz back onto the field.The 40-year-old slugger strolled out to the mound to cheers and tipped his cap in all directions, tapping his heart and eventually wiping tears from his eyes as a years worth of emotions flowed through him.I went through like three different times where emotions popped. But theyre different, Ortiz said.His initial thoughts were about the loss of his friend and Miami Marlins star Jose Fernandez, killed in a boating accident last month. It wasnt until later that Ortiz thought about his own career .Tonight when I walked to the mound, I realized that it was over, he said. Even if things didnt end up the way we were looking for, I believe that in baseball, especially in the baseball game that we play in todays day, its a big step because its like going from bad to good, from day to night.After a career that included a 2013 World Series MVP award and 10 All-Star appearances, Ortiz had two chances Monday to deliver another one of the clutch postseason hits hes become so well known for.In the sixth inning against reliever Andrew Miller, the designated hitter came to the plate with one out and runners on second and third, but could only muster a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Dustin Pedroia and pulled Boston to 4-2.That was still the score in the eighth when Ortiz came up with two outs and Mookie Betts on first base.Ortiz walked on four straight pitches before imploring the crowd to its feet.He fiinished his final game 0 for 1 with two walks and an RBI. Dave Parker Jersey. . But he was just 1 for 9 in the series.Obviously, Im not happy that moment shows up, Ortiz said. I was cheering so bad. Once I got out of the game, I was screaming at my team to put me back in it. Make me wear this uniform one more day. Because I wasnt ready to be over with the playoffs.Reminders of Ortizs 14 seasons in Boston greeted him from the moment he arrived at the ballpark.The first piece of nostalgia came in a Thank You! 34 banner that hung over the players parking lot throughout the season. It features a caricature of him with both hands pointing to the sky as he gazes upward.During batting practice, about a dozen TV cameras lined up for Ortiz as he made his way through the clubhouse tunnel to the field. They panned and then paused with him as he reached the top of the dugout and leaned for a moment against his bat while looking toward the Green Monster.Then there were the ovations .The first one came about a half-hour before the game when Ortiz took the field to stretch. He ran a few sprints before settling on a spot in front of a special Red Sox logo that was cut into shallow center field.He wasnt there long before he was joined by Indians players Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis. Each gave him a hug. Santana and Lindor stayed to stretch alongside him.It was Indians manager Terry Franconas turn during pregame introductions. Ortiz was introduced and joined his teammates on the first base line. He then caught the eye of his former manager, who gestured with both hands as if he were bowing to the slugger.Im glad he didnt get a hit to beat us, Francona said . I thought it was an honor to be on the field for his last game. Hes truly one of the best and you could tell the way people were hanging around yelling his name. He deserves every bit of that.With tears in his eyes afterward, Shaw said emotions were raw throughout the clubhouse.Thats not the way you want to end the season. Especially in Davids last year, he said.But the slugger said he has no regrets about how his career ended.The game, the game I love, the game that made me who I am, Ortiz said. The game that I look forward to (getting) better every day is something that Im definitely going to carry for the rest of my life. And those moments, theyre always going to be special. Theyre always going to stay with you.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' 
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