Yesterday, LOVB (pronounced LOVE) announced $100M in funding led by Atwater Capital, along with existing supporters Ares Management and Left Lane Capital, bringing its total of funds raised to $160M. The GIST spoke with LOVB CEO Katlyn Gao yesterday about what this means for the volleyball brand at every level of the game.

On Wednesday, talent agency Wasserman’s women-focused research branch The Collective released The New Economy of Sports – Part II, produced with the Royal Bank of Canada. The report offers unparalleled insights into how the growth of the WNBA and NWSL will result in huge returns for investors.

What do you get the greatest of all time? A live goat, apparently. UConn celebrated women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma’s 40 years of coaching and NCAA record 1,217th win on Wednesday, honoring the legend with an elaborate ceremony that included countless former players.

Final Four, here they come. The field hockey championship semis are set for today at 12 p.m. ET (No. 1 UNC vs. No. 4 Saint Joseph’s) and 3 p.m. ET (No. 2 Northwestern vs. UMass) with winners advancing to Sunday’s 1:30 p.m. ET championship game.

It all comes down to this: the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride face the No. 2 Washington Spirit for the NWSL Championship tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, just one year after both squads missed out on the postseason entirely. Before the opening whistle blows at CPKC Stadium, here’s how these teams stack up in the quest for the Tiffany trophy.

The third of six College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings was released yesterday, bringing with it some serious shakeups for the SEC despite the top five teams holding steady. With the new expanded 12-team playoff format and only four weeks left, it’s crunch time for resume-building wins.

Tomorrow, the world’s best golfers will tee off in Naples, Florida, at the final LPGA event of the year, the CME Group Tour Championship. With the largest first-place prize in the history of women’s golf, a whopping $4M (!!!), the grass is definitely greener on this side.

The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) is gearing up for its second year ahead of next week’s draft. In an exclusive with The GIST today, PVF announced an extension of its media rights agreement with CBS through a multiyear deal that includes increased match coverage and cable air time — a historic first for women’s pro volleyball.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal officially retired yesterday following Spain’s quarter-final exit from the Davis Cup, marking the end of his career with a final pro match loss to world No. 80 Botic van de Zandschulp.

On Monday, nonprofit Canadian Women & Sport released the 2024 edition of its annual Rally Report, a groundbreaking study that highlights the continued gender gap in access between Canadian boys and girls in sports. The organization surveyed over 5K Canadians aged six to 65, with a specific focus on including over 2K girls aged six to 18.

The stage is officially set: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 4 Saint Joseph’s, and UMass are the final four teams in contention for the NCAA Field Hockey Championship following yesterday’s electric quarter-finals.

After a weekend of thrilling semis, the 2024 NWSL Championship is set, with the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride set to take on No. 2 seed Washington Spirit at Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium this Saturday. Hold your applause — here’s how it happened.