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PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthres volleyball have added again towards their future, landing a player previously committed to another team.
Jessica Smallwood, a Class of 2026 recruit, announced her commitment to Pitt on her personal Instagram.
Smallwood commited to Florida back on June 21, 2024, meaning she decommitted and flipped her commitment to Pitt.
Longtime Florida head coach Mary Wise retired after 34 years at the helm and Marquette head coach Ryan Theis took over the position. This played a role for Smallwood in her decision to look elsewhere.
Smallwood stands at 6-foot-6 and plays middle blocker, while also playing outside hitter as well.
She hails from Elizabethtown, Ky., about 45 miles south of Louisville and also for Kiva Adidas, her club team.
Smallwood is the sixth commitment for the Panthers in their Class of 2026, which will likely end up one of, if not the, best recruiting classes in the country.
This includes outside hitter Ayanna Watson and libero/setter Trinity Thompson from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, outside hitter/libero/defensive specialist Izzy Masten from Tri-West Hendricks High School in Lizton, Ind., setter Isabella Hoppe from nearby Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa. and outside hitter Lola Sageer from Liverpool High School in Liverpool, N.Y.
Smallwood will serve as one of four middle blockers on the Panthers for the 2026 season, along with Ryla Jones and Dalia Vîrlan, who will both be juniors, and Abbey Emch, who will be a sophomore.
Pitt is coming off their best season in program history, as they finished 33-2 overall, won their sixth ACC title in the last eight years and earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Pitt Volleyball 2026 Roster Outlook + Eligibility
Senior (One Year)
Outside hitter Blaire Bayless
Right side hitter Olivia Babcock
Redshirt Junior (Three Years)
Setter Haiti Tautua’a
Outside Hitter Sophie Gregoire
Junior (Two Years)
Middle blocker Ryla Jones
Middle blocker Dalia Vîrlan
Libero/defensive specialist Mallorie Meyer
Redshirt Sophomore (Four Years)
Setter/right side hitter Kiana Dinn
Sophomore (Three Years)
Middle Blocker Abbey Emch
Freshman (Four Years)
L/DS Izzy Masten
MB Jessica Smallwood
OH Ayanna Watson
OH Lola Sageer
S Trinity Thompson
S Isabella Hoppe
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Penn State Wrestling All-American Charged With Resisting Arrest
Penn State wrestler Braeden Davis faces misdemeanor counts of defiant trespass, evading arrest and resisting arrest stemming from an alleged incident at a fraternity in March. State College Police also cited Davis, 20, for summary offenses of underage drinking and publicly drunkenness after he was tested with a blood alcohol concentration of .225. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 21 in Centre County Court. Davis, who finished as an All-American at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, was at the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house when members and private security personnel asked him and another person to leave, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by Statecollege.com. Police told Davis to remain at the scene while questioning the other person, but Davis allegedly attempted to flee, according to the affidavit. A police officer caught Davis, who allegedly attempted to free himself, according to the affidavit. During the incident with police, Davis allegedly tore an officer's body camera loose, according to the affidavit. Testing conducted later at Mount Nittany Medical Center found Davis had a blood alcohol level of .225, police said. “We are aware of the charges against Braeden Davis," Penn State Athletics said in a statement. "These alleged actions do not reflect the values and standards of our program and will be addressed. We will not comment any further as this is an ongoing legal matter." Davis, a sophomore, placed fifth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at 133 pounds. He finished the season with a 17-7 record. As a freshman, Davis won the Big Ten individual title at 125 pounds.
Capitals Fans Heartbroken After Unexpected Decision by Longtime Franchise Star Nicklas Backstrom
Capitals fans everywhere are left heartbroken after the latest decision from longtime franchise star forward Nicklas Backstrom, who hasn't played since late 2023. It looks as though the tenure of longtime Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom with the franchise is nearing an official end. It was announced that Backstrom has officially put his 7-bedroom, 12-bathroom, 16,000 square-foot Northern Virginia home up for sale; the current asking price is just under $15 million. He bought it in 2021 for $8.5 million. Backstrom, who hasn't played since October 2023, stepped away from the team owing to health reasons. He underwent hip resurfacing surgery, but the results have unfortunately not yielded the desired result of him being able to return full-time to the ice. The news of his home near Washington D.C., combined with the fact that his contract with the Capitals expires this summer, has fans speculating that his time with the franchise is nearly up. In late 2023, he made the sad announcement that he was taking a leave of absence from the Capitals. Given my ongoing injury situation, I decided to take some time and step away from the game. This is a difficult decision, but one that I feel is right for my health at this time. I want to thank my teammates, the organization and fans for their unwavering support throughout this process. I ask for privacy at this time as I determine my next steps and viable options moving forward. He has 1,033 points (271G, 762A) in 1,105 games; he helped the Capitals win their 1st franchise title in 2018 and was the first player to receive the Stanley Cup from Alex Ovechkin.
Cubs' Matt Mervis trade is already looking very bad
In late December, the Chicago Cubs made a rather head-scratching move by sending Matt Mervis, who was their No. 7 prospect as recently as 2023, to the Miami Marlins for Vidal Brujan. Mervis remained a top-30 prospect for the Cubs in 2024, but after one down year and two failed stints at the major league level, the Cubs seemingly threw in the towel. Mervis had enjoyed plenty of success in the minor leagues over the two seasons before 2024, hitting .309 with 36 home runs in 2022. But with Michael Busch at Mervis’ primary position of first base and Seiya Suzuki at DH, there wasn’t a place for him on the diamond. In that particular aspect, the trade makes sense. Brujan is a flexible defender who can play both infield and outfield positions. However, Brujan’s track record is rather concerning. Having earned the rank of MLB’s No. 50 prospect in 2021, Brujan’s viability as a major league hitter quickly became questionable. From 2021 to 2024, Brujan accrued 497 major league at-bats in which he posted a .189 average with two home runs. In fairness to Brujan, he could still be the star talent he was once projected to grow into, but the Cubs took a sizable risk in trading for him. This season, he is out of minor league options. If at any point he should be removed from the roster, perhaps to make room for Matt Shaw’s return, he would need to be designated for assignment. Trading Mervis for a player whom the Cubs intended to use as a backup utility player was also puzzling, but regardless of the risks, it seems the Cubs are already losing the trade. Having struggled through spring training and spent a brief period on the IL, Brujan has returned and seen action in three games, totaling three at-bats. He is 1-for-3 with a double. Mervis, on the other hand, has seen semi-regular action with the Marlins. In 56 at-bats, Mervis is slashing .232/.323/.589 with six home runs. Already, we are catching a glimpse of Mervis’ power potential starting to play in the major leagues. In retrospect, taking a sizable risk on Brujan might have been ill-advised. Prior to Opening Day, the Cubs needed at least one more quality starter. The season-ending injury to Justin Steele has only exacerbated this issue. It appears Mervis would have served the Cubs better as a part of a trade package for a pitcher rather than flipping him for a risky backup infielder. For now, we can only conclude that Miami won this trade.
Concerning notes about Quinn Ewers emerge ahead of NFL Draft
Quinn Ewers was a star for the Texas Longhorns over three seasons, and he was one of the main reasons that Steve Sarkisian's program became a legitimate College Football Playoff contender over the past two seasons. Not every quarterback who thrives in college has what it takes to make it in the NFL, though. Most don't. Florida Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is a great example. Texas A M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is another. The list goes on and on. Though Ewers put up some big-time numbers at Texas and he's the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country, several NFL scouts just don't see him as a real option at the professional level. In a recent article from Tom Pelissero that asked NFL executives, scouts and coaches to rank the quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ewers was ranked sixth. He's a projected third or fourth-rounder, but some of the feedback Pelissero collected wasn't great. "He's more player than talent. He's just not a big kid (6-2 1/8, 214). He's been hurt every year since high school. The arm's very average. There's not a lot of talent there. He's not a starter. He's a distributor. He's a point guard. He ain't going to push it down the field," one AFC executive said. Ewers has dealt with injuries over three seasons at Texas, which may have stunted his ceiling a bit. One AFC coordinator was clear that it's more of a fundamental thing with Ewers, though. "The Texas kid, I wasn't a fan of," an AFC coordinator told Pelissero. "He can hit short and intermediate, but he's like an all-arm thrower. He never uses his lower body and he's not accurate down the field." This is absolutely a new spot for Ewers from an evaluation standpoint. He was the consensus top recruit in the 2021 class and committed to Ohio State out of high school. When he transferred to Texas, he was seen as a huge "get" for Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Now he's coming into the NFL with something to prove, which has to feel very different. Not every evaluator was down on Ewers, though. A quarterback's coach from the NFC praised his character and smarts. He also feels Ewers can perhaps grow into a role in the NFL. "He's somebody you can see develop, develop, develop and then -- bang! Because there's a competitor there that's hard to teach and there's an intelligence factor there that's hard to teach," that coach said.
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