drich (4-6, 4.72 ERA).Phillies general manager Matt Klentak decided hav

Three repeat visitors from last season -- Nebraska, Minnesota and Texas -- and one very, very familiar presence -- Stanford -- make up the volleyball final four this year. Heres a look at whos headed to Columbus, Ohio, and what well see this week from the best of the best.1. Stanford: Doing Stanford stuff againTheres no debate which school has had its hand prints on the NCAA tournament the most throughout the events history: Stanford is in the final four for the 20th time. The sixth-seeded Cardinal upset No. 3 Wisconsin on the Badgers home court in the Madison Regional final.Stanfords first final four was in 1982, the second year of the NCAA tournament, and the Cardinals first national championship was in 1992. But its been 12 years since the last of the Cardinals six NCAA titles. And in that time, Penn State passed Stanford for the most with seven, with six of them coming between 2007-2014.In the past decade, in fact, Stanford has dealt more with big disappointments in the NCAA tournament than big celebrations:Three consecutive NCAA final losses from 2006-08.One national semifinal loss.Two down-to-the wire fifth-set losses in the elite eight.Three losses in the second round, including last year to Loyola Marymount.The Cardinal were without 2014 first-team All-American Inky Ajanaku last year because of a knee injury, and despite still having a strong senior presence, fell short of repeating their 14 final four trip.This season, Ajanaku was back as the den mother to a team loaded with freshman talent.The Cardinal were the highest-seeded Pac-12 team in the NCAA field, despite not winning the league title. Yet it looked like another tough ending for Stanford when it fell into a two-set hole at UW Fieldhouse, where Wisconsin had lost just once (to Minnesota) all season. Somehow, though, when their backs were really up against the wall, the Cardinal just started playing freely. They climbed all the way back to stun the Badgers 15-9 in the fifth set, and in doing so, brought the West Coast back into the final four. Last year, all four teams were from the Central time zone for the first time, and the same would have been true this year if Wisconsin had won.Now, Ajanaku, who had 20 kills and 11 blocks against Wisconsin, gets her second trip to the final four with lots of help from youngsters like Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Kathryn Plummer.The Cardinal face Minnesota in the semifinals, a rematch of the teams early-season meeting at Stanford on Aug. 28. Stanford won that one 3-1.2. Minnesota: Gophers on the prowlNo. 2 seed Minnesota is the only final four team that has not won an NCAA title; this is the Gophers fifth time making it this far. The closest theyve come to the pinnacle was a 3-0 loss to Stanford in the 2004 final.But if you were going to pick a favorite just based on the four teams regional performances, it might well be the Gophers. They beat No. 15 seed Missouri, the SEC co-champion, 3-1. Then the Gophers faced No. 10 UCLA, which tied for second in the Pac-12 with Stanford.Minnesota started the first set slowly, trailing the Bruins 6-0, and then took off. They prevailed in a sweep and now have won 14 matches in a row, the longest current winning streak of any of the final four teams.The Gophers had five different players who had double-digit kills against Missouri, led by Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Wilhite, and the attack was also pretty spread out against UCLA. With the Big Ten Setter of the Year, Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota is a really difficult team to defend because there are so many options.Last year, the Gophers won the Big Ten title and then fell in the national semifinals to Texas, 3-1. That was a growth experience for Minnesota under coach Hugh McCutcheon, who is in his fifth season in Minneapolis and has built up quite a powerhouse.I was extremely proud of our athletes for the way they responded to the different style of play we got to see from UCLA, McCutcheon said. A lot of defensive discipline on their part.For what its worth, the Gophers national semifinal opponent, Stanford, lost both of its Pac-12 matches this season to the Bruins, 3-1 at UCLA and 3-2 at Stanford. Those are the Cardinals only losses since mid-October.3. Texas: Longhorns here againThe bully of the Big 12, Texas finally got knocked of its conference perch for the first time since Nebraska left the league in 2011. Kansas won the league, with Texas second. A new sheriff in town?Well, not exactly. Nothing can take the league title from the Jayhawks, of course. But in the NCAA tournament, its the same old story: Fourth-seeded Texas is in the final four. The Longhorns advanced there for the fifth season in a row and for the eighth time in the past nine years. (Kansas went to the final four as well last year, but was upset in the second round this season by Creighton, the same team that Texas swept in the regional final.)The problem for Texas, though, has been finishing the job once it gets this far -- which perhaps isnt a fair way to look at it.Yes, Texas has just one title in recent years -- in 2012 -- to add to the one the Longhorns won way back in 1988. But this current streak of success means theyve reached the final four both in years where theyve been a truly great team and in years when they overachieved.Such was the case last year, in fact, when injuries left them a bit less talented -- but even more determined. Texas got to the 2015 NCAA final, but at that point was overpowered by Nebraska, 3-0.This season, they faced the Huskers in August on a neutral court in Eugene, Oregon, and were swept again. In Big 12 play, Texas fell to Kansas and to Iowa State.And the Longhorns almost stumbled in the regional semifinals, losing a 2-0 lead and facing two match points in the fifth set before a dramatic rally to beat BYU. That close call was followed up by the exact opposite kind of match: a 3-0 statement over Creighton.So if youre not sure exactly what well see from the Longhorns in Columbus, the truth is that they might not be sure, either. But these things are certain: They have an extremely experienced setter in senior Chloe Collins, and three hitters with great ability to put the ball down: Paulina Prieto Cerame, Ebony Nwanebu and Micaya White.This team has been up and down this entire year, Collins said. To go and achieve [the final four] is something special for us, because we know all the obstacles weve been through this whole season.4. Nebraska: Seeking a repeatThe Huskers saw their season flash before their eyes Friday afternoon, facing two match points against Penn State. But such is the nature of volleyball that momentum can turn on the proverbial dime -- and when it does, it can be breathtaking to behold.So close to elimination -- and the end of their dream of repeating as NCAA champions -- the Huskers scored four consecutive points to win the third set. With a new life, they didnt squander it: Nebraska beat Penn State in five sets, and then looked like a favorite to win it all after dominating Pac-12 champion Washington in the final.There are no doubts about Nebraskas strengths: experience and chemistry. Kadie and Amber Rolfzen are both playing at a high level, and fellow seniors Justine Wong-Orantes and Andie Malloy have also been key contributors. Briana Holman, a transfer from LSU, has helped solidify Nebraskas block, and pulling it all together is setter Kelly Hunter.The pressure on the Huskers last year to win the title in Omaha, Nebraska, was extreme, and accomplishing that no doubt helped steel them for their tougher moments this year.However, there werent a lot of those. The Huskers let a 2-0 lead get away at Minnesota in late November and found themselves in a five-set match they lost to the Gophers. They fell short in that test but didnt in their five-setter Friday with Penn State.The Huskers and Longhorns have a very long history -- the Big Red leads the series 32-21 -- and theyve maintained their rivalry even after Nebraska leaving the Big 12.They are two programs -- and two coaches in Nebraskas John Cook and Texas Jerritt Elliott -- that have carried the torch for collegiate volleyball for a long time. And the fact that they keep running into each other in big moments is a testament to both. Yusei Kikuchi Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. https://www.cheapmariners.com/705k-braden-bishop-jersey-mariners.html . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Omar Narvaez Mariners Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Zac Grotz Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. SAN DIEGO -- In sports, wreaking havoc is a term more reserved for outside linebackers who crush running backs and sack quarterbacks.But Padres manager Andy Green recently said wreaking havoc is exactly what 185-pound center fielder Travis Jankowski is doing these days.Travis is dynamic right now, Green continued in his assessment of the very fast, 25-year-old Jankowski after his three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.Jankowski was 6-for-11 against the Brewers with four infield hits and a double. He also drew three walks. And Jankowski was just getting started when he reached base. He stole five bases in the three games, including a steal of home, and made two exception catches in center.Since getting a chance to start every day with the arm fracture that sidelined Jon Jay on June 28 and the July 24 trade that dispatched Melvin Upton Jr. to Toronto, Jankowski has become a force as the Padres lead-off hitter.Padres fans, who have seen many of the clubs leading players move on, have become enamored with the 6-foot-2 speedster with the flowing golden locks and perpetually dirty uniform.Hes making the most of his chance to play, Green said. Hes jump-started us with the excitement he brings to the top of the order. Hell do anything he can to get on base. And once on base, hes an instant threat to be on second or third.Jankowski will again be at the top of order Friday night as the Padres face Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson of the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park.Yes, Heellickson is still with the Phillies.ddddddddddddFor weeks before the trading deadline, rumors swirled that the 29-year-old right-hander would be traded -- even though a hand injury in the days leading up to the deadline clouded the issue.But the Phillies decided to hold onto Hellickson, who is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 22 starts entering Friday nights matchup with Padres left-hander Christian Friedrich (4-6, 4.72 ERA).Phillies general manager Matt Klentak decided having a veteran on a young staff was better than acquiring another prospect.Theres a huge value in having a veteran starter who can give us six and seven innings every start on a staff of young pitchers, said Klentak of Hellicksons value as the trading deadline passed Monday.Im glad to still be with the Phillies, Hellickson said. I want to stay a part of this.Friedrich, meanwhile, is coming off his best start since the All-Star break. He held the Cincinnati Reds to one run on five hits and a walk over six innings Saturday night at Petco Park. In his previous seven starts, Friedrich was 1-5 with a 7.86 ERA while pitching into the sixth inning only twice.The secret for me is to put the ball where I need to put it, Friedrich said after Saturdays outing against the Reds.I like Friedrich, Green said. Hes an extremely competitive person. He knows what he has to do to get people out. And when he struggles, he doesnt panic. He remains focused. ' ' '