COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
V-Hawks win NSAA tournament
WATERTOWN, S.D. — The second-ranked and top-seeded Viterbo University women’s volleyball team won the NSAA Tournament on Saturday, but second-seeded Bellevue made it difficult.
The V-Hawks won their 30th straight match with a 25-21, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-7 victory and next focuses its attention on the NAIA Tournament.
Maya Roberts led Viterbo (37-1) with 20 kills, while Miah Garant added 11 and Katie Frohmader 10 for the V-Hawks. Abbey Johnson had a team-high 34 assists, and teammate Lauryn Sobasky added 21.
Caledonia High School graduate Adrianna Reinhart’s 33 kills led Viterbo, while Johnson added 14 and Kenidi McCabe 12. Viterbo never trailed in the fifth set and used a 5-1 run capped by a Garant Kill to take a 9-4 advantage.
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MLB
Brewers trade for Brosseau
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers acquired infielder Mike Brosseau from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league pitcher Evan Reifert on Saturday in a trade between division winners.
Brosseau slumped this season after hitting a huge home run for Tampa Bay in the 2020 playoffs. His tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning off Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman lifted the Rays to a 2-1 win in the decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series.
The 27-year-old Brosseau hit .187 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 57 games for the AL East champion Rays, and also struggled at Triple-A Durham.
Brosseau is a career .245 hitter with 16 homers and 46 RBIs in 143 games over three seasons, all with the Rays. The right-hander has batted .277 against lefties in his career.
Brosseau has made 50 starts at second base, 35 at third and nine at first base in the majors.
Reifert, a 22-year-old righty, made his professional debut this season, going a combined 3-3 with eight saves and a 2.10 ERA in 37 games for Low-A Carolina and High-A Wisconsin.
The trade came a couple days after the major league general managers’ meetings ended.
On Thursday, the NL Central champion Brewers announced the hiring of Ozzie Timmons and Connor Dawson as hitting coaches to replace the fired Andy Haines.
Milwaukee scored a total of six runs in a four-game NL Division Series loss to the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves. The Brewers ranked 12th out of 30 major league teams in scoring, 20th in OPS and 27th in batting average during the regular season.
NFL
Woods has torn ACL
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A few hours after the Los Angeles Rams added a playmaking receiver, they lost a cornerstone of their NFL-best passing offense.
And they’ve only got two days to figure out how to overcome this upheaval before the next game in their Super Bowl chase.
Receiver Robert Woods is out for the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee during practice, coach Sean McVay confirmed Saturday.
“You’re sick for Robert,” McVay said. “He’s epitomized everything that’s been right about this place. Such a great competitor. Such a tough competitor. It’s so unfortunate.”
McVay said Woods’ noncontact injury occurred when he “put his foot in the ground kind of weird” Friday. Woods felt well enough to finish practice, but a scan revealed a torn ACL — the first significant injury of Woods’ nine-year NFL career.
Earlier Friday, Odell Beckham Jr. reported to the Rams’ training complex and signed his contract after Los Angeles landed him as a free agent. Beckham practiced Saturday on his first full day with the Rams (7-2), and he could play Monday night at San Francisco.
Beckham only spoke obliquely about his midseason decision to leave the Cleveland Browns, not addressing the source of his discontent with that organization. With the Rams all in a somber mood after Woods’ injury, Beckham focused instead on his task in Los Angeles, where he’ll likely have an even bigger role than he might have anticipated.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” Beckham said. “Sometimes things don’t work out in life, and when you take those leaps of faith, it’s always scary in the moment. ... I took a lot of time in the decision-making, and it wasn’t just to build anticipation or nothing. This is my life. I feel like I’ve been through a lot, and I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to play football. I’ve dedicated and sacrificed a lot to be here, and it just happened that this felt right in my heart and my soul.”
Beckham, who tore his ACL last season, and Woods were just getting to know each other when the new receiver arrived. Woods’ injury cast a pall over Beckham’s excitement.
“Everything felt right about coming here, except that moment,” Beckham said. “This is a guy who called me on FaceTime. We shared words, and just how excited we were to work together and for me to be able to learn from him. I have no words for it. It was disheartening when I got the call. I know he was the heart and soul of this team. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help. Those are big shoes to fill. My heart goes out to him.”
Los Angeles leads the league in yards passing with new quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Woods is a vital component of that success alongside NFL receiving leader Cooper Kupp and fellow starter Van Jefferson. Contributing as a receiver, a blocker and an occasional jet-sweep runner, Woods is second on the roster with 45 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing eight times for 46 yards and another TD.
