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The GIST: Somebody call Guinness because we have a new world record. ICYMI: Nebraska women’s volleyball played in front of a rowdy crowd of 92,003 people on Wednesday, the largest attendance ever for a women’s sporting event.

How it happened: Innovation and sheer pettiness…no, seriously. After the Wisconsin Badgers’ (the Cornhuskers’ longtime rival) stole away the NCAA volleyball attendance record by staging a match for 16,833 people at their basketball arena in 2022, Nebraska’s athletic director devised a plan to reclaim it in a big way: Set up court in the school’s football stadium. The rest is literally history.

What’s next: In addition to other NCAA women’s sports squads now thinking outside of the box, we’ll likely see even more growth for the game. Volleyball already rallied to an incredible 2022, pulling in record viewership numbers and, in turn, investment.

• That rapid rise has also translated at the youth level, where participation in girls high school volleyball increased 15% in the U.S. since 2002, usurping basketball as the second-most popular sport.

• As for the pros, Athletes Unlimited became the first-ever U.S. pro volleyball league when it launched on the courts in 2020, but it’ll be quite crowded at the net soon: Three new leagues are expected to join the fold by 2024. Bump, set, slay.

The GIST: Embattled Royal Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales remains in power despite additional public denouncements of him forcibly kissing Spanish women’s national team star Jenni Hermoso at their WWC trophy presentation. Here’s the latest in the apparently never-ending saga.

❌ In his first public comments on the incident on Wednesday, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin called Rubiales’ behavior “inappropriate” and threw his support behind FIFA’s disciplinary process.

• Rubiales serves as one of the vice presidents of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), but was (at least) temporarily removed from his position when FIFA issued him a 90-day provisional suspension.

🤕 After receiving treatment following a hunger strike in protest of what she called a “witch hunt” of her son, Rubiales’ mother was released from the hospital yesterday. Meanwhile, Rubiales’ uncle Juan Rubiales came forward and said his nephew is “obsessed with power…luxury…and women.” Sheesh.

👋 The RFEF is reportedly preparing to fire Spanish women’s national team head coach Jorge Vilda, a longtime supporter of Rubiales and the subject of player protests leading up to the WWC. Vilda reportedly refused a request to resign yesterday…because of course he did.

✊ Spain’s WWC Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatí shared support for her teammate when she accepted the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award yesterday. Shortly after, England’s women’s national team head coach Sarina Wiegman dedicated her Coach of the Year award to the protesting Spanish squad.

• Elsewhere, FIFA president Gianni Infantino broke his silence, stating the obvious, “This never should have happened, on Instagram.

🏎️ Ahead of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell signed new deals yesterday that will keep them with Mercedes through the 2025 season.

⚾ Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic are investigating a second formal complaint that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco had a relationship with a minor, the third such accusation. Horrifying.

🤦 The LA Angels placed a handful of their players on waivers earlier this week, leaving other clubs able to pick them up without giving the Halos anything in return.

• Five of the six were claimed before yesterday’s waiver deadline, helping bring the Angels’ payroll below the competitive-balance-tax threshold. Wild.

⚽ USWNT star Sophia Smith suffered an MCL sprain during NWSL play last week and will be week-to-week for the Portland Thorns moving forward.

⛳ France’s Perrine Delacour leads the way at the LPGA’s Portland Classic after yesterday’s opening round, but Americans Nelly Korda and Gina Kim aren’t too far behind, sitting second and tied for third, respectively.

🎾 US Open: No. 6 Coco Gauff vs. No. 32 Elise Mertens — Today at 7 p.m. EST — ESPN

• American Gauff battles the Belgian for a spot in the Round of 16. Can’t wait for the evening? No. 10 Francis Tiafoe takes on France’s No. 22 Andre Mannarino at 11 a.m. ET in a loaded third round showdown.

🇺🇲 FIBA World Cup: USA vs. Lithuania — Sunday at 8:40 a.m. ET — ESPN2

• The red, white, and blue will look to stay undefeated in group stage play as they shoot for a spot in next week’s quarter-finals.

🏀 WNBA: Washington Mystics vs. LA Sparks — Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass

• With the playoffs less than two weeks away, this matchup of postseason hopefuls comes with major implications. Hoop to it.

⚽ MLS: Inter Miami CF vs. LAFC — Sunday at 10 p.m. ET — MLS Season Pass

• Lionel Messi will face his toughest MLS test yet when the Herons clash with the defending league champs. Must-see TV.

The only thing worse than a warm beer? A tasteless one. Luckily, that’s never a problem with Corona Premier. The Official Light Cerveza of MLB is light without sacrificing flavor, making it the perfect beverage to chill in the bleachers while the players keep things spicy on the diamond.