VOUX MAG

The environment at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA regionals and super regionals couldn't be any rowdier or raucous, she thought. But this season already has topped expectations, and the postseason hasn't even started.

The Lady Vols(42-10), the No. 7 overall seed, will host their21st consecutive NCAA regional, and open against Northern Kentucky (26-23) on May 15 (5:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

The Lady Vols also are a top-eight seed, which means there will be two more possible weekends at UT if they advance to the super regionals.

"Every year gets better," Weekly said May 10 after the NCAA selection show. "This year, to see the way people showed up and showed out for midweek games absolutely blew me away. So I know it's going to be a really tough ticket.

"I know my phone's going to start blowing up asking for tickets, and that's just great. I mean, I love that we're in that kind of a situation where you wish we had more seats in that stadium."

No. 26 overall seed Virginia (38-13) and Indiana (42-14) are also in the Knoxville Regional, and will play in the second game of the day (8 p.m., ESPN2).

When Tennessee was announced on the show, the entire team erupted into cheers and jumped up from their seats. For the seniors in the room like Karlyn Pickens, it was the perfect way to start their final postseason — they've been a top-eight seed every single year of their careers.

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Before 2023, the Lady Vols hadn't been a top-eight seed since 2017.

Tennessee had an up-and-down ending to the regular season, and Weekly said it's time to "flush the season" going into the NCAA Tournament.

"If you had a great year, doesn't mean you're going to have a great playoffs. If you struggled this year, doesn't mean you're going to struggle in the playoffs," Weekly said. "Right now, it's win. Just win. Just find a way. It doesn't matter if you win ugly, as long as at the end of the game, you've got the W and you get to move on and keep playing."

The 2026 NCAA Tournament was the first that the selection committee seeded teams 1-32 instead of just the top 16.

The new format allows for more fairness in where the No. 2 seeds are placed, pairing the No. 1 seed with the No. 32 overall seed, the No. 2 seed with the No. 31 seed, and so on.

"I like the system," Weekly said. "I think there's some regionals that in years past have been pretty light because of geography alone, and other regionals that have been pretty heavy because of it. So I like the fact that at least we're getting a little bit more parity when it comes to the 1- and 2-seeds."

Cora Hallis the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X:@corahalll;Bluesky:@corahall.bsky.social‬.Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel:Karen Weekly wants Tennessee softball to 'flush the season' going into regionals

Zara Larsson performs in bedazzled bra top and micro miniskirt on ‘Today’

Check out her look here:

Zara Larssonwore a glittering yellow bra top with colorful crystal details across the front. She paired the eye-catching piece with a matching micro miniskirt covered in sequins, fringe, and sparkling embellishments. The singer completed the playful stage outfit with layered bracelets and beach-inspired accessories. Her long blonde hair flowed in loose waves as she performed in front of cheering fans.

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The custom look came from designers Rohit Mane and Sorcha. Her dancers also wore colorful custom outfits during the energetic performance. “@zaralarsson at @thetodayshow,” her stylist’s Instagram caption read with performance photos and clips.

Fans quickly praised the singer’s vibrant style in the comments section. “So pwettyyy,” one user wrote. Another added, “Incredible.”

Originally reported by Samridhi Goel ontheFashionSpot.

The postZara Larsson’s Bedazzled Bra Gets Micro Miniskirt Twist for ‘Today’appeared first onMandatory.

TheCrimson Tide's ranking means it will host a regional and, if it advances, a super regional. The regional field will consist of USC Upstate (36-21), Belmont (40-11) and SE Louisiana (46-14).

The Tuscaloosa Regional is double elimination. Action will run through May 15-17, with a full schedule expected to release soon.

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It marks the 27th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Alabama and the 21st-straight season it is hosting a regional at Rhoads Stadium, not including the canceled 2020 season. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Women’s College World Series 15 times and is looking to do so for the first time in two years. Alabama has one national championship, which came in 2012.

Alabama is coming off a championship title loss in the SEC Tournament.Seven unanswered runsled to a 7-1 fall to Texas, securing the Longhorns their first SEC Softball Tournament title during their second year in the conference on Saturday, May 9.

Alabama softball 2026 season schedule

Feb 5 (Thu)

Atlanta, Ga.

Buzz Classic

Feb 6 (Fri)

12:30 p.m. CT

East Carolina

Atlanta, Ga.

Buzz Classic

Feb 6 (Fri)

Georgia Tech

Atlanta, Ga.

Buzz Classic

Feb 7 (Sat)

12:30 p.m. CT

Atlanta, Ga.

Buzz Classic

Feb 7 (Sat)

Georgia Tech

Atlanta, Ga.

Buzz Classic

Feb 13 (Fri)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 Easton Bama Bash

Feb 13 (Fri)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 Easton Bama Bash

Feb 14 (Sat)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 Easton Bama Bash

Feb 14 (Sat)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 Easton Bama Bash

Feb 15 (Sun)

12:30 p.m. CT

Georgia Southern

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 Easton Bama Bash

Feb 20 (Fri)

Tallahassee, Fla.

Dugout Club Classic

Feb 20 (Fri)

4:30 p.m. CT

#6/7 Florida State

Tallahassee, Fla.

Dugout Club Classic

Feb 21 (Sat)

#6/7 Florida State

Tallahassee, Fla.

Dugout Club Classic

Feb 21 (Sat)

4:30 p.m. CT

Tallahassee, Fla.

Dugout Club Classic

Feb 22 (Sun)

Tallahassee, Fla.

Dugout Club Classic

Feb 24 (Tue)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Feb 27 (Fri)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Feb 27 (Fri)

6:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Feb 28 (Sat)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Feb 28 (Sat)

1:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Mar 1 (Sun)

11:30 a.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Mar 1 (Sun)

1:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2026 T-Mobile Crimson Classic

Mar 6 (Fri)

Oxford, Miss

Mar 6 (Fri)

45 mins. after Gm 1

Oxford, Miss

Mar 8 (Sun)

Oxford, Miss

Mar 10 (Tue)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 13 (Fri)

#8/9 Arkansas

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 14 (Sat)

#8/9 Arkansas

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 15 (Sun)

1:30 p.m. CT

#8/9 Arkansas

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 17 (Tue)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 20 (Fri)

Columbia, Mo.

Mar 21 (Sat)

Columbia, Mo.

Mar 22 (Sun)

Columbia, Mo.

Mar 25 (Wed)

3:30 p.m. CT

Jacksonville State

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 25 (Wed)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 27 (Fri)

North Dakota State

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar 28 (Sat)

North Dakota State

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 2 (Thu)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 3 (Fri)

7:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 4 (Sat)

12:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 7 (Tue)

South Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 10 (Fri)

Auburn, Ala.

Apr 11 (Sat)

Auburn, Ala.

Apr 12 (Sun)

Auburn, Ala.

Apr 14 (Tue)

Birmingham, Ala.

Apr 17 (Fri)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 18 (Sat)

1:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 19 (Sun)

1:30 p.m. CT

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apr 21 (Tue)

5:30 p.m. CT

Birmingham, Ala.

Apr 25 (Sat)

6:30 p.m. CT

#8/9 Tennessee

Knoxville, Tenn.

Apr 26 (Sun)

#8/9 Tennessee

Knoxville, Tenn.

Apr 27 (Mon)

#8/9 Tennessee

Knoxville, Tenn.

Apr 30 (Thu)

#RV/21 South Carolina

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

May 1 (Fri)

12:30 p.m. CT

#RV/21 South Carolina

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

May 2 (Sat)

#RV/21 South Carolina

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

May 7 (Thu)

Lexington, Ky.

2026 SEC Softball Tournament

May 8 (Fri)

Lexington, Ky.

2026 SEC Softball Tournament

May 9 (Sat)

Lexington, Ky.

2026 SEC Softball Tournament

Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X atameliahurley_or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News:Alabama softball schedule in NCAA Tournament Tuscaloosa Regional

Italian Open Tennis

The top-ranked Sinner beat qualifier Andrea Pellegrino 6-2, 6-3 to reach theItalian Openquarterfinals on Tuesday and match Novak Djokovic’s record with a 31st consecutive Masters Series victory.

Sinner hasn’t been beaten in a Masters Series event — the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams — since he retired with cramps in extreme heat against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai in October.

Djokovic won 31 straight Masters matches in 2011.

“If you want to be a great player you've got to play on all the surfaces and all the tournaments at your maximum,” Sinner said. “It's the mind that makes the difference.”

Like in his previous match, Sinner took control quickly with a break in the opening game before a packed Campo Centrale — where many fans were decked out in orange, which is Sinner's theme color. He improved to 19-0 against fellow Italians.

If Sinner raises the trophy in Rome, he’ll become the second man after Djokovic to triumph at all nine Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has won each event at least twice.

Sinner has already won a record five straight Masters events and withCarlos Alcaraz sidelineddue to a right wrist injury, it doesn’t seem like anyone can prevent him from winning in Rome and at the upcoming French Open.

“It's time to take the title away from Adriano,” read a sign that one fan held aloft at the Foro Italico, referring to the last Italian man to win the singles title in Rome: Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Panatta will present the winner's trophy after Sunday's title match.

Overall, Sinner extended his winning streak to 26 matches. He hasn’t lost since getting beat by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Feb. 19.

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Sinner’s quarterfinal opponent will be either 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev or Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, who were playing later.

Also, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar swept aside Learner Tien 6-1, 6-4 to become only the second teenager after Rafael Nadal (in 2005) to reach the Madrid and Rome quarterfinals in the same season.

Jodar will next face Luciano Darderi, who saved four match points in the second set of a 1-6, 7-6 (10), 6-0 victory over two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev,

Casper Ruud eased past Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-1 with Musetti getting treatment for a left thigh issue.

Ruud will face Karen Khachanov, who beat Dino Prizmic 6-1, 7-6 (2). Prizmic eliminated Novak Djokovic on Friday.

Cirstea makes semifinal run at 36

In the women’s tournament, 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea reached the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (0) victory over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Cirstea upset top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and is now the second oldest semifinalist in a WTA 1000 clay-court event. Only Martina Navratilova did it at an older age, at 37 in Rome in 1994.

“I always said there’s no expiration date for ambition and dreams,” said Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of the year. “I think everyone can see that I absolutely love this sport. I have so much passion for it.”

Defending champion Jasmine Paolini, who lost in the third round of singles, withdrew from the doubles competition due to a "minor foot issue.” She and partner Sara Errani are the defending champions in doubles, too.

AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

In his first interview since leaving the FBI in 2025, Brian Driscoll, who served as the interim director of the agency under the US president, told CNN he was repeatedly asked about his personal political views while being interviewed for the role.

Mr Driscoll and two other senior FBI officials are suing Kash Patel, the head of the agency, and the FBI over allegations of wrongful termination.

The lawsuit accuses Mr Patel – thesubject of recent media reportsdetailing excessive drinking and erratic behaviour during histenure as FBI director– of “politicising the FBI over protecting the American people”.

Shortly before Mr Trump’s inauguration, Mr Driscoll said he received a phone call from Mr Patel, who had already been picked as the incoming president’s nominee for the agency’s top job, pending confirmation by the US Senate.

He allegedly told Mr Driscoll that his vetting process would not be an issue so long as he wasn’t active on social media, didn’t donate to the Democratic Party and did not vote for Kamala Harris.

Later, in a vetting call with Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer in the Trump transition team, Mr Driscoll claims he was asked about his loyalty to the president-elect.

He said Mr Ingrassia asked him who he voted for and when he started supporting Mr Trump, questions which he declined to answer.

Mr Driscoll said he had never previously been asked about his political affiliations or views in his near-20 year career with the FBI. Despite telling Mr Ingrassia that it was “inappropriate” for him to be asking such questions, he said he continued.

“He asked me, ‘Do I agree that the agents who stormed Mar-a-Lago’ – his words not mine – ‘should be held accountable?’ I did answer that one, with an absolute no,” he said, referring to Mr Trump’s Florida home, which was raided by the FBI in 2022.

In a follow-up call with Emil Bove, another lawyer who would later become Mr Trump’s acting deputy attorney general, Mr Driscoll said he was told that he had failed the vetting process.

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However, Mr Bove apparently said he had “flipped it” and Mr Driscoll would still be named acting deputy director.

Even though Mr Driscoll was approached to be the agency’s second-in-command, a “clerical error” by the White House shortly after Mr Trump’s inauguration meant he was accidentally announced as the FBI’s acting director.

“You can imagine how surprised I was,” he said, describing the process as “farcical”.

Mr Driscoll said Mr Bove later asked him for a list of all FBI agents who had been involved in theinvestigations into the Jan 6 riots.

“I was resistant – legally and professionally resistant – to providing the names unless you tell me they’re going to be subject to existing processes to investigate any accusation of misconduct,” Mr Driscoll said. “The only response I got was, ‘They will be subject to a DOJ-led review.’ He couldn’t articulate what that review would entail.”

He was accused of “insubordination” for not handing over the list.

Mr Patel was confirmed as FBI director in February 2025; Mr Driscoll was fired from the agency in August.

In their lawsuit, Mr Driscoll and the other FBI officials claim Mr Patel told Mr Driscoll that “he had to fire the people his superiors told him to fire, because his ability to keep his own job depended on the removal of the agents who worked on cases involving the President.”

In addition to the firing of senior FBI officials, a wave of resignations and retirements has added even greater tumult to the agency.

Mr Patel has denied allegations included in a report by The Atlantic magazine, which detailed “episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences”.

In February, he was filmedchugging a beerwhile celebrating with the US men’s ice hockey team after their gold medal win at the Winter Olympics in Milan.

Mr Patel said he had “never been intoxicated on the job”. He has sued the magazine, demanding $250m (£185m) in damages.

Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, the 71-year-old custodian of eight sacred sites inSri Lanka, was arrested on Saturday at a private hospital in the capital Colombo.

He was remanded to prison on charges of repeated rape and sexual assault of a minor in 2022 in a temple in Anuradhapura. He is the chief priest of Anuradhapura – a Unesco world heritage site located around 200km north of Colombo.

The mother of the survivor, now aged 15, has also been arrested for allegedly abetting the abuse, according toDaily News Sri Lanka.

“We will be guided by the magistrate on further action,” a police statement said. Anuradhapura chief magistrate Siyapath Sasidu Wickramaratne said the monk would be transferred to the Colombo prison hospital.

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Pallegama Hemarathana has yet to comment publicly on the allegations, and will make his first court appearance on Tuesday.

The magistrate also handed the monk a travel ban after child protection authorities alleged there had been delays in securing his arrest.

The allegations came to light after a complaint was lodged with the local police on 6 March about the alleged abduction and detention of a minor. Police arrested a suspect and placed the girl in a care centre, where interviews later uncovered allegations of prolongedsexual abuse.

There have been several historic cases of children being abused by clergy in Sri Lanka, but Hemarathana is the highest-ranking monk to face such allegations.

The monk is the chief custodian of a sacred tree believed to have grown from a sapling of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago.

The Lionsannounced the number changeson social media on Monday, May 11, with the most notable change coming from returning backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The veteran QB, returning for his third stint in Detroit, opted for his old No. 5 jersey, which he wore with five teams over eight seasons from 2014-21. That number belonged to running back David Montgomery from 2023-25 in Detroit and became available afterMontgomery's March 2 tradeto theHouston Texans.

Bridgewater previously wore Nos. 10 and 12 for the Lions in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Other notable players includenew center Cade Mays, who chose No. 64, andnew running back Isiah Pacheco, who chose No. 10.

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Nine returning players are switching numbers, though none are as high-profile as last year's moves that saw running back Jahmyr Gibbsgo from No. 26 to No. 0and wide receiver Jameson Williams go from No. 9 to No. 1 in 2025. The biggest name of the nine is probably defensive end Tyler Lacy going from No. 78 to No. 93, which was worn last season byrecently-waived defensive end Josh Paschal.

Here's the full list of Lions number changes.

NewDetroit Lionsplayer numbers

• QB Teddy Bridgewater: No. 5.

• WR Greg Dortch: No. 8.

• RB Isiah Pacheco: No. 10.

• LB Damone Clark: No. 11.

• CB Roger McCreary: No. 21.

• S Christian Izien: No. 27.

• LB Joe Bachie: No. 35.

• S Chuck Clark: No. 36.

• DT Jay Tufele: No. 57.

• C Cade Mays: No. 64.

• C Seth McLaughlin: No. 65.

• OL Juice Scruggs: No. 70.

• OL Ben Bartch: No. 78.

• OL Larry Borom: No. 79.

• TE Thomas Gordon: No. 82.

• TE Tyler Conklin: No. 83.

• DE Payton Turner: No. 92.

• DL D.J. Wonnum: No. 98.

New numbers for returning Detroit Lions players

• CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.: No. 2 (was No. 9).

• WR Jackson Meeks: No. 13 (was No. 83).

• WR Malik Cunningham: No. 15 (was No. 80).

• S Dan Jackson: No. 17 (was No. 28).

• RB Kye Robichaux: No. 34 (was No. 25).

• DE Tyler Lacy: No. 93 (was No. 78).

• DE Levi Onwuzurike: No. 95 (was No. 91 from 2023-24).

• DT Myles Adams: No. 96 (was No. 66).

• DE Ahmed Hassanein: No. 99 (was No. 61).

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press:Detroit Lions returning players grab some new numbers