COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pity the volleyball during what promises to be a fast and furious match when Texas and Stanford square off in Saturdays national championship at Nationwide Arena.Boom, boom, boom, boom.Thats what you saw (and heard) in Thursdays semifinals: Four teams killed it at speeds that would raise eyebrows on interstates, and the two most powerful -- the Cardinal and the Longhorns -- advanced to the final bout of the season.When its imposing 6-foot-6 Cardinal opposite Kathryn Plummer or bruising 6-foot-4 Longhorns outside hitter Yaazie Bedart-Ghani doing the damage, most of us would run for cover.But thats not how these players look at it.Ive walked out of a practice with bruises, just red marks from being slapped with the ball. But in a way, you kind of love it, Cardinal setter Kelsey Humphreys said. Thats why we play.For Texas, Ebony Nwanebu, Paulina Prieto Cerame and Micaya White drilled the majority of the rockets in the Longhorns sweep over Nebraska on Thursday, but the consensus from the players on Friday is that the heaviest hand belongs to Bedart-Ghani. And while Cardinal middle blockers Inky Ajanaku and Audriana Fitzmorris flexed their muscles in Stanfords 3-1 win over Minnesota, Plummer got the most attention for her strong-arming ways.Here are some more thoughts about those screaming spikes:TV or not TV?Theres a TV on the side when we practice so we can replay film. And all the time when our outsides are hitting a sharp cross, it will bounce up and hit the TV. Were like, Poor TV. -- Longhorns setter Nicole DaltonPop culture?My goal by my senior year is to pop a ball. Im working on that, getting in the weight room to get a little bit stronger. -- sophomore Bedart-GhaniThats gonna leave a markThere was one time in practice, I got super-lucky on a dig on one of Yaazies hardest swings. I dug it and my arms were red for 10 minutes. They were actually stinging. I got it up, so I didnt care. -- Longhorns libero Cat McCoyThe power of powerTheres a sweet finesse about the game when theres a physical side to it. When all those things come together, its really fun to play. It almost seems like its in slow motion. -- Longhorns coach Jerritt ElliottDown for the countIf your blocks not in front of them, you are just praaaying that it hits your platform and not your face. When it hits you in the chest, you end up on your butt. -- HumphreysIs everyone OK?We have a really great B side of the net; we call them Machine Team. They take a lot. Tami (Alade) and Courtney (Bowen) have taken a lot to the forehead, and we have to stop practice and make sure everybody is OK. It can really mess you up. -- AjanakuTake a listenKathryns ball -- it has a different sound. Its a very heavy ball. When you listen to Inky when she hits, its like a snap. Its kind of a sharp sound. When Kathryn hits it, its like a thump. You can tell theres more speed on it. -- Cardinal coach John Dunning Nike Air Vapormax Outlet . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Youth Nike Air Vapormax .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. http://www.cheapairvapormaxsale.com/ . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Cheap Nike Air Vapormax .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. White Nike Air Vapormax . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Tamera Young scored 24 points, Elena Delle Donne added 22 and the Chicago Sky beat the Seattle Storm 92-88 on Friday night.Chicago (14-13) has won three straight and six of seven to move into a tie with Atlanta for second place in the Eastern Conference.Jewell Loyd had 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead Seattle (11-17), which has lost two of three and is tied with Connecticut for the eighth playoff spot. Sue Bird added 15 points and Breanna Stewart had 13 points, 10 rebounds andd five assists for the Storm.dddddddddddd.Alysha Clark converted a 3-point play to pull Seattle to 88-86 with 56.2 remaining. The Skys Courtney Vandersloot made a jumper from the top of the key before Loyd answered with a driving layup with 34 seconds to play to make it 90-88. Delle Donne missed on the Skys next possession, but Birds potential tying jumper rimmed out with 0.9 left. ' ' '