By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
Texas A&M is headed to the NCAA volleyball Final Four for the first time in program history, carrying momentum that few teams in the country can match.
The Aggies (27-4) will face Pittsburgh (30-4) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, in a national semifinal that also features Wisconsin and Kentucky on the opposite side of the bracket. The game will be televised on ESPN.
It is rare territory for a program still building its national identity, but after the path Texas A&M took to get here, nothing about this moment feels accidental.
“We just won the right to go to the Final Four and compete and hopefully win two more matches and win a national championship,” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “That’s something that you dream about doing, about building this program into what it is right now. And we’re not done yet.”
Grit forged on the road, tested on the biggest stages
Texas A&M did not sneak its way into the Final Four. The Aggies earned it the hard way.
They trailed Louisville 2–0 in the Sweet 16 before storming back to complete a reverse sweep. Two nights later, they walked into Bob Devaney Sports Center and knocked off No. 1 overall seed Nebraska, which entered the match undefeated and had not lost a home contest since 2022.
The challenge became immediate.
Nebraska jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the opening set, in an arena widely regarded as the toughest environment in college volleyball. The Aggies never flinched.
“I think it just is a true testament to our grit,” said senior libero Ava Underwood. “We truly believe in what we have going on here. We know the kind of volleyball that we play, and we’re not going downb without a fight.”
That belief showed up in the numbers.
Texas A&M outblocked Nebraska 17–8, hit .275 as a team, and forced a fifth set after surviving a marathon fourth set that featured 22 ties and ended 37–35.
“When we got to the point where they started to get a little bit nervous, I knew we were in it,” Morrison said. “Those are the things that make me think we have championship DNA right now.”
Kyndal Stowers’ improbable return reaches the sport’s biggest stage
Few stories at the Final Four carry more emotion than Kyndal Stowers’.
A year ago, Stowers was in medical retirement after suffering multiple concussions while at Baylor.
On Sunday night, she helped push Texas A&M into the Final Four with 25 kills, 16 digs and 26 points against Nebraska, leading the Aggies in one of the most physical matches of the tournament.
“I wasn’t even playing volleyball last year,” Stowers said. “And now you’re taking me to the Final Four. That’s so special.”
Morrison still remembers the moment she was cleared to return.
“The tears that ran down her face and the tears that ran down her mom’s face,” he said. “They thought the thing that she loved was taken away from her and it was given back.”
A roster built for this moment
Texas A&M’s run is not the result of a single hot weekend. Morrison insists this roster was constructed with matches like these in mind.
“I was tired of hearing how good Nebraska was, and nobody was talking about how good we are,” Morrison said. “The world knows now. Not only are we good, but we’re gritty.”
The Aggies’ balance showed up across the stat sheet against Nebraska. Logan Lednicky added 24 kills, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla hit .600, and Maddie Waak directed an offense that finished with 71 assists. Texas A&M defended relentlessly behind Underwood, who recorded 48 digs.
“We have all the pieces that we need,” Underwood said. “Our coaches have done a tremendous job of preparing us for this moment and what’s to come.”
Volleyball fever grips College Station
The win in Lincoln did not end when the final point was scored.
When the team returned to College Station late Sunday night, hundreds of fans were waiting on the Aggies at Reed Arena to welcome them home. Attendance records have fallen all season, and the program’s profile continues to rise with every match.
“I got emotional,” Underwood said. “This is what I dreamed that this place would become for a volleyball atmosphere.”
Morrison believes that momentum is only beginning.
“I thought I could build a fever around the sport that I love,” he said. “And that’s happening right now.”
Texas A&M now steps onto the sport’s biggest stage against Pittsburgh, a team that was here last year. The Aggies have already slayed two of the sports biggest giants and now stand two matches away from a national title.
They arrive with confidence born from adversity, a roster built to withstand pressure and a fan base that has fully embraced the moment.
“Why not us?” Underwood said. “We know in our hearts that we’re very capable of winning it all.”
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