LINCOLN, Neb. – A memorable comeback attempt fell just short for the Nebraska volleyball team Sunday afternoon in a five-set loss to No. 6 Texas A&M in front of 8,650 fans at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Texas A&M won the first two sets to become just the third team this season to win two sets against the Huskers. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Nebraska fought back to win the third set then fought off three match points en route to winning the fourth set, 37-35. But the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback as the Aggies were victorious in the fifth set by a 15-13 margin.

Nebraska ended its season with a 33-1 record while Texas A&M (27-4) advanced to the NCAA Semifinals. Kyndal Stowers (25) and Logan Lednicky (24) each finished with more than 20 kills for Texas A&M, while Morgan Perkins had nine blocks.

Harper Murray paced the Husker offense with a career-high 25 kills, but Texas A&M had more kills (75 to 73) and a higher attack percentage (.275 to .270) than Nebraska. The Aggies also out-blocked Nebraska, 17-8. Bergen Reilly had 58 assists and 13 digs to post a double-double. Rebekah Allick had 15 kills on 25 swings and hit .480 in the match with four blocks. Reilly (13), Olivia Mauch (13) and Laney Choboy (10) each had double-figure digs for the Big Red.

Set 1: Murray had a block, a kill and an ace as the Huskers built a 6-2 lead. Kills by Reilly, Murray and Allick made it 10-3 Big Red. The Aggies pulled within 11-8 after a 5-1 spurt. Allick produced a pair of kills and Adriano tallied another to put NU up 15-10. But a 10-0 run by the Aggies gave them a 20-15 lead. Manaia Ogbechie subbed in and terminated a sideout kill, and Landfair found the corner before Ogbechie connected again to make it 20-18. After a Logan Lednicky kill, the Huskers won a challenge that resulted in a kill for Murray, and a block by Allick and Reilly cut it to 21-20. But Stowers tipped a kill for set point and the Aggies won 25-22 with their fourth ace of the set.    

Set 2: NU rallied from down 6-4 to go up 8-6 with kills by Jackson and Landfair and an ace by Murray. But A&M went back in front 14-11 after a 4-0 run. Murray tooled a block for a sideout kill, but the Aggies answered with back-to-back blocks for a 16-12 advantage. Consecutive A&M kills put the Aggies up 19-15 as Nebraska took a timeout. The Aggies earned set point at 24-20. An Ogbechie kill and Aggie hitting error gave NU hope, but the Aggies won 25-22 on a Lednicky kill. 

Set 3: The Huskers claimed a 10-5 lead with Murray tallying three kills out of the gate. But Texas A&M cut it to 10-9 with four straight kills. An ace by Sigler, and kills by Allick and Jackson put NU ahead 15-12. NU led 18-17 when Allick and Murray posted kills for a 20-17 lead. Adriano added one, and A&M committed three errors down the stretch as the Huskers won 25-20 on a Murray kill. 

Set 4: A&M grabbed a 5-2 lead, but two Murray kills helped the Big Red get back even at 5-5. The Aggies rebuilt an 11-7 lead after a 4-0 run. Landfair ended it with a kill, but A&M went up 12-8 on a Stowers kill. The Aggies increased their lead to 18-11. NU roared back with an 8-1 run to tie it 19-19. Kills by Allick and Murray put NU in front, 21-20. Ogbechie recorded a kill for a 23-22 advantage, but an A&M block tied the score. Adriano terminated to grab set point for the Big Red, but Lednicky answered for A&M. Sigler found the floor for a kill, but Lednicky answered again. Reilly dumped a kill for a third set point try for the Big Red, but NU served out. A&M returned the favor, but Stowers terminated to keep it tied 27-27. Allick sided out once again for the Huskers to make it 28-27, but a block error by the Huskers tied it 28-28. Allick and Adriano teamed up for a block on the ensuing rally to make it 29-29 NU, but the Aggies came right back with a block. A&M committed an attacking error but followed with a kill to keep it tied. Ogbechie terminated, but so did Lednicky. The Huskers then hit wide to give the Aggies match point at 32-31. But A&M served into the net to keep NU alive. The teams then traded service errors to a 33-33 tie. Stowers and Allick traded kills for a 34-34 tie. A&M attacked wide to make it 35-34 NU, but Stowers got a kill off of NU’s fingertips to make it 35-35. Murray’s career-high 24th kill put NU ahead 36-35, and Adriano finally finished off the set in NU’s favor, 37-35.

Set 5: Allick and Adriano had early kills, and Ogbechie and Murray combined for a block, as the Huskers went up 3-2. But the Aggies gained a 5-3 advantage with a kill, a Husker hitting error, and a block. The Aggies hit long before a Murray ace tied it 5-5. A&M went ahead 7-5 when Reilly won a joust at the net to make it 7-6. But A&M scored the next three to go up 10-6. A service error ended the run, but A&M claimed a 12-7 lead after a kill and Husker hitting error. After a timeout, Allick posted her 14th kill to make it 12-8, and A&M hit into the net to cut the deficit to 12-9. Stowers answered with a kill to go up 13-9, but Allick answered for the Big Red with a kill. Choboy served an ace to make it 13-11, and A&M called timeout. Adriano and Ogbechie stuffed an A&M attack to make it 13-12, but Lednicky tooled a block for match point at 14-12. Murray stepped up with her 25th kill, but the Aggies got a kill from Lednicky to win 15-13.

Lincoln All-Regional Team

• Chloe Chicoine, Louisville
• Rebekah Allick, Nebraska
• Harper Murray, Nebraska
• Ava Underwood, Texas A&M
• Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M
• Maddie Waak, Texas A&M
• Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M (Most Outstanding Player)

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• With the loss, Nebraska fell to 137-39 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.778).
• The loss snapped Nebraska’s 33-match winning streak, as the Huskers ended the year with a 33-1 record.
• Nebraska fell to 18-16 all-time in NCAA Regional Final matches.
• The Huskers fell to 90-8 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 35-3 record at the Devaney Center.
• Nebraska saw its 29-match home winning streak in the NCAA Tournament snapped.
• Overall, Nebraska saw its 63-match home winning streak snapped, suffering their first home loss since Dec. 1, 2022.
• Nebraska lost the first set, snapping its streak of 48 consecutive sets won at home. The streak was the second-longest in school history and the longest in a single season.
• The Huskers fell behind 0-2, losing two sets for just the third time this season and falling behind 0-2 for only the second time this year (also against Kentucky).
• Nebraska was the first to 20 points in only one of the first four sets. The Huskers won the third set when they were the first two 20 points, and NU ended its season 96-0 when it was the first to 20 points in a set.
• Rebekah Allick finished with a career-high 15 kills, eclipsing her previous high of 13 kills.
• In Nebraska’s four NCAA Tournament matches, Allick had 40 kills and hit .576.
• Rebekah Allick finished her career with a .441 attack percentage and 88 blocks in the NCAA Tournament. Her postseason career attack percentage is the highest by a Husker in school history, while Allick’s 88 blocks rank No. 5 in Nebraska postseason history.
• Harper Murray had a career-high 25 kills in the match, eclipsing her previous high of 23. That marked the second time this season and fifth time in her career she had at least 20 kills in a match.
• Harper Murray had three service aces in the match. She increased her career total to 109 aces and passed Jennifer Saleaumua for the sixth-most aces by a Husker in the rally-scoring era.
• Bergen Reilly had a double-double with 58 assists and 13 digs, and she tied her season high with five kills and two aces.
• Nebraska ended its season with a team attack percentage of .351. That is a school record, breaking the previous record of .331 in 1986.
• Andi Jackson finished the 2025 season with a .467 attack percentage. That ranks as the third-highest season attack percentage in school history.
• Texas A&M hit .275 in the match, the highest attack percentage by a Husker opponent in 2025. The Aggies were also the only team to have a higher attack percentage in a match than Nebraska in 2025.
• Texas A&M also had 17 blocks, the most by a Husker opponent in 2025.
• The Huskers’ 37-35 victory in the fourth set marked the highest-scoring set in Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament history.

Match #31: #3 Texas A&M 3, #1 Nebraska 2
S1: A&M, 25-22; S2: A&M, 25-22; S3: NEB, 25-20; S4: NEB, 37-35; S5: A&M, 15-13
Records: Texas A&M (27-4, 14-1), Nebraska (33-1, 20-0)
Box Score

Major upsets often evoke Al Michaels’ ever-present 1980 question.

On Sunday, Texas A&M’s Jamie Morrison likely answered just as emphatically as he did last week inside Reed Arena:

“HELL YES!”

By taking down a Big Red machine of a different kind — the previously unbeaten Nebraska Cornhuskers — Aggie volleyball is headed to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

An already historic run turned miraculous when A&M (27-4) defeated Nebraska (33-1) on Sunday afternoon in five sets, as the Huskers’ happy place — the Bob Devaney Sports Center — watched the Maroon & White crash a Big Red party.

It is A&M’s first win over the No. 1-ranked team since 1995, and given the stakes, it’s much more significant.

“There is no little ounce of me that is scared of them, and I respect them a lot,” Morrison told the Aggies pregame. “I respect them, but I am not scared because we are prepared for this.”

Then, as if channeling Herb Brooks himself, Morrison added:

“I’m not scared because you were born for this as competitors to step out here and be in this environment, and it will be loud. Use your breath. Stay calm in those moments. It will be hard; they’re a good volleyball team, but we are prepped.”

From being prepped to now propelled to the college game’s biggest stage: The Final Four.

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In just his third season in Aggieland, Jamie Morrison is going where no Texas A&M volleyball coach has gone before!

Kyndal Stowers led the way with 25 kills on a .327 hitting percentage.

Logan Lednicky, already one of the greatest Aggie volleyball players ever, led the way with 24 kills and passed Hollann Hans (1,640) for third place on the Aggie leaderboard in career kills with 1,661.

Morgan Perksin and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla were dominant at the net with nine and eight total blocks, respectively. The latter moved into second all-time in program history in blocks with 556. She’s now six behind Jazzmin Babers’ 562 for the school record.

The A&M attack all began with Maddie Waak, who dished out a ridiculous 63 assists.

Before Sunday, the Big Ten champions had dropped just seven sets all season. As the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Nebraska had been undefeated at home since Nov. 26, 2022, and had swept eight consecutive matches entering the regional final.

No more.

Morrison’s senior-laden Aggies snapped all those streaks and have staked their claim, turning the “Something great is about to happen” prophecy into reality.

From a great opportunity, A&M just authored the program’s greatest moment.

What they have earned here tonight is a trip to Kansas City as the Aggies will face Pittsburgh on Thursday, Dec. 18, at the T-Mobile Center.

Of course, it’s easy to describe Sunday’s victory as a miracle, but Morrison’s program is filled with the precursor: Belief.

And they’ll carry that belief with them all the way to the Final Four.

More to come shortly.

When Elijah Claravall from Isabela first stepped onto a Taekwondo mat as a young boy, he could not have imagined the journey that lay ahead. What began as a childhood hobby soon became a lifelong passion—one that would take him across borders, transform him into a mentor, and inspire the next generation of athletes in Qatar.

Today, known affectionately as Master Eli, he is both a decorated competitor and a cherished instructor within the country’s vibrant Taekwondo community. His recent Bronze Medal win at the 5th Taekwondo International Competition in Qatar is more than just a personal triumph; it is a testament to the perseverance, dedication, and passion that have defined his remarkable journey..

A Beginning Rooted in a

Mother’s Guidance

For Master Eli, Taekwondo wasn’t just an activity — it was woven into his upbringing. His mother, a Karate Black Belter and national athlete, introduced him to martial arts early, laying the foundation of discipline and resilience that would shape the course of his life.

“With my mom guiding me, Taekwondo felt natural,” he recalls. “All my sisters trained too, but only my youngest sister and I continued. She’s now a varsity athlete at UP Diliman.”

He earned his 2nd Dan black belt only after college as his mother had always reminded him that the belt was secondary. She instilled in him that his focus should not be on the belt but more on developing his skills and harnessing character with self-discipline and respect — values that would later become cornerstones of his own teaching philosophy.

Though he briefly explored basketball because of his height, the pull of Taekwondo proved stronger.

“I set Taekwondo aside to try basketball, but after four years, I realized that it was in the sport of Taekwondo where I truly belonged.”

The Leap of Faith That Led to Qatar

A defining moment arrived when he learned of an opportunity to teach Taekwondo in Qatar. It was a decision that required courage — a leap into the unknown — but it also presented the chance to share his craft with a new generation.

When he joined the Pinoy Taekwondo Center (PTC) in Qatar, he discovered more than a workplace.

He found a purpose and a home.

Over the years, Master Eli became a pillar of the center. Children gravitated toward his warmth and patience; parents admired his consistency and values; fellow instructors respected his humility and quiet confidence. In Qatar, he did not just train athletes—he nurtured character, resilience, and self-belief.

This was where he truly became Master Eli.

More Than Just a Medal

At the recent 5th Qatar International Taekwondo Competition, Master Eli fought with focus and heart — qualities he emphasizes daily in his classes. Winning bronze was a powerful moment, not merely for him but for the entire PTC

community.

“When I stepped onto the podium, I wasn’t just thinking about my performance,” he says. “I was thinking about my students. I wanted them to see that hard work matters. That effort counts.”

For his young athletes, watching their mentor earn an international medal turned inspiration into reality. It showed them that dreams are not abstract ideas—they are reachable goals shaped by discipline and determination.

Inside the Dojang:

Where Champions Are Made

Within the walls of the dojang, Master Eli is both firm and approachable—a coach who demands excellence but teaches with encouragement. His classes balance structure and motivation, creating an environment where students feel both challenged and supported.

“Kids don’t just need technique,” he explains. “They need confidence. They need someone who believes in them.”

Teaching a generation shaped by technology and constant change requires adaptability. As a Millennial guiding mostly Gen Z and Gen Alpha students, he takes time to understand their learning styles, interests, and motivations. The goal: to uphold the timeless standards of Taekwondo while making them meaningful to today’s young athletes.

Parents consistently speak of the transformation they see in their children—sharper focus, stronger discipline, and newfound self-assurance. For them, the secret lies in the atmosphere he creates: structured, inspiring, and deeply rooted in respect.

“I really enjoy teaching the kids,” he says with a smile. “Seeing them grow—not just in the sport but as individuals—makes everything worth it. When they carry the tenets of Taekwondo beyond the mats, that’s when I know I’m doing something right.”

Dreams, Goals, and the Road Ahead

Despite his growing accomplishments, Master Eli remains grounded. He aims to continue advancing his Dan level, return to international competitions, and help elevate PTC’s presence on bigger stages.

But above all, his greatest goal is simple and sincere: to build a legacy.

“I want my students to become strong athletes and strong individuals,” he shares. “Champions on the mat—and in life.”

From a determined young boy in the Philippines to a respected mentor in Qatar, his journey is proof of what happens when passion aligns with purpose. His story is far from over.

And for every child who bows before him in the dojang, and proudly calls him Master, it is a story worth watching — one kick, one lesson, one dream at a time.

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 3 Texas Volleyball program fell to No. 10 Wisconsin in the NCAA Regional Final, 3-1 (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25), Sunday night. Sunday night’s appearance marked the 18^th time in 20 seasons the Longhorns reached the Regional Final.

Texas finished the season 26-4 overall with 12 wins against ranked opponents, including a starting stretch of 18-straight wins.

The Longhorns saw freshman Cari Spears record 12 kills off 28 swings to hit for .321 against the Badgers. Senior libero Emma Halter posted a team-leading 13 digs and ended her Longhorn career with 1,307 – No. 8 on the UT All-Time list.

Set one: Despite a late rally to stave off five set points, the Longhorns dropped the first set behind Mimi Colyer leading Wisconsin with six kills. Junior outside Torrey Stafford finished with three kills and two of her four solo blocks.

Set two: Wisconsin was lights out in the second hitting .400 and siding out on a 66 percent swing. The Longhorns were limited to a .267 hitting percentage despite Whitney Lauenstein’s best efforts with four kills.

Set three: Texas battled back in the third to take its only set after hitting .400 with just 11 kills. Spears added three kills off six swings to lead the Horns in its efforts to tie the match.

Set four: Even though the Horns jumped out to a 4-0 run to start the set, the Horns were held to a .158 hitting percentage – its worst of the match. The Badgers jumped out to its biggest lead at 17-10 and went on to advance to the NCAA Semifinal.

 Both Spears and Stafford were named to the Austin Regional All-Tournament Team.