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NCAA settles

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6 months ago

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NCAA settles

0:06 spk_0

Welcome to Yahoo Finance Sports Report, a unique look at the business of sports brought to you by Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Sports. I’m your host, Joe Pompeiano, and I’m here to coach you through the financial game. Today, we’ve got Sportico legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter Michael McCann joining us to break down the House NCAA settlement and so much more. Let’s huddle up and get right into it.We are kicking off this week with Pop’s Playbook. Why take a look at some of the biggest headlines in sports that you and your portfolio need to know. First up, Warner Brothers Discovery announced earlier this week that it will split into two separate public companies by 2026. 1 company will be a streaming and studios business that will house WBD’s film and TV properties and its streaming service HBO Max, and the other company.will be a global networks brand that will include TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, and multiple other networks. Now, this book will impact the distribution of WBD sports rights in the US as TNT Sports major events are often available to stream on HBO Max. In a call with Wall Street analysts on Monday, WBD CFO said, quote, The US sports rights will reside at global networks, and itManagement team will determine the streaming and digital rights over time, end quote. But WWE’s statement still leaves a few questions. Will TNT sports events continue streaming on HBO Max once WBD splits, or will the new global networks company look to sell the streaming rights for TNT sports events to a different partner? We’ll see how the details shake out when WBD completes its split next year.Next up, the 125th US Open takes place this weekend at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and will have significant economic implications. Founded in 1903, Oakmont Country Club is one of the most historic venues in golf and will host the US Open for a record 10.This weekend. However, Oakmont is also one of the most exclusive clubs in the country, with a reported $200,000 initiation fee and $10,000 annual dues for its members. Big money will also be on the line for the 156 golfers competing at this year’s US Open. The prize pool for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst number 2 was worth $21.5 million with champion Bryson DeShambe earning $4.3 million for his second major win.And the event will be a major economic driver for the Pittsburgh area. 200,000 people are expected to attend the US Open at Oakmont, and the United States Golf Association estimates that the event will have a $200 million economic impact on the local economy through direct and indirect spending. To finish out, Wrexham AFC, the Welsh soccer club owned by actors Rob McElaney and Ryan Reynolds, is looking to sell a minority stake in the team at a $475 million.valuation, according to Bloomberg. Wrexham, which was recently promoted to the EFL championship, is reportedly seeking to raise funds so it can upgrade its roster and be a real competitor in its new league, which sits just one tier below the top flight English Premier League. Bloomberg also noted that Wrexham seeks additional capital to fund the construction of a new 7000 seat stand, which will increase the capacity of its home stadium to over 18,000 seats.Now, talks to sell a minority stake in the club are reportedly still in the early stages, and Wrexham hasn’t yet found a new investor. But if the club can sell a stake at a $475 million valuation, the sale would represent a 19,000% increase in value from the $2.5 million that McElaney and Reynolds paid for Wrexham in 2021. I’ll also have an update on another sports investment from Ryan Reynolds here in a few moments.This week for the deeper dive, where I give you a play by play analysis of news in the sports world and its significance to your bottom line, we’re talking about the rise of Sail GP. Now, last weekend I was in New York City watching 12 50-foot catamarans race each other in front of the Statue of Liberty for Sail GP, the fastest growing sports league you’ve never heard of. Sail GP was founded by billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and America’s.Cup legend Sir Russell Coots in 2018 to bring sailing out of the yacht club and into the mainstream. And even though the league is in just its fifth season, Sail GP has already built a thriving business model. Now think of Sail GP as the Formula One of sailing. There are 12 nation-based teams that compete in 13 Grand Prix events around the world, featuring several 15 minute sprint style races each weekend. TheseTeams compete for millions of dollars in prize money, with the season-long champion taking home a $2 million prize alone. However, unlike Formula One, where teams with the most resources regularly win races by building the fastest courses, every sail GB team uses the same 50-foot catamaran. These sailboats reach top speeds of 60 MPH and are powered by 78-foot wing sails, turning each race into an even competition.Sal GP is also one of the most innovative TV products in sports, with augmented reality overlays that track the speed and distance of each boat, and drones and chase boats supplying incredible footage with 4K stabilized cameras. The league is broadcast in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, has a broadcast agreement with CBS Sports in the US, and drew 1.78 million viewers for last year’s race in Spain on CBS. Now, while Sal GP’s TV and in-person products are outstanding, its business.It is even more fascinating. In just 7 years, CellGB has expanded from 6 teams completely owned by the league to 12 teams and has gone from 5 races to 13 races today. 10 of the league’s 12 teams are now privately owned, with teams selling for $50 million or more to investor groups that include celebrity owners like soccer superstar Kean Mbappe, actress Anne Hathaway, and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. And just last week, actors Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds became co-owners of the Australian LGB team.Additionally, Sale GP is expected to generate more than $100 million in revenue for 2025 through a diverse set of revenue streams. The league commands six-figure host fees from cities to host Sale GP events, with Auckland, New Zealand paying over $1 million to host the Grand Prix in January of this past year. And Sale GP.Receives millions each year from sponsors, including high-end luxury brands like Rolex, Emirates, and Accora Hotels. Now, Sale GP still has a long way to go if it wants to match Formula One’s global appeal and commercial success, but don’t count them out and keep an eye on their growth in the coming years because this once niche sport might just be the next big thing.We’ve made it to the one on one, a conversation where I get to break down news and sports with the key player in the industry. This week, we’re talking to Sportico’s senior sports legal reporter, Michael McCann, about the recent NCAA versus House settlement, which will pave the way for universities and colleges to directly pay their student athletes starting this year. Michael, thank you so much for joining the show today. I want to start right there. I mean, there’s plenty that we could talk about with the settlement, but if you could just do a quick explainer for people who may not know exactly what happened.

6:30 spk_1

Yeah, so last Friday, Judge Wilkin, the judge in the case, approved the settlement. The settlement is a game changer. It will have a couple big pieces to it. One is that athletes who played over the last eight years, Division One athletes will be paid over 10 years, about $2.8 billion. Now, most of that money is gonna go to football, it’s not equally distributed, but it basically compensates athletes for NIL deals they could have gotten money for broadcast, video games that were never published.So there’s a remedy portion to the settlement in terms of damages. That’s not as controversial as the other piece. The other piece that’s really gonna change college sports noticeably will be the injunctive relief, and specifically,Colleges going forward can opt into a system where they can share revenue with athletes. This is totally new, right? All the years of amateurism, that’s gone. Colleges and those in the power conferences will do it, others probably will not, but they can pay players a share of revenue up to what amounts to $20.5 million total. Now, schools that give most of that money to men could run afoul of Title IX, wouldn’t surprise me to see.Title IX litigation. The other piece to this is that there are no more limits on scholarships, so every athlete could conceivably get a full ride, which is great for the athletes, and there are now a roster limits, so the roster sizes in some cases will be a little bit smaller. College football teams are traditionally about 120, now they’re going to be 105, so some walk on athletes are gonna lose the spot that they would have had.The other piece is NIL review. So deals that are in excess of $600 will be subject to neutral review. NILO will be a new service that will basically try to figure out if the deals are in fact reflecting fair market value. If not, the athlete can dispute that in arbitration.So there’s a lot going on. If you’re a college athlete, here’s the thing, you now can get NIL deals plus a full ride plus a share of revenue. So, so for this is why we’re seeing athletes now sue to stay in school, right? Traditionally people want to leave school and go to turn pro. Now people want to stick around.

8:48 spk_0

Yeah, so Michael, my first question off of that, and I have plenty, is how do collectives fit into this, right? Because I think people over the last number of years have heard a lot about collectives, and the traditional college football fan especially probably views collectives as this organization that is essentially funneling money from boosters to athletes to.For their school. Now some of these collectives are a little bit more legitimate where they’re actually sourcing and sort of acting as an agency, but now that the school can pay you directly and those collective kind of like boosters deals are taken out of it because they have to be legitimate NIL deals, where does that leave the collective industry today?

9:22 spk_1

Yeah, you hit it, Joe. So the work that collectives were doing is now essentially shifting to the schools and athletic departments. Some of these collectives will be folded into athletic departments. Some of the people might be brought into the athletic departments, we’ll we’ll have to see on that. So the collectives now, as you say, could still do NIL deals, but they’ll be subject to this review process. They can’t be paid for play, so that’s gone.Uh, now what they could do is marketing, they could do, uh, perhaps brand development. I mean, there are a lot of folks with in collectives that are really talented at business dealings, they may be able to provide some assistance, but their role will probably shrink being honest about it. Now, there may be some collectives that still do what you said, that they still try to funnel money in, and, you know, this will, this will be a good test of how the enforcement process works.Because we could certainly see a scenario where NIL collectors, even if they’re not operating as a collective, they’re just operating more in the traditional what we grew up with sort of money going to athletes uh under the table. I, I don’t know if that’s gonna happen, but we’ll have to see.

10:26 spk_0

So how are schools actually gonna be paying this money, right? Where is it gonna be coming from? Because if you think about the big conferences, the SEC, Big 10, whatever, ACC, those schools can afford it based on the money that they’re getting from the conferences every year from media rights, but there’s a bunch of smaller conferences sort of on the longer tail, that maybe can’t afford $20.5 million especially just for a football team. How are schools thinking about funding this and how many schools do you think will actually reach that limit?

10:51 spk_1

Yeah, I, I think many will opt in but not go to 20.5 million, and Joe, you’re hitting at a real set of problems for colleges right now, cause it’s not just this, it’s not just coming up with 20.5 million or whatever fraction of that. It’s also the fact thatThe population pool is going down for colleges over the next several years, there’s the enrollment cliff hitting universities where there will be fewer US aged kids that will be applying to college, so there’s going to be more competition for students, meaning more uh scholarships and other ways of trying to entice students to go. And then there’s the fact that grants are being cut off, right? We know the federal government uh disposition is now to be more scrutinizing of grants or just cutting them off.Uh, also, if it’s a more difficult entry point for international students who tend to be full tuition payers, they’re having more difficulty now under the current administration. So there’s a lot of pressure points hitting schools. What are they gonna do to come up with this money? They’re gonna, I, I, you know, we’ll see what it would be raising student activity fees. I know that’s unpopular, but colleges sometimes do that as a way of making money. They may have to,

12:02 spk_0

what does that exactly mean? What, what, what do you mean by student activity fee?

12:05 spk_1

It means if you and I are classmates at a college and we’re paying $38,000 now we get a fee tacked on that used to be $600 and is now $1200 and our parents complained to us saying, why are we spending all this money, you better be studying, right? So it’s that fee, it’s that, it’s that fee that goes on the student, that’s one possibility and restructuring.I mean, this is gonna happen regardless of 20.5 million. We’re gonna see with lower enrollment, colleges, I think, go into serious restructuring where they need to maybe cut some departments, maybe even cut schools. I, we don’t want to see that happen, but there there are certain realities kicking in.

12:47 spk_0

Yeah, it’s sort of a difficult situation because if you look at the schools that are successful, like really successful in football, even schools that just have a lot of attention around them, like in Colorado or in Alabama, of course, or schools like that, the football program, uh, drives a lot of money for the school from enrollment and all that kind of thing, especially with out of state students that are charged more money. All right, everyone, we’ve got to take a quick break, but we’ll be back with more of my conversation with Michael McCann after this.Welcome back to Yahoo Finance Sports Report. I’m your host Joe Pompriano. I’m here with Sportico legal analysts and senior sports legal reporter, Michael McCann. I’m curious how you think about new revenue opportunities, right? Like, uh, I think it was last year, or maybe even 2 years ago at this point, we saw Tennessee implement the, uh, the tax on tickets, basically saying that this money was going to be used to fund NIL activities.And a lot of the fans actually seemed quite OK with it, right? Like if you’re paying a tax, at least you know what it’s going for. A lot of them are probably donating to NIL collectives anyways, at least in a smaller amount. So a 5% tax or whatever it ends up being on the ticket, uh, wasn’t a deal breaker for them. But I’m curious if you think we’ll see either more schools implement that or any other ideas that you’ve heard that they might be be implementing as well.

14:03 spk_1

Yeah, I mean, you’re right, the tax was surprisingly not, I didn’t receive a hostile reaction, at least from what we could tell. I, I do worry that that that model may be unpopular, or if we see it play out at other schools, the idea of paying a tax, I could see some objections to now, maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe the sports are so popular thatThey can just raise fees. Uh, you know, other ideas, I think better media rights deals is part of it, right? How, how is college sports being monetized in terms of not just TV but streaming? Are there avenues left unturned? Are there opportunities for really better negotiations and, you know, we’re seeing now general managers hired by schools. Part of that, part of their job is gonna be coming up with ways of expanding the revenue pool.So we’re gonna see some business folks brought in, uh, as you know, athletic departments have traditionally been run by, uh, you know, people like me, lawyers or compliance folks, and now I think we’re seeing some more business people brought in that may have creative ideas, particularly with licensing, particularly with with monetizing intellectual property rights, there’s all sorts of ways, stones that maybe there’s low hanging fruit as well, but there are certainly stones that haven’t been all turned.

15:19 spk_0

Yeah, we may be getting the NFL model where there’s select games on Netflix and Peacock for the SEC and other conferences like that. Um, but Michael, I would love to hear just your thoughts on how sustainable the $20.5 million dollar number is, right? Like, are we gonna go substantially higher than that, or do you think it’ll stay sort of there for a while?

15:36 spk_1

It’s projected to grow gradually about 10 to $12 million over the next 10 years, and it’s based on a formula. It’s based on a formula that the settlement has. So, I mean it could grow, right? It could grow if revenues go way up. And if, and if it turns out that college sports is worth a lot more than it’s generating, which some people believe, some people believe that that college sports should be.You know, if, if they had the, the insights of the NFL, they would be able to generate more revenue. Maybe that’s true. But I think the expectation is that it will be a fairly slow growth of that figure, which is also interesting because think about it, that’s 20.5 million for everyone in the athletic department, right? I mean, there are a lot of, a lot of athletes in that department. Does the quarterback say, I, I want 5 million andYou know, or does a school say, let’s put all of our eggs in the best running back. Let’s go all out for a running game. Or maybe a school says, we want, we want basketball to be our focus. We think we can put together a great team, forget the football team. We know we’re not great at that. We’re gonna put together the best basketball team, and we’re gonna use that 20.5 million on that. There are all these really interesting permutations that it that it seems like pro sports, right? This sort of sounds like uh pro sports.

16:52 spk_0

Yeah, it’s sort of an interesting look at it because it’s almost like Moneyball, right, where you’re trying to find where you get the best return on your investment, whether that’s specific players or whether that to your point with the basketball, uh, analogy there, whether that’s an entirely different team where you’re competing kind of as a bigger fish and smaller pond. It’ll be really interesting to see and, and again, to your point, uh, it’s part of the reason.Why a lot of these schools are hiring GMs and capologists and different things like that. But I, I would love to just double click on one thing you mentioned earlier in this conversation, which was some of the, uh, alternative sports teams, some of the Olympic sports, some of the non-revenue generating sports, and just get your feedback and insight on on how those uh teams might be uh impacted by the settlement.

17:31 spk_1

Yeah, I mean may expect that they will be adversely impacted by the settlement, that the settlement will funnel more money towards the revenue generating sports. Now, let’s remember, most colleges are not going to opt into the system. So in a lot of schools, the world’s not changing. The Ivy League is not changing. They’re keeping the same model. They’re not paying players. So, you know, in a way at the top schools, it’s possible that some sports, particularly the Olympic sports, particularly the sports that are played by men.Because Title 9 remains, remains an important law that will ensure that there are equal opportunities for women athletes. Uh, that, that may make it harder to say cut a women’s team than, uh, depending upon which men’s team we’re talking about to bring a number of roster spots. So yeah, I mean, I, I, I think the expectation is that the money will, I mean, it’s already mostly for certain sports, but I think that effect will be amplified.

18:28 spk_0

Yeah, it’s sort of an unfortunate situation because if you’re looking at a team that, you know, spends $2 million a year on salaries and expenses and other things like that, that’s $2 million that could go towards this for the football team that’s bringing in a lot of academics and things like that from a monetary standpoint, it certainly makes sense. Um, the, the last thing I want to touch on there is just the NIL go portion, right? You mentioned earlier that deals that are legitimate NIL deals, the Doctor Peppers of the world and other businesses like that.Those have to go through and get approved by NILO. Where do you think the line is drawn on this? So like, first off, who’s actually enforcing this? And then second off, like, where is that line gonna be drawn between what’s legitimate and what isn’t? Because as we know in college sports, there’s, you know, car dealerships in the hometown that uh are sort of legitimate, but also sort of not legitimate.

19:15 spk_1

Yeah, so Deloitte is the key player in this arrangement. They’re gonna be running NILO with the College Sports Commission. They’re gonna have authority. So what is, what is fair market value? Some would say fair market value is whatever the market will pay you, right? So if that car dealer wants to offer you, Joe, $2 million you’re worth 2 million. I mean that that that’s a not illegitimate argument.Now, that, that argument though is not one the NCAA would embrace. The NCAA would say, well, that money is really going to Joe because we want Joe to come to our school. He, his actual value in terms of his image, his likeness, uh, that’s not nearly worth that much. What we’re really paying him is because Joe’s this great football player that we want in our school. So this new entity will look at data points. They’ll look at, for instance, what other athletes in the same position.Would get an endorsement deal, and that car dealership, well, what have they paid in the past for endorsement deals? If they pay 10,000 bucks and they’re on local TV and then suddenly they’re offering you $2 million that that’s gonna raise some questions about the legitimacy of that transaction. And the smart thing that they did with this settlement is they have arbitration.That that is, that cannot be stressed more.

20:27 spk_0

Yeah, it sounds like we’re gonna have a lot less legitimate NIL deals whether people aren’t just gonna want to file them in time or whether they’re gonna get denied, it could be either, but uh certainly seems like there will be less. But thank you so much for joining us today, Michael. I learned a lot and I’m sure everyone else did too.

20:40 spk_1

Thanks, Gerald. Appreciate it.

20:43 spk_0

The clock is winding down here, but we have just enough time for some final buzz. So let’s talk about the trading card market for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gillis Alexander.The NBA finals are in full swing, with Game 4 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers taking place tomorrow night at Game Bridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. And while there has been plenty of action to discuss on the court, one player in the finals is dominating the collectibles market off the court. According to data shared at Yahoo by professional sports authenticator, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gillis Alexander is the most.Player in this year’s NBA Finals. Now, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the 26-year-old guard is popular among collectors. The Thunder have a chance to win their first ever NBA championship after a historic 68 win season. And SGA won his first NBA MVP award last month with 71 out of 101st place votes. But SGA isn’t just PSA’s most collected NBA Finals player.year. He’s the most collected player by a wide margin. PSA’s top three most collected 2025 NBA Finals players include SGA at #1, his Thunder teammate Chet Holmgren at #2, and Pacers superstar guard Tyrese Halliburton at #3. However, PSA’s data says that SGA has nearly doubled the cards graded than any other 2025 NBA Finals player this season.And what’s even crazier is that SGA alone has 2 times the number of cards greater than the entire Indiana Pacers roster combined. Now, this NBA final series is far from over. If Tyrese Halbburn keeps making buzzer beaters and the Pacers pull off a championship upset, Halliburton could skyrocket his value among card collectors. But as of right now, there’s a huge gap between SGA and every other NBA Finals player, and that gap could become even bigger if he adds an NBA championship to his resume this season.We’re all out of time, so it’s officially game over for this week. Thank you so much to Michael and for all of you for joining us. Please make sure to scan the QR code below to follow Yahoo Finance podcast for more videos and expert insights and catch us every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts. I’m your host, Joe Pompeliano. See you next time.

22:48 spk_2

This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services.

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Nebraska volleyball’s season ends with loss to Texas A&M in regional finals

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15 minutes ago

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December 15, 2025

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Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska volleyball’s historic 2025 season ended in heartbreak on Sunday.

The Huskers lost 3-2 to Texas A&M in the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament in front of a sold-out crowd at John Cook Arena.

Nebraska got off to a rocky start against the Aggies, losing the first set, 25-22.  Texas A&M didn’t let its foot off the pedal in the second set, again winning 25-22.

The Huskers showed life in the third set, thanks to a strong showing from Harper Murray.  Nebraska stayed alive with a 25-20 set win.

Murray and the Huskers then willed their way in the fourth set, overcoming a six-point deficit and winning 37-35.

But in the fifth set, Texas A&M took the lead and didn’t let go.  The Aggies won the set 15-13, handing Nebraska its one and only loss of the season.

Nebraska hadn’t lost a home game since Nov. 26, 2022, when the Huskers fell to Minnesota.

Murray led the team with 25 kills and Rebekah Allick had the second most with 15.  Nebraska finished the match with a .270 hitting percentage.

Texas A&M’s offense was led by Kyndal Stowers, who had 25 kills, and Logan Lednicky, who had 24.

The Aggies now move on to Kansas City, where they’ll face off against Pitt on Thursday.





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Texas A&M defeats Nebraska volleyball in NCAA tournament

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31 minutes ago

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December 15, 2025

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Texas A&M ends Nebraska volleyball’s undefeated season with five-set victory in NCAA tournament

PATIENT ON OUR ATTACK. AND THEN THAT STARTED TO WORK. LUCKILY, I THOUGHT OUR PASSING TOTALLY SNAPPED OUT OF IT, WHICH WAS GOOD. SO THAT DIDN’T REALLY AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME. BUT THEY’RE A GREAT TEAM, GREAT SERVER. THEY GO ON A RUN THAT CAN BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER. BUT YOU KNOW, THOSE THOSE MIDDLES ARE THEIR PHYSICAL AND THEY READ REALLY WELL. AND I JUST THOUGHT THEY DID A GREAT JOB. I WASN’T. I KNOW WE ALL WERE WATCHING THE GAME. SO I THINK ANDY WAS HITTING LIKE 100 AND NOTHING WAS GOING RIGHT FOR HER. SO I THOUGHT, OKAY, LET’S GIVE IT A TRY. AND SHE MADE A FEW PLAYS. AND SO WE LEFT HER IN THERE. AFTER THAT HOT START AND THAT, HOW IT SEEMED LIKE THEY TOOK A PLUNGE AND RALLIED FROM THAT. HOW HELPFUL WAS THAT FOR THEM, DO YOU THINK? I MEAN, I THINK IT STARTED WITH OUR SERVING AND PASSING AND I DON’T I DON’T WANT TO MISPRONOUNCE HER NAME, BUT NUMBER ONE, THEIR MIDDLE. SHE’S A GREAT SERVE. AND SHE SHE CAUGHT US ON THAT FOR THAT RUN. SO I MEAN I THINK WE WORKED ALL SEASON ON BEING FIRST TO FIVE, FIRST TO TEN, FIRST TO 15 AND SO ON. AND WE WEREN’T ABLE TO DO THAT WITH HER SERVE. AND I MEAN, CREDIT TO HER. SHE’S A GREAT SERVE. SO. I MEAN, WE WE REALLY TAKE PRIDE IN SERVING PAST, SERVE. AND I THINK IT CAUGHT US UP A FEW TIME SO. WHAT DID A&M DO SO WELL IN THE FIRST TWO SETS TO KIND OF HAVE YOU ON YOUR HEELS AND HAVE THEM PLAY CATCH UP? I MEAN, HONESTLY, I JUST FEEL LIKE THEY MOVED THE BALL REALLY WELL. AGAIN. THEY HAVE A PRETTY WELL BALANCED OFFENSE. THEY CAN FIRE ON ALL CYLINDERS. AND THEY DID THAT. AND I THINK AS A MIDDLE LIKE IT MAKES IT HARDER TO CLOSE. BUT I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE ONE STEP OFF, THEY THEY FOUND THAT SPACE AND THEY JUST CRUSHED IT. SO YEAH, THEY WERE RELENTLESS IN WHAT THEY SAW. WHAT WAS THE END OF THE FOURTH SET LIKE TEN SET POINTS? AHEAD, THREE MATCH POINTS. NOW YOU’RE TO PULL IT OUT. OH, GOD. I MEAN, IN MOMENTS LIKE THAT, I FEEL LIKE MOST OF US PROBABLY AREN’T EVEN THINKING, LIKE WE’RE JUST GOING BACK TO THE BASICS AND WE’RE ALL HYPER COMPETITIVE AND WE’VE ALL I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY BEEN IN A WITH GOING THAT FAR. SO I MEAN, IT’S HARD, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, LIKE WHOEVER WAS GOING TO WIN THAT HAD MORE WILL AND OBVIOUSLY THEY TOOK IT IN THE FIFTH. BUT I THINK THAT SET SHOWED THAT WE WEREN’T GOING TO JUST LET THEM TAKE IT FROM US AND ON OUR HOME COURT AND IN OUR GYM. AND IT DIDN’T TURN OUT THE WAY WE WANTED. BUT I THINK WE SHOWED A LOT OF FIGHT, AND THAT’S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALI? SHE STEPPED ON A BALL AND THAT. YEAH, THAT HAS A HUGE TON ON OUR TEAM. YOU KNOW, THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE WITH US THE WHOLE YEAR, WE’VE BEEN GREAT AT USING OUR DEPTH AND USE IT STRATEGICALLY. AND WE DID NOT HAVE THAT TODAY. AND SO AND TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN LITERALLY WITH THE LAST FIVE MINUTES OF WARM UPS, PRETTY TOUGH. WHAT EMOTIONALLY? WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH NOW? IT’S OKAY. TO BE HONEST. I JUST WANT TO BE AT MY PARENTS. I JUST WANT TO SAY BECCA HAS PUT HER HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS PROGRAM, AND. YOU CAN TELL BY HER FACE HOW MUCH SHE CARES. AND I THINK, LIKE, I DON’T EVEN CARE IF WE WIN OR WE LOSE, BECAUSE WHAT I TRIED TO TELL BECCA IN THE LOCKER ROOM IS THAT SHE’S GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE MEMORIES AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE’VE MADE AND WINNING AND LOSING. YEAH, IT’S A PART OF VOLLEYBALL AND IT SUCKS. BUT SHE SHE PUT HER HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS PROGRAM FOR FOUR YEARS, AND SHE’S LEAVING BEHIND A GREAT LEGACY AND HAS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF. WE ALL SEE HOW MUCH SHE CARES. AND I MEAN, IT’S UNBELIEVABLE. SO. OBVIOUSLY THE EMOTIONS ARE STILL FRESH AND YOU THINK YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE SEASON, WHAT IS GOING TO STAND OUT FOR YOU? I JUST THINK HOW THIS TEAM REALLY TRUSTED EACH OTHER AND TRUSTED THE STAFF. AND I KNOW IT WASN’T A COMPLETELY NEW TEAM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS NEW AND I JUST FELT LIKE EVERYBODY JUST WAS SUPER OPEN MINDED. AND WE WENT THROUGH THIS YEAR AND WE PLAYED A TON OF JOY, HAD A LOT OF FUN. WE WENT SUPER HARD AND. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE MAXED OUT LIKE WHAT WE HAD TODAY. WE MAXED OUT, YOU KNOW, AND IT’S A GOAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR THAT YOU LOOK BACK AND YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHY AS A COACH I DON’T FEEL LIKE UPSET. I KNOW WE DIDN’T MAKE MAKE THE FINAL FOUR. WE’RE NOT WINNING A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT WE MAXED OUT TODAY AND WE CAN WALK AWAY FROM THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON AND FEEL LIKE. WE GAVE IT OUR ALL AND LOOK BACK AND HAVE NO REGRETS. THAT’S WHAT I’M REALLY PROUD OF AND I HOPE THESE PLAYERS DON’T HAVE ANY REGRETS EITHER. HAS A GOOD FEELING, OBVIOUSLY. HAVE YOU GUYS KIND OF RALLIED AROUND HER, ESPECIALLY IN THIS MATCH WHEN THINGS WEREN’T GOING WELL? YEAH. IT’S TOUGH. I MEAN, SHE’S NOT FEELING HER BEST SO EVER AND IT’S HARD TO GO INTO THE LOCKER ROOM AND SEE HER, SEE HER FEELING THAT WAY BECAUSE I MEAN, SHE’S A BIG PART OF THE TEAM AND I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DID IT, BUT SHE FOUND A WAY TO STILL MAKE GOOD DECISIONS AND GET BALLS UP ON DEFENSE AND SET US. AND THAT’S NOT EASY. IT’S REALLY NOT. AND SHE’S BEST SETTER I’VE EVER PLAYED WITH AND WILL PROBABLY EVER PLAY WITH. AND THE FACT THAT SHE COULD GO OUT THERE FEELING AS SICK AS SHE DOES AND STILL WORK HER — OFF AND PLAY LIKE THAT IS IT’S TRULY AMAZING. AND I MEAN, YEAH, I LOVE HER TO DEATH AND YEAH, GREAT. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WITH. GOD? I SAID THIS IN THE LOCKER ROOM, BUT LIKE MY FRESHMAN YEAR, WE ALL SAW THAT. HOW THAT WENT AND WHAT HAPPENED A YEAR LATER AND WE HEARD SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE LOCKER ROOM JUST NOW SAYING LIKE, I’M SORRY, LIKE IT’S MY FAULT. AND NOT EVEN LIKE THE FANS AND THE COACHES AND US, LIKE IT’S ABOUT HOW HARD WE WORKED AND WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR AND MY FRESHMAN YEAR, I THINK WE ALL LOST SIGHT OF WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO. WE SET AN ATTENDANCE RECORD, WE WON THE BIG TEN, WE MADE IT TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH FOUR FRESHMEN ON THE COURT. AND THAT’S NOT EASY. AND I THINK MY BIGGEST MESSAGE FOR THIS TEAM IS JUST TO STICK TO THE PEOPLE THAT WE TRUST AND OUR SUPPORT SYSTEM, BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF, AND IT’S SO EASY TO FORGET THAT IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS. AND I KNOW MY FRESHMAN YEAR I DEFINITELY DID. AND I TRIED TO BLAME MYSELF. SO IT’S JUST TO THE FANS, TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS US. LIKE WE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DO WITHOUT THEM, AND IT SUCKS RIGHT NOW, BUT WE HAVE TO WALK AWAY WITH OUR HEADS HIGH BECAUSE WE DO SO MANY AMAZING THINGS EVERY YEAR, AND IT MIGHT NOT WORK OUT THE WAY YOU WANT TO, BUT THERE’S SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF. DOESN’T HAVE TO BE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FINDING ATMOSPHERE TODAY? I DON’T KNOW IF I’VE EVER HEARD THAT LOUD. I KNOW ON CHEESE PLAY LAST WEEK I THINK IT WAS AGAINST K-STATE. IT WAS SUPER LOUD. BUT I MEAN, TODAY IT WAS SO, SO LOUD. AND I’VE ALWAYS SAID THIS LIKE, IT’S HARD TO BEAT US IN OUR OWN GYM. AND THEY FOUND A WAY TO DO THAT. BUT I JUST I DON’T THINK WE COULD GET A LOT OF MOMENTUM GOING. AND THAT REALLY HURT US IN THE END. BUT I MEAN, WE’RE ALWAYS GRATEFUL TO BE HERE. WE’RE ALWAYS GRATEFUL THAT WE GET TO HOST, THAT WE GET TO PLAY IN BOB THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, AND WE’RE EXCITED TO BE BACK NEXT YEAR. REBECCA, DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE RETURNING PLAYERS NEXT? MAN. I GUESS TO THE RETURNERS, LIKE MY BIGGEST THING IS LIKE LEAD BY EXAMPLE. I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS LIKE I’VE ALWAYS RESPECTED LIKE RODRIGUEZ TO ME WAS THAT PERSON. I JUST FELT LIKE SHE MAYBE DIDN’T ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, BUT SHE ALWAYS MADE THE PLAY OR MAYBE EVEN IT WAS LIKE THE RANDOM HANDHOLD OR THE HUG, AND THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE IT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS VERY INTENTIONAL. I THINK JUST A LOT OF THEM LIKE, NEVER FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO BEAR IT ALL. IT’S NOT ALL ON YOU. AND LIKE, JUST GO DO YOUR THING. YOU DON’T GOTTA MAKE IT A BIG SHOW OR JUST GO BE YOURSELF. COME OFF THE BENCH. AND I’M REALLY HIGH PRESSURE MOMENT. WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT HER IN THE WAY THAT SHE HANDLED THAT? SHE’S NOT SURE. I THINK SHE’S VERY MATURE FOR HER AGE AND AS A COMPETITOR AND SHE LISTENS WELL. WE TOLD HER JUST TO HIT EVERYTHING AND SHE DID THAT. AND SO YEAH, I THINK IT’S A TESTAMENT TO HER MATURITY. PHYSICALITY AND BLOCKING AND TACKLING WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN A LITTLE BETTER. SO IMPACT THE MAGIC LIKE IT DID WITH JUST ANDY PHYSICALITY. OH, WHAT HE DID TO DO A LITTLE BETTER TO SPECIFICALLY FOR ANDY OR A&M. OH A&M I YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T REALLY TRY TO BOUNCE ON THEM BECAUSE THEY CAN MAKE THEIR SO PHYSICAL. EVEN IF THEY MAKE A LATE MOVE THEY’LL THEY’LL GET US. AND I THOUGHT WE KIND OF STARTED OUT THE MATCH TRYING TO DO THAT. AND OUT VISIT THEM. AND AGAIN THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. SO I THOUGHT AS THE GAME WENT ON, WE ADJUSTED WELL AND STARTED SWINGING HIGH AND. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE GOT A LITTLE BIT ONE DIMENSIONAL, BUT I THINK THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT MAYBE PASSING. I THOUGHT OUR PASSING WAS OKAY, BUT A LOT OF BERGEN AND YOU KNOW, KIND OF THAT GOT US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE. WAS THE END OF THE FOURTH SET. LIKE FOR YOU AS A COACH WHEN YOU’RE OUT OF TIMEOUTS, OUT OF SOB CHALLENGES? WELL, HONESTLY, I HAD A LOT OF CONFIDENCE. I MEAN, I DID HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT WE WERE GOING TO WIN THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE TRAIN ALL THE TIME, EVERYBODY TO DO EVERYTHING. SO, YOU KNOW, I HAD A LOT OF TRUST VIRGINIA COULD GO BACK THERE AND HIT US AND IT’S IN THE FRONT ROW. AND YOU KNOW, IT WASN’T LIKE A PANIC MOMENT WHEN WE RAN OUT. I WAS LIKE, WELL, THIS CREW IS GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THIS SET. AND I KEPT TELLING MYSELF THAT, AND IT WAS PRETTY GREAT TO SEE US, I DON’T KNOW, MAKE IT THROUGH TWO TIMES THROUGH WITH NO SUBS AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THEY WERE JUST REALLY CONFIDENT, EVEN THOUGH THEY HADN’T DONE THAT ALL YEAR. A COUPLE MORE AND GOING INTO THE FIFTH AFTER AFTER THAT. 735 AND KNOWING THAT THAT WAS DO OR DIE FOR FOR YOU, BUT NOT FOR THEM, DID YOU GET YOU GET ENGAGED OR JUST LIKE WHERE YOUR TEAM WAS AT EMOTIONALLY TO START THE FIFTH? AND MAYBE HAVE DRAINS URINE FROM THAT? I MEAN, I FELT LIKE WE WERE PRETTY READY. IT’S TOUGH. YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT OUR SETTER AND IT’S LIKE, ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE IT? AND SHE’S LOOKING AT YOU LIKE, I DON’T KNOW. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I FELT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WAS IN THERE, LIKE WILLING US TO WIN AND LIKE, OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THIS AS EASY AS WE CAN FOR BERGEN. AND WE HAD NO, WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION AT THAT POINT. SO I DON’T KNOW. I FELT PRETTY GOOD GOING INTO INTO THE FIFTH. AND WHEN YOU COME BACK LIKE THAT AND FIGHT THAT HARD TO WIN A FOURTH, YOU DO HAVE A LOT OF MOMENTUM AT A&M. THEY WEREN’T RATTLED BY THAT, OBVIOUSLY, AND THEY STARTED OUT STRONG IN THE FIFTH AND. YOU GIVE UP A COUPLE POINTS. THAT’S A GREAT TEAM. IT’S REALLY, REALLY HARD TO COME BACK. AND WE DID COME BACK FROM LIKE A FIVE POINT DEFICIT TO TO TIE IT. SO I FELT LIKE WE WERE WE WERE PRETTY R

Texas A&M ends Nebraska volleyball’s undefeated season with five-set victory in NCAA tournament

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Updated: 5:29 PM CST Dec 14, 2025

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Texas A&M ended Nebraska volleyball’s pursuit of a national championship.The Huskers rallied to force a fifth set, but the Aggies won 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13 on Sunday at the Devaney Center to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.READ MORE: Nebraska shares first look at Devaney Center expansion Kyndal Stowers led Texas A&M with 24 kills and Logan Lednicky had 22 kills as the Aggies handed NU its first home loss since November 2022.Harper Murray had 24 kills Rebekah Allick added 15 kills for Nebraska. The Aggies will face Pittsburgh on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Texas A&M will be playing in the NCAA volleyball semifinal for the first time in program history.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Texas A&M ended Nebraska volleyball’s pursuit of a national championship.

The Huskers rallied to force a fifth set, but the Aggies won 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13 on Sunday at the Devaney Center to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

READ MORE: Nebraska shares first look at Devaney Center expansion

Kyndal Stowers led Texas A&M with 24 kills and Logan Lednicky had 22 kills as the Aggies handed NU its first home loss since November 2022.

Harper Murray had 24 kills Rebekah Allick added 15 kills for Nebraska.

The Aggies will face Pittsburgh on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Texas A&M will be playing in the NCAA volleyball semifinal for the first time in program history.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.

NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |



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Nebraska volleyball loses to Texas A&M in regional final

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December 15, 2025

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — On Sunday in the Lincoln regional final of the NCAA volleyball tournament, Nebraska found itself in a position it hadn’t been in since August 31, 2025 against Kentucky: down two sets, needing a reverse sweep to win.

This time, a trip to the final four in Kansas City was on the line.

NU bettered Texas A&M in the third and fourth sets, with the latter ending in a 37-35 score, but could not overcome an early fifth-set deficit.

The Aggies avoid the reverse sweep, winning the fifth set 15-13, and will advance to face Pitt in Kansas City in the national semifinals.

Nebraska’s season ends with a 33-1 record.

Harper Murray had a career-high 25 kills for the Huskers and Rebekah Allick added 15, but it was not enough to hold off the Aggies.

In a crucial and extended fourth set, it took the Huskers 10 set points—while fighting off three Texas A&M match points—to win on a kill by Virginia Adriano.

Nebraska fought off two match points in the fifth set, but Logan Lednicky sealed the win for A&M.

She had 24 kills in the match, while teammate Kyndal Stowers had 25.

This marked Nebraska’s first loss since the 2024 national semifinals to Penn State, and it is the first time since 2022 the Big Red have lost at home and have not advanced to the final four.





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Wisconsin volleyball vs Texas score today: Live updates, channel

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December 15, 2025

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Updated Dec. 14, 2025, 6:17 p.m. CT



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Texas A&M volleyball beats Nebraska game score: Replay updates

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December 15, 2025

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Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) and outside hitter Taylor Humphrey (11) celebrate a score during the NCAA Division I volleyball playoff game against TCU at Reed Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 in College Station, Texas.

Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) and outside hitter Taylor Humphrey (11) celebrate a score during the NCAA Division I volleyball playoff game against TCU at Reed Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 in College Station, Texas.

Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman

Texas A&M volleyball experienced it all Sunday: surprising top-ranked Nebraska with a first-set win, then shocking the Cornhuskers by going up 2-0 with a second set win, then dipped in the third and survived a marathon fourth set to prevail in five, knocking off Nebraska 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13 in Lincoln, Neb.

The Aggies (27-4) will face Pittsburgh in the Final Four national semifinals Thursday.

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Kyndal Stowers’ 25 kills matched Nebraska’s Harper Murray’s 25, but the difference was the rest of the teams’ lineups. A&M got 24 kills from Logan Lednicky, including the winning kill on match point, but Nebraska’s next-highest scorer had 15. 

The Aggies hit .275 and had a season-high nine service aces.

Nebraska (33-1) hoped to repeat its Elite Eight comebacks of 2006 and 2008, when the Huskers started 0-2 before rallying to beat Minnesota and Washington in five sets. But the Aggies brushed off what could have been a letdown after missing out on three match points in the emotional fourth set to control most of the final set.

RELATED: Recap, highlights as Aggies reverse sweep to upset Louisville

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These were our live updates throughout Sunday’s match:

Elite Eight live updates  

Two points away from the match, A&M’s 13-11 lead became 13-12 on a Kyndal Stowers miss, but Logan Lednicky put the Aggies to match point (14-11) with a big kill.

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Nebraska’s Harper Murray saved one match point with a kill to make it 14-13 but then Lednicky put the match away with a kill.

Texas A&M has won 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13.

The Aggies will play in the Final Four, opening against Pitt on Thursday.

Texas A&M is two points away from the Final Four.

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Nebraska won two quick points out of the Huskers timeout on a Rebekah Allick kill and a Kyndal Stowers attack error, but a Stowers kill gave A&M a 13-10 lead.

But Nebraska’s Laney Choboy served an ace to make it 13-11, and the Aggies have called a timeout.

Texas A&M leads 12-7 in this fifth set.

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The Aggies went up 11-7 on a Morgan Perkins kill and then went up 12-7 on a Taylor Landfair shot that went wide.

The Huskers have called their final timeout.

This fifth set is going Texas A&M’s way, but don’t forget that Nebraska has won the last two sets with its backs against the NCAA wall.

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The Aggies have taken 5-3, 7-5, 8-6 and 9-6 leads in this fifth set.

Texas A&M couldn’t convert on three match points and Nebraska, after eight foiled set points, finally broke through for a manic 37-35 fourth set win to force the deciding fifth set.

Nebraska had captured momentum heading into Texas A&M’s timeout, and kept it going when a Kyndal Stowers attack error tied the match 19-19.

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Stowers redeemed herself with a kill to put A&M up 20-19, but Nebraska challenged. The Huskers lost the challenge, but then tied it 20-20 on a Rebekah Allick kill. Harper Murray put Nebraska up 21-20 with a kill, but Stowers answered to make it 21-21. That became 22-21 A&M on a Murray miss wide, but it was tied again 22-22 on a Huskers point.

From there, it was a dizzying finish to the set:

• Mania Ogbechie’s kill made it 23-22 Nebraska, but the Aggies tied it 23-23 on an Ifenna Cos-Okpalla block off a Harper shot. Nebraska went up 24-23 on a Virginia Adriano kill, but Logan Lednicky made it 24-24 with her 19th kill.

• The Huskers went up 25-24 on a Teraya Sigler drop shot, giving them their second set point. A Lednicky kill tied it up 25-25, which Nebraska turned into a 26-25 advantage on a Bergen Reilly kill. Ogbechie, a freshman who hadn’t served all season, served wide to make it 26-26 (Nebraska was out of subs). The Huskers then went up 27-26 for their fourth set point, which again was denied on a Stowers kill for 27-27.

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• Nebraska made it 28-27 (Allick), but a net error tied it up 28-28. A sixth set point was again foiled by a Cos-Okpalla block, tying it 29-29. Nebraska then went up 30-29 off a Lednicky miss, and it soon became a 31-30 Huskers lead. Lednicky made it 31-31 with a kill and the Aggies earned a match point off a Murray miss, 32-31.

• But Lednicky served into the net for 32-32. That forced Ogbechie to serve again, which she missed, to tie it 33-33. An Aggies kill from Stowers made it 34-33, which Nebraska tied 34-34 on an Allick kill. Nebraska went up 35-34 on a Stowers miss, which then was tied again on a Stowers kill.

• Nebraska went up 36-35 on a Murray kill, and then won the set on a Laney Choboy kill.

A 5-3 Nebraska run has the fourth set up for grabs.

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Logan Lednicky’s 17th kill of the match put Texas A&M up 19-14, which Nebraska cut to 19-15 on a Rebeka Allick kill and then 19-16 on Bergen Reilly’s service ace. That then became 19-17 on a Kyndal Stowers attack error. And another Stowers attack error made it 19-18 and the Aggies have called their final timeout.

A third straight kill by Logan Lednicky made it a 16-10 lead for Texas A&M, which became a 17-11 lead on an Emily Hellmuth kill, which then led to an 18-12 advantage. A Morgan Perkins attack error made it 18-13, and a kill from Harper Murray made it 18-14.

Texas A&M has called a timeout.

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Texas A&M came out of the Nebraska timeout with a quick point off a Huskers attack error, leading 11-7, but a Taylor Landfair kill stopped a 4-0 Aggies run. But Kyndal Stowers put A&M up 12-8, which Nebraska’s Harper Murray turned into 12-9 on another kill from her.

But a Huskers service error put A&M up 13-9, which Nebraska then cut to 13-10 off an Andi Jackson kill. The Aggies then pushed that lead to 15-10 on a pair of Logan Lednicky kills, and the Huskers have called their final timeout, trailing 15-10 and down 2 sets to 1.

This fourth set was back-and-forth, but Texas A&M has gained momentum. The Huskers were up 5-2 early, but a 4-1-run for A&M has given the Aggies a 10-7 advantage.

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Nebraska, trailing 2-1 in sets, has called a timeout.

Texas A&M and Nebraska are headed to a fourth set.

The Aggies and Huskers traded points out of the A&M timeout to make it a 21-18 Nebraska lead, which became 22-18 after a Logan Lednicky shot that went wide.  A&M made it 22-19, but Kyndal Stowers’ serve then went long, giving the ball back to Nebraska, which then went up 24-19 after a Lednicky error.

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On set point. Emily Hellmuth had a kill to make it a 24-20 score, but Harper Murray gave the Huskers the set with her 16th kill.

A&M’s timeout at 10-5 was a good move. A 4-0 run made it a 10-9 game, which the Huskers extended to 11-9 on a Harper Murray kill. Teraya Sigler’s service ace made it 12-9, but Ifenna Cos-Okpalla stopped the bleeding with a kill.

But a quick kill from Rebekah Allick and a Virginia Adriano kill made it 14-10. A&M, down to its final challenge, successfully challenged a net infraction that turned it into a 13-11 game which soon became 14-12 after Emily Hellmuth’s ninth kill of the match. The Huskers and Aggies went back and forth from there 16-15 Nebraska, 17-15 Nebraska and then 18-15 Nebraska after a Kyndal Stowers attack error.

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But Stowers made up for it with a kill for 18-16, then Tatum Thomas’s service ace made it 18-17.

An Allick kill made it 19-17 and Murray made it 20-17 on her 15th kill.

The Aggies, up 2-0 in sets, have called timeout at 20-17.

Nebraska, facing a do-or-die situation in the third set, doesn’t look like it will go down easy.

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The Huskers have jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the third set after a Harper Murray kill, a Bergen Reilly ace and a Virginia Adriano kill.

A&M has called a timeout, trailing 10-5.

The Aggies won the first two sets 25-22, 25-22.

Texas A&M is one set away from advancing to the Final Four after shocking No. 1 Nebraska by taking the first two sets in their NCAA regional final in Lincoln, Neb.

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After taking a timeout leading 24-22, Logan Lednicky’s kill down the line gave the Aggies the set.

Through two sets, Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers each have 10 kills to lead the Aggies. Lednicky has seven. A&M is hitting .292 to Nebraska’s .275 and has eight aces to Nebraska’s three.

Up 24-20, Nebraska won back-to-back points to cut A&M’s lead to 24-22.

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The Aggies have called a timeout.

An Emily Hellmuth kill (her eighth of the match) put Texas A&M up 20-16, which became 21-16 after a Nebraska attack error. The Huskers cut that to 21-17 off a Taylor Landfair kill. Kyndal Stowers’ eighth kill made it 22-17. Nebraska cut it to 22-18, but Stowers made it 23-18. Logan Lednicky made it 24-20.

Nebraska called a timeout trailing 14-11 in the second set, but the break didn’t do the trick. Texas A&M has battled for a 19-15 advantage off kills from Morgan Perkins and Emily Hellmuth, and the Huskers have called another timeout.

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The Aggies have eight aces so far. That’s a season high.

After dropping the first set 25-22, Nebraska opened the second set with an ace, but soon the set followed the first-set storyline: back and forth, with A&M getting the advantage on the longer points but the Huskers faring better up front at the net. 

Taylor Landfair crosscourt shtot made it 11-10 Nebraska, but the Aggies ralled for a 14-11 lead.

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The Huskers have called a timeout.

Texas A&M has made a big statement in this match, shocking Nebraska by taking the first set 25-22.

The Aggies trailed 15-10, then went on a 10-0 scoring run to turn their deficit into a 20-15 lead.

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From there, it was back and forth. An Emily Hellmuth service error made it 22-21, and Morgan Perkins’ kill put A&M up 23-21. The Cornhuskers answered to make it 23-22, but Kyndal Stowers’ kill made it 24-22 and then the Aggies won the set on a service ace.

Hellmuth and Stowers are leading the way early; they both have five kills to lead the team.

It was only the third time Nebraska has dropped the opening set all season.

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Where: John Cook Arena at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.



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Texas hosts Wisconsin with Final Four berth on the line

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December 14, 2025

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In the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns (26-3) face the No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers (27-4) in an Elite Eight matchup at Gregory Gymnasium on Sunday, a rematch of the sweep by the Longhorns in the 2025 Opening Spike Classic This is the second time that the two top ten powerhouses have faced each other this season with the No. 1 seed Longhorns sweeping the No. 3 seed Badgers 2025 Opening Spike Classic in Madison.

The early-season win by Texas capped a successful weekend in Wisconsin following a sweep of then-No. 12 Creighton and marked the fourth straight win by the Horns over the Badgers, including a 3-1 victory in the 2023 Final Four that launched head coach Jerritt Elliott’s team into the title game where they won a second straight national championship.

That matchup features a balanced attack for Texas as freshman outside hitter Cari Spears notched a team-high 11 kills, fellow freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal added 10 kills, and junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford had nine.

Wisconsin enters Sunday’s match fresh off a victory over No. 2 seed Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen, swinging .420 against the Cardinal for their first top-10 win on the year. Wisconsin leads the nation in kills per set at 15.10, edging Texas at 14.85. Leading the Badgers is outside hitter Mimi Coyer, who enters the match with 543 kills on the year alongside setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who averaged 15.25 assists per set against Stanford. Outside hitter Una Vajagic collected her 10th double-double of the season with 13 kills, 11 digs, and a hitting percentage of .444, while middle blockers Carter Booth and Alicia Andrew also excelled. Booth racked up 14 kills while hitting .700. The Badgers are trying to punch their ticket to the Final Four for the sixth time in program history.

The No. 3 Longhorns hold the edge in their series against the Badgers, 8-4, with a 3-1 record in the postseason The two teams rank in the top-three in hitting percentage, with Wisconsin owning a slight advantage at .326 to Texas .317.

Leading the Longhorns is junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford who is ninth in the country with a 4.78 kills per set average and 10th in the NCAA with 5.35 points per set. Stafford has recorded 11 double-doubles on the season while middle blocker Ayden Ames is just four blocks shy of 200, one kill from 300, and sits fifth in the SEC with a .380 hitting percentage.

Setter Ella Swindle holds the ninth slot in assists per set at 9.01 surpassing 2200 career assists while libero Emma Halter holds the back line down ranking 10th in digs per set with 3.61 and No. 8 on the Texas all-time career digs list with 1,294.

True freshman Cari Spears has recorded 346 kills, averages 3.26 per set and is hitting .294 for the Longhorns with the help of middle blocker Nya Bunton who stands tall at the net with .339 hittiing percentage.

The deep bench for the Horns has been a force for Texas, led senior Whitney Lauenstein, who has stepped up the tournament by hitting .250 against Indiana and .571 against Florida A&M.

First serve is at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN.



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