KANSAS CITY, MO ― With No. 1 overall seed Nebraska out of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament, which one of the Final Four teams is in the driver’s seat? Actually, it’s anyone’s title for the taking.
For the first time in nearly 15 years, none of women’s college volleyball’s traditional blue blood programs (Nebraska, Texas, Stanford and Penn State) are in the Final Four. The Cornhuskers and Longhorns both lost in the Elite Eight, while the Cardinal failed to advance past the Sweet 16. The reigning champion Nittany Lions had an early second-round exit.
On Thursday, No. 3 Texas A&M plays No. 1 Pitt in the first of two semifinal matchups (6:30 p.m., ESPN). Both programs are seeking their first national championship. Following the Aggies-Panthers showdown, No. 3 Wisconsin takes on No. 1 Kentucky (9 p.m. ET). The Badgers and Wildcats have one national title apiece.With the pressure on to win a championship, let’s dig into the one question each team needs answered before their Final Four journey begins.
Will Pitt finally get over its Final Four blues?
It’s the elephant in the room for Pitt: Will the Panthers finally make it to a national championship? This year is Pitt’s fifth straight Final Four, and with every previous trip, the team has come up empty. Last season, the Panthers were the No. 1 overall seed and eliminated in the semifinals, 3-1, by the Louisville Cardinals. On Wednesday, head coach Dan Fisher and the team addressed their late postseason woes, but remained confident the experience would help them.
“Since so many people have been here before, we were able to prepare the newer players coming into this experience what to expect,” Pitt right side hitter Olivia Babcock said. “We’re also able to just remind them constantly … [to] stay locked in at the goal at hand. It is very easy to get distracted. I think those players are going to help our newer players be able to hone in on the task.”
Can Texas A&M shock the volleyball world again?
Over one million fans watched Texas A&M take down volleyball powerhouse Nebraska in the Elite Eight. The five-set thriller included a 10-0 Aggies run the first set, 10 Cornhuskers set points and three Texas A&M match points in the fourth set, plus two more Aggies match points in set five. Despite Nebraska throwing everything it had at Texas A&M, the Aggies dominated from the beginning. They slowed down Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson, leaned into their service pressure and blocking and forced the Cornhuskers to try beating them with anyone else.
Texas A&M’s arrival at the Final Four now begs the question: Can it pull off another massive upset against No. 1 Pitt? Aggies opposite Logan Lednicky shared the message she’s gave her team to keep them focused. “I think not letting all the cool stuff that is this Final Four kind of distract us,” Lednicky said.” I think [Texas A&M coach] Jamie [Morrison] has talked about a lot like, we’re here to play. That’s our job. So honing in, focusing in practice, tuning up all the things we need to get ready for the match [Thursday], then [the] match Sunday.”
Will Wisconsin’s win streak end?
Wisconsin has a 13-match winning streak coming into the Final Four. The Badgers’ streak, which dates back to the regular season, includes NCAA tournament wins against No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas. After its 3-1 upset win over the Longhorns, middle blocker Carter Booth, who is the only player on the team with Final Four experience, said, “I refuse to f—— lose.” Booth’s viral quote has become a rallying cry for the Badgers, propelling their confidence leading into the Final Four. However, will Wisconsin’s inexperience at this level end be an issue? Booth doesn’t appear to think so.
“I’ve always been fiercely competitive … it just comes from a determination that this team has found to prove to people who we are, the work that we’ve put in this entire season,” Booth said. “Coming into this tournament, we talked about the second you think something is owed to you is the second you lose ― the second your season is over. The other side of that is nothing is owed to anyone, which means anytime you step out there, it’s anyone’s game. It does have to be an active refusal or active search for a win, for a championship, as you move through this because it’s not just going to fall into anybody’s lap.”
Will Kentucky melt under the pressure?
The Wildcats have 10 straight wins, dating back to the regular season, over ranked opponents, including No. 8 UCLA and No. 3 Creighton during the NCAA tournament. The pressure to continue knocking off the best teams in volleyball becomes much more intense during the Final Four, begging the question: How will the Wildcats handle this environment?
“The trust that we have in each other, ” Kentucky outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye said. “We all have been talking all year-round about our why: Why we continue to play, why we just love what we’re doing. I think that just has carried out through those big matches because there is so much pressure in those matches. I think just bouncing off one another has truly helped. It’s just fun.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Logan Lednicky had 11 kills, Maddie Waak had 29 assists and Texas A&M won its first NCAA volleyball championship, sweeping Kentucky 3-0 on Sunday.
The Aggies (29-4) accomplished the rare feat of defeating three No. 1 seeds. They defeated Nebraska and Pittsburgh earlier in the tournament. They did not drop a set in the final four.
Texas A&M led 13-10 in the third set before a kill by Lednicky started a 6-1 scoring run for a commanding 19-11 lead, six points from the national championship.
At 24-18 in the third set, Kentucky held off a couple of match points before the Aggies took advantage of a free ball and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla delivered the championship point, crushing a set from Waak out of the middle.
Kyndal Stowers finished with 10 kills and hit .304. Cos-Okpalla added eight kills, hitting .235 and Lednicky hit .250.
Eva Hudson had a match-high 13 kills for Kentucky and Kassie O’Brien had 34 assists.
The Aggies hit .257 as a team, compared to Kentucky’s .148.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-15, 25-20.
The Aggies trailed throughout the first set until they tied the score at 20 and also saved a set point to tie it at 24. The Aggies took their first lead at 25-24 on an attack error by Kentucky’s Brooklyn DeLeye, her fifth of the set. Stowers finished off the 26-24 first-set win for the Aggies with a tip off the Kentucky block.
After taking that 25-24 lead, the Aggies did not trail at any point in the rest of the match.
Kentucky (30-3) continued to struggle at the net in the second set. The Wildcats had nine errors in the first set and six more while falling behind 19-9 in the second. The Aggies continued to dominate, winning 25-15 after outhitting their SEC rival .253 — .077.
Stowers and Lednicky had eight kills each in the first two sets, with Stowers hitting .368 and Lednicky .240.
For the first time in program history, the Aggies were crowned NCAA Volleyball champions after sweeping SEC rival Kentucky in three sets on Saturday.Fanatics/Canva
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The Texas A&M Aggies are national champions!
For the first time in program history, the Aggies were crowned NCAA Volleyball champions after sweeping SEC rival Kentucky in three sets on Saturday.
Fans can show their Aggies pride with commemorative championship gear at Fanatics here.
You can also browse a variety of Texas A&M volleyball merch on Fanatics — like this Texas A&M Aggies Volleyball Pullover Hoodie, this Texas A&M Aggies GameDay Greats Pick-A-Player Jersey or this Texas A&M Aggies Volleyball Long Sleeve T-Shirt.
NCAA Volleyball Tournament
Final Four Results
Thursday, Dec. 18
Texas A&M 3, Pittsburgh 0
Kentucky 3, Wisconsin 2
Elite Eight Results
Saturday, Dec. 13
Kentucky 3, Creighton 0
Pitt 3, Purdue 1
Sunday, Dec. 14
Texas A&M 3, Nebraska 2
Wisconsin 3, Texas 1
Sweet 16 Results
Thursday, Dec. 11
Creighton 3, Arizona State 1
Kentucky 3, Cal Poly 0
Pitt 3, Minnesota 0
Purdue 3, SMU 1
Friday, Dec. 12
Texas 3, Indiana 0
Wisconsin 3, Stanford 1
Texas A&M 3, Louisville 2
Nebraska 3, Kansas 0
Joey Chandler is a sports commerce reporter for NJ.com. She’s earned Associated Press Sports Editors honors and won first-place writing awards for features, columns and breaking news in Ohio, Alabama and North…
Local high school runners have once again shifted to the oval following an exciting cross country season as the indoor track schedule has begun with the PVIAC’s weekly meets kicking off on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Smith College’s Indoor Track and Tennis Complex will once again host the competitions that feature teams throughout western Massachusetts. Meets will take place on the weekends, either on Saturday or Sunday, until the MIAA postseason commences in early February.
Here’s a closer look at all six area teams:
Amherst
The Hurricanes should be contenders once again this winter. The girls squad lost a fair amount of talent from last season, but as the cross country season showed, runners are always waiting in the shadows to step up for Amherst.
Ololara Baptiste returns with the most accolades for the ‘Canes girls as the junior was part of the state-championship winning 4×200-meter relay quartet last year. Ella Jamate (mid-distance), Juliana Albo (sprints, field events) and Genevieve Dole (long distance) will round out Amherst’s depth.
The boys will look to see continued growth from Nico Lisle (mid-distance) and Wesley Dunford (field events) this season.
Northampton
An encouraging cross country campaign should carry over into the indoor season for the Blue Devils, who bring back some skilled athletes.
Mairead O’Neil will be the catalyst for the girls team as the reigning Western Mass. cross country champion will attack the mile and 2 mile events for Northampton this winter. Ella Hoogendyk should collect plenty of points for the Blue Devils in field events as the senior will compete in the long jump, high jump and 600. Maddalena Figueroa-Starr (mid-distance, long distance) Maya Zink (long distance) and Allie Sullivan (sprints, field events) are other athletes to watch.
The boys team’s strength will reside in the long distance events, led by Gus Frey and Henry Daggett as Northampton’s 2-milers. Kai Webster (mid-distance) is another name to keep an eye on for the Blue Devils.
Holyoke
Yasani Thompson brings back a winning pedigree to the Purple Knights’ girls team this winter as the defending state champion in the 300. The senior will also strive to qualify for the New England Championships, according to fifth-year head coach Matt Benoit.
Seniors Ryan Kennedy (short, mid-distance) and Jaybriel Rivera Soto (short distance) will carry the Holyoke boys.
Frontier Regional
Expect the Redhawks to be in and around the top of the Valley North standings as both the boys and girls teams have impressive athletes sprinkled throughout their rosters.
The Frontier boys have a pair of seniors in Luke Howard (long distance) and Adrien Pazmandy (sprints) that’ll acquire the bulk of its points. Last season, the Redhawks won the league title after going 13-0. Head coach Walter Flynn enters his fifth season at the helm.
The Frontier girls have a near even split between returners and newcomers this winter. Maddie Antes, Julia Morse and Ashley Rivard count as the Redhawks’ senior class, while the Flagollet sisters (Emmanuelle and Louise) highlight their new runners. Louise Flagollet was Frontier’s top cross country runner on the girls team this past fall.
Head coach Bob Smith, who is in the midst of his 47th season leading the Redhawks, feels experience and team pride are the strengths of this year’s team, while sprints will be an area to grow.
Hampshire Regional
The Raiders girls have a handful of distance runners that’ll secure plenty of points this winter. Brooke Hockenberry, Charlotte Letendre and Kathleen Barry all earned first or second-place finishes at the first PVIAC meet.
Hampshire’s boys trio of Aidan Conklin (mid-distance), Owen Cubi and Oscar Schiff (both long distance) will surely be athletes to keep track of for the Raiders.
South Hadley
The Tigers may not have the high-end talent as some of the other Hampshire County teams, but both boys and girls teams have several athletes who will hold their own on the oval.
Grace Cooney and Margaret Healey raced well in the first PVIAC meet and will anchor South Hadley’s girls’ distance crew.
For the boys squad, Matt Gillis (sprints, field events) and Trevor Sullivan (long distance) are two Tigers athletes who can make an impact this season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jamie Morrison was confident for good reason.
The Texas A&M volleyball coach saw greatness in his team before its stunning run through the final two weekends of NCAA Tournament play. As underdogs by seed in each of its last four matches, A&M dispatched three No. 1 seeds consecutively, culminating Sunday with a three-set victory against Kentucky at T-Mobile Center.
The Aggies won 26-24, 25-15, 25-20 to take home their first national championship in women’s volleyball. They are the 13th program in 45 years to hoist the trophy.
A&M’s quartet of All-Americans led the way again. Logan Lednick paced the Aggies with 11 kills. Kyndal Stowers added 10. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla notched eight kills and four blocks. Setter Maddie Waak dished out 29 assists.
Morrison, the third-year A&M coach, came to Aggieland in December 2022 as the centerpiece move of former athletic director Ross Bjork as part of an effort to “strategize differently and envision a new approach” as volleyball emerged as a rising sport nationally.
In his first collegiate head-coaching post, Morrison directed A&M to the opening round of the postseason tournament in 2023, losing at Texas, the eventual national champion. The Aggies fell in the round of 16 a year ago against perennial power Wisconsin.
A&M entered regional play in Lincoln, Neb., as the No. 3 seed, but Morrison said that he and the Aggies weren’t scared of elite competition. They won the final three of five sets in a reverse sweep against Louisville to stay alive, then pulled the upset of the season in defeating No. 1-ranked and previously undefeated Nebraska in a five-set thriller.
By comparison, the Aggies’ first Final Four was a walk in the park. They swept Pitt, another top regional seed, on Thursday. And on Sunday, A&M made fast work of the lone remaining No. 1 seed.
The Aggies trailed throughout much of the first set, and by as many as six points. Down 18-12, they used a 4-0 run capped by a Stowers kill to get within two points for the first time since it was 2-0. The Aggies tied it for the first time at 20 on a block of Eva Hudson and won the opening set on another Stowers kill.
They did not trail in the second or third sets. The championship point came on a kill by Cos-Okpalla.
In this all-SEC final, the title was a second for the conference. Kentucky won the league’s first in the 2021 spring season, moved from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A&M avenged an Oct. 8 defeat in College Station. Kentucky had lost previously this season only against Nebraska and Pitt.
It was a big day for the Big Blue Nation as the Kentucky Volleyball team played Texas A&M for a National Championship in Kansas City. In the first-ever all-SEC championship match, the Cats got swept as they fell 3-0 to the Aggies.
The Cats came out hot, leading the majority of the first set by five or six points, as they put the Texas A&M squad on their heels.
However, coming out of a time-out, the Aggies’ defense flipped a switch, and they never looked back. Whether it was in the block or in the outside hitting, Craig Skinner’s squad could never quite get into rhythm, ending a special season for the program in Lexington.
With this, we will say goodbye to one of the best players to wear the UK jersey in Eva Hudson. It was a special season for the Purdue transfer that came up just one win short. However, the Cats could return the majority of their roster next season, setting up for another special run in 2026.
