Some say it’s harder to reach the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four than to win it.
Just ask the University of Nebraska fans who counted on making the short trip down the road to Kansas City, Mo., with hopes of watching their top-ranked Huskers at T-Mobile Center in the heart of the city’s downtown.
But fans of the University of Pittsburgh’s women’s volleyball team have no empathy for the Huskers, who’ve won four NCAA women’s volleyball championships — including the last Final Four held in Kansas City eight years ago. Pitt has advanced to its fifth-straight Final Four since 2021, but it has yet to reach the championship match.
The fourth-ranked Panthers (30-4) hope to change that Thursday night in their semifinal match (ESPN, 6:30 p.m. ET) against ninth-ranked Texas A&M (27-4). The Aggies prevented the Huskers from singing, “Kansas City, here I come,” after a shocking upset in Lincoln, Nebraska, last Sunday.
That didn’t stop Panthers coach Dan Fisher from appealing on social media for Huskers fans in attendance to adopt Pitt as their favorite team.
“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take just the regular Kansas City volleyball fan,” said Fisher before Thursday’s semifinal. “Hopefully, we’ll turn a few and maybe have a little bit of a home-court advantage.”
Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics
Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher watches the team practice on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in anticipation of its NCAA semifinal match the next day in Kansas City, Missouri.
Before last year’s national semifinal loss at what essentially was a road match at Louisville, Fisher was presented a Louisville Slugger bat as a gift from the city. Despite the painful season-ending outcome, Fisher still followed through with his plan of displaying the bat in his Pitt office.
“I can simultaneously be proud of making the Final Four and be disappointed we didn’t advance,” said Fisher.
The Pitt Panthers are the first team since the Texas Longhorns, from 2012 to ’16, to make it to the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four in five straight years. The difference, though, is that the Longhorns captured two NCAA titles during their five-year run.
Pitt attacker Olivia Babcock, a 6-foot-4 junior from Los Angeles, California, was the Panthers’ ray of light after last year’s semifinal loss against Louisville — a game that Fisher called one of the toughest setbacks in his career.
On Nov. 2, in a volleyball road match at the University of North Carolina, Babcock had the most dominating performance of any individual Division I player this season. Babcock tallied 45 kills, the most for any D-I player since 2019.
Babcock, the American Volleyball Coaches Association national player of the year last year, is a finalist for the same award this year, but with a different surrounding cast.
“In ’23 and ’24, [there were] a lot of the same players, but this year we had to completely restart, and we were able to jell really well,” said Babcock. “I just love this team, and I think they’re really deserving.”
Most disappointing about last year’s semifinal loss was that it was the best Panthers performance to that point in their four-year Final Four run.
This year, the Panthers may have gotten a break. Before top-seeded Nebraska’s loss against Texas A&M, the Huskers had won 33 straight. Perhaps the curse of being a No. 1 seed? The Panthers were the No. 1 overall seed in last year’s NCAA tournament.
“I think a lot of it is mental,” said Andrew Diaz de Padilla, an assistant volleyball coach at Jacksonville University who attended the Panthers’ open practice session Wednesday as a Pitt fan after working at its summer volleyball camps.
“They got here to the Final Four [for the] fifth year in a row, and they finally don’t have to face a Nebraska or a Louisville,” he said.
Of the four teams in Kansas City, the highest-ranked team is No. 2 Kentucky. The total number of national titles among the four teams is two, one each by Kentucky and Wisconsin. Texas A&M is making its first trip to the Final Four.
To open the season in late August, the Panthers traveled to Nebraska for the AVCA First Serve Showcase in a star-studded four-team field. After a loss against Florida, the Panthers began the year 0-2.
But at that time, Babcock said there were some early lessons.
“There were just really high-pressure moments, and the pressure kind of got to us,” she said. “We made mistakes, and I feel like, moving forward, we want to capitalize on those moments. Apply pressure on them instead of letting the pressure get to us.”
Despite dropping those August matches, Fisher sees the same championship potential as he did at the season’s start.
“I think, when we’re playing at our best, we’re really good. We don’t know what the outcome will be, but we certainly know how good we can be, so [we’re] just trying to be ourselves,” he said.
The Panthers went on to win 30 of their next 32 matches this season after the 0-2 start. The only losses after the AVCA First Serve Showcase were against the University of Miami and Stanford University, both on the road.
Without the Huskers or the Longhorns, who have combined to win nine NCAA titles, the door appears to be open for Pitt.
But like the fans from another Rust Belt City who watched their Buffalo Bills reach the Super Bowl in four straight years without winning it, the Panthers don’t want to be just good enough to reach the title match.
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
If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
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.
