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Since the NCAA began sanctioning a national championship in women’s volleyball in 1981, there have been six occasions in which the teams competing for the title were from the same conference. On Sunday, the seventh such match will happen.

Kentucky faces Texas A&M for the championship on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), making it an all-Southeastern Conference battle for the title. The previous such occurrences were in 1981 (USC vs. UCLA), 1984 (Stanford vs. UCLA), 1992 (Stanford vs. UCLA), 1994 (Stanford vs. UCLA), 2002 (USC vs. Stanford) and 2021 (Wisconsin vs. Nebraska).

This is a significant accomplishment for the SEC. Until this year, the conference only had three appearances in the championship match ever. Florida made it in 2003 and 2017, finishing as runner-up both times. Kentucky won the NCAA title in 2020. But this year, the conference was strong, with three teams in the Elite Eight and two in the Final Four, both of whom ultimately ended up in the title match. UK head coach Craig Skinner is not surprised that two SEC teams are in the finals.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two SEC teams are playing for the national championship,” Skinner said. “The coaches in our league have worked incredibly hard to put ourselves on the map and to make the SEC a volleyball powerhouse. I also need to give credit to all the coaches and the grassroots of the Southeastern Conference to make that happen.”

Skinner saluted his fellow SEC volleyball coaches, who have improved their programs, making the conference schedule a true gauntlet.

“Kudos to the SEC and the coaches in our league for getting our conference in the position to be an elite league in the sport of volleyball in the NCAA,” Skinner said. “Proud to be part of Kentucky and the Southeastern Conference.”

Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison believes that a tough SEC regular season, followed by a conference tournament, has prepared these two teams to be in this position.

“We’re one of the most prepared teams in the country,” Morrison said. “Kentucky is the same way because they had the same path. I think it’s really good for our conference.”

The Cats and Aggies met on Oct. 8 in College Station. In that match, Texas A&M won the first set, but Kentucky rallied to win the last three to claim the victory. Eva Hudson had 24 kills and Brooklyn DeLeye had 19 for the Cats, who hit .293 in the match. Logan Lednicky had 21 kills for the Aggies and Kyndal Stowers added 13. Kentucky junior Asia Thigpen remembers that match, but also realizes that both teams have evolved since then.

“We beat them, but they had a really good offensive night,” Thigpen said. “That’s what we remember. We’ve seen their matches versus Louisville and Nebraska, just like their big block presence. They’ve grown as a team since then. We have, too.”

Kentucky freshman setter Kassie O’Brien echoed her teammate’s thoughts.

“Yes, we’ve played them in the past. Like we said earlier, both teams are completely different now,” O’Brien said. “A&M is playing really good volleyball, but so are we. It’s just going to be a great match and I’m looking forward to it.”

On Sunday in Kansas City, the SEC will make history and Kentucky hopes to bring a second national championship home to Lexington.

It’s been a crazy three days for the Wisconsin Badgers. On Thursday, they had a heartbreaking loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA National Semifinal. On Friday, they lost five players to the transfer portal.

Well, on Saturday, amid all the portal craziness, Wisconsin landed a commitment from Florida Gators transfer middle blocker Jaela Auguste, she announced.

Auguste, a sophomore this past season, had a great season, earning the following accolades after the season: AVCA Third Team All-American, AVCA Southeast Region First Team, All-SEC First Team, and SEC Preseason All-SEC Team.

She averaged 2.69 kills and 0.98 blocks per set for the Gators in 2025.

Wisconsin was likely to make an addition at middle blocker, as they’re losing starters Carter Booth and Alicia Andrew to eligibility, creating a hole in the middle. Additionally, redshirt freshman Tosia Serafinowska is entering the transfer portal, taking away some depth at the position.

With a loaded freshman class, it’s unclear how busy the Badgers will be in the transfer portal after a strong class last year, as they have Grace Lopez returning from injury. But, they quickly moved to get a big commitment from Auguste.

A pair of Nebraska volleyball players received top positional awards on Friday. Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson received the honors at the AVCA Awards Banquet in Kansas City. Reilly was named the Setter of the Year and Jackson was named Middle Blocker of the Year. The AVCA positional awards are new this season.

Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces. The setter was named Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Setter of the Year and a first-team AVCA All-American. She was also a finalist for AVCA Player of the Year.

Jackson averaged 2.74 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.12 blocks per set and 16 aces. Her .467 hitting percentage led the nation. The middle blocker was an AVCA All-American and All-Big for the second straight season. She was also an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist.

Kentucky, under the leadership of head coach Craig Skinner, has become an elite program in college volleyball. On Sunday, the team will have the chance to reach the highest of heights when they play for the National Championship versus Texas A&M.

“We are at the pinnacle of our sport, and it’s a great opportunity for Kentucky volleyball and our fans to be in this moment,” Skinner said.

After Kentucky escaped in a thrilling game against Wisconsin on Thursday night, the Cats and Aggies will be part of a historic title game. It’ll be the first time two SEC teams will be facing each other in the national championship.

“Couldn’t be more proud of our team and how we pulled that match out against Wisconsin,” Skinner said. “All the respect to Texas A&M. Congrats to the SEC for being an elite in volleyball.”

Creating an Environment Bigger than Themselves

When Kentucky lost the first set to Wisconsin in the Final Four matchup on Thursday night, the team was anything but smiles. However, as the team started to come back, the confidence was regained. Kentucky volleyball started to look happy.

Being happy on the court isn’t unique for a team like Kentucky. The team has a fun tradition of drawing smiley faces on their hands before each game.

“The beginning of the season, we gave them a picture of them playing volleyball as little girls,” Skinner said. “Those little girls played it because they love it. It creates an environment where you are playing for something bigger than yourself.”

That tradition has powered Kentucky to historic heights in 2025. Now, they’ll have an opportunity for a perfect ending.

“It becomes way bigger than that,” Skinner said. “It’s a great reminder because we play the sport because it’s fun.”

So much of Kentucky’s focus has been joy. Skinner said that his staff gave his players pictures of themselves playing volleyball at an early point in their career.

“It’s a collective effort to understand why we play the game,” Skinner said. “Why did that little athlete play volleyball? They loved it; they had fun.”

The NCAA Volleyball National Championship game will take place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ABC from T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City.