Sports
Logan Lednicky caps dream with volleyball title at Texas A&M
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Elizabeth Merrill
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A few days before the NCAA women’s volleyball national championship, Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky posted an old family video on her Instagram account. Lednicky is maybe 5 or 6 years old in the video, wearing a maroon A&M shirt and doing cartwheels on the grass at Kyle Field, A&M’s football stadium. “Say ‘Gig ‘Em, Aggies,'” her mom, Leigh Lednicky, implores her, and little Logan walks up to the camera, smiles and gives a thumbs-up.
Under the video, Lednicky wrote that she is living in that little Aggie’s “answered prayers.”
Her dad, Kyle, was a long snapper for the Texas A&M football team in the 1990s, and her mom worked in the football office. She chose Texas A&M because she always dreamed of being a fourth-generation Aggie, but that was only part of it. She wanted to help build a middling volleyball program into a powerhouse.
Lednicky went beyond that little girl’s dreams Sunday, swatting 11 kills to lead Texas A&M to a sweep over No. 1 seed Kentucky for the program’s first national title. The senior from Sugar Land, Texas, was a linchpin in the Aggies’ improbable December postseason run, helping her team knock off three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
In the final four matches of her career, when it mattered most, Lednicky amassed 69 total kills, a team high. She’s one of four seniors who have been with the program from the beginning — they went 13-16 as freshmen — and set the tone for the historic season. The past and present swirled through that class Sunday. With the Aggies cruising in the final set, coach Jamie Morrison high-fived Lednicky, and hung on to her hand.
“I think she had that moment where, ‘This might be the last four points of my college career,'” Morrison said. “I think she actually started getting a little teary on the court. I was like, ‘Oh, no, did I just ruin everything?’ No, it means the world.
“There was a group of them here from the beginning that said, ‘I want to be a part of this, I want to build this program.’ … I don’t think they were envisioning a national championship by the time they were done. I think when we were selling what we were doing, it was building something they could come back to in the future and be really, really proud they helped build.”
It was Lednicky who helped save the season on Dec. 13 in the Sweet 16, when the Aggies were down two sets to Louisville. She hammered a team-high 20 kills in a reverse sweep, and afterward, Lednicky mentioned a random note that someone left on the scorer’s table as her team was teetering toward elimination.
The note said, “Something great is about to happen.”
She has always been the charismatic optimist — the one who keeps things loose. Teammates call her everything from their “ride-or-die” to a best friend.
She has been a recruiter. When Morgan Perkins hit the transfer portal after her freshman season at Oklahoma three years ago, her first text came from Lednicky, an old club teammate. Perkins said the text was something along the lines of, “Hey, Mo-Mo, I see you’re in the portal …”
Lednicky, along with sophomore Kyndal Stowers, helped pull A&M together when the Wildcats sprinted out to a 15-9 lead in the first set. The Aggies later said they dealt with some jitters at the start of the match, but it was short-lived. Lednicky’s kill drew A&M within one, and then she teamed up with Perkins for a block that tied the game. Stowers’ kill completed the rally and gave the Aggies the set, 26-24.
From there, the Aggies dominated. They took a commanding 19-8 lead in the second and pulled away in the third with a Lednicky kill that made it 18-11.
“I was pretty emotional all day today,” Lednicky said, “just knowing that no matter the outcome of this game, it would be my last getting to represent A&M on my chest. Being able to do this with these girls — end like this, I just can’t even believe it.
“I’m so happy I get to carry this with me through the rest of my life and remember all the memories with these girls.”
In the waning moments of the match, a corner of the arena chanted, “Why not us?” It became a slogan for the Aggies in the postseason, during the match against Louisville. Late Sunday, Lednicky gave a shoutout to her boyfriend and teammate Ava Underwood’s boyfriend for coining it for the Aggies at a concession stand in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“We kind of took it and ran with it,” she said. “We started saying it. Ava and Addi (Applegate) wrote it on their shoe. Now it’s on a T-shirt somehow. Shout out to them.
“But, I mean, it’s true. It’s a testament to the hard work this program has put in all year long, staff, players. That’s such a great statement. ‘Why not us’ has turned into, ‘It is us’. I think with that dawg mentality all season long, all tournament long, we knew it was going to be us.”
Morrison, who came to A&M in December 2022 and overhauled the program’s culture, figured it would take at least five years to win it all. He credited the rapid ascent to his team’s work ethic.
Kyle Lednicky waited for his daughter after the match, marveling over how she and her teammates set out to change a program and did it so quickly, and dramatically. He said former A&M football coach R.C. Slocum texted her Sunday morning and wished her luck.
“That was pretty cool,” Kyle Lednicky said.
Of course he always hoped his daughter would go to his alma mater, but he says he never put pressure on her. Maybe it was osmosis, that all those football games, and that maroon clothing, would eventually seep into her consciousness, and her heart. It didn’t matter. That fourth-generation Aggie is now a first-generation champion.
Kyle Lednicky saw his daughter’s Instagram post Thursday, and it brought back a flood of memories.
“I had to put it away,” he said, “because I got teary-eyed when I was looking at it.”
Dec. 23, 2025, 4:02 a.m. ET
Next up for the fall all-area series is volleyball.
One Athens-area high school volleyball team made history this season as Oglethorpe County returned from Cartersville with its first ever state title. The 3-seeded Patriots defeated Bremen in the 1A championships, 3-1, to finish the season 32-8 overall.
In GHSA, Jefferson and Oconee County made it to the 3A quarterfinals, while Athens Academy, Jackson County and North Oconee were eliminated in their respective second rounds and Apalachee, Commerce, East Jackson and Prince Avenue Christian succumbed in their respective first rounds.
Good morning, KSR readers. It’s Monday morning of Christmas week. Can you believe it? Ready or not, it’s here, so get that last-minute shopping in. Maybe I’ll see you out there, right after I get these decorations put up.
In addition to Christmas anxiety, we’re coming off an emotional weekend in Big Blue Nation. Sunday didn’t pan out the way we hoped in the NCAA Volleyball Final Four, but Saturday in Atlanta gave us some excitement with Mark Pope’s Wildcats finally getting a top-25 win in the CBS Sports Classic, leaning on the depth of a full roster.
There is more UK fun ahead, so what do you say we catch up on everything as the holidays close in? And let me know if you have any last-minute shopping ideas, or if you want to put the ornaments on my Christmas tree.
Kentucky Volleyball swept by A&M in the NCAA Championship
This one was tough to wrap your head around. Kentucky Volleyball‘s incredible season came to a disappointing end Sunday in Kansas City, as the Wildcats were swept 3-0 by Texas A&M in the NCAA Championship match. It never felt like this was how it was supposed to end. Kentucky had set point in the opening set at 24-23, but Texas A&M closed on a 3-0 run, and it was all Aggies from there.
The Wildcats struggled to find their rhythm after that moment during one of the worst performances of the season. A&M was the far better team for the afternoon and had the majority of the crowd, winning the final two sets 25-15 and 25-20. The loss snapped a 27-match winning streak and was a shocking finish for a team that had been so steady and dominant all season, and was favored to win.
Still, Craig Skinner’s NCAA runner-up group deserves appreciation. Kentucky finishes 30-3, swept the SEC regular season and tournament titles, and reached the national championship for the second time in program history. Yeah, the ending hurt, but the Wildcats brought a lot of joy and excitement to the fan base, and the program is built to be back on this stage again next season. Sunday’s final still stings for now, though.
Mark Pope’s Wildcats host Bellarmine in Rupp Arena tomorrow
Now at full strength, Kentucky Basketball returns to Rupp Arena tomorrow for a pre-Christmas matchup with Bellarmine, looking to keep momentum rolling before the short holiday break. The Wildcats have won three straight games, including wins over Indiana and St. John’s, and are starting to look more comfortable on both ends of the floor after a disappointing start to the year.
Bellarmine, ranked No. 260 in KenPom, catches Kentucky at a bad time. However, the Knights also snapped out of a recent funk with a 15-point win over Chattanooga. Bellarmine is 5-6 entering Tuesday’s game, set for 1 p.m. in the afternoon. It’s a streaming-only game on SEC Network+.
Q&A with Jayden Quaintance and Kam Williams
Fresh off his Kentucky debut, Jayden Quaintance gets a turn at the podium to preview Kentucky’s next game. He and Kam Williams, who also starred in Saturday’s comeback win, will take questions about the matchup with Bellarmine and the upcoming holiday break. You can watch those conversations here at KentuckySportsRadio.com later today.
Hear from Mark Pope during his call-in show
After Quaintance and Williams speak for the locker room, Mark Pope will sit down with Tom Leach for his Monday night call-in radio show. Hear from Pope at 6 p.m. on the UK Sports Network, as he recaps the win over St. John’s and more on the team’s three-game winning streak.
Kentucky climbing the NET, maybe the Top 25
With Saturday’s win, Kentucky climbed the NET Rankings up to No. 23. Later today, we’ll find out if the win was enough to move the Wildcats back into the Top 25 polls. The AP and Coaches’ polls update around lunchtime for both men’s and women’s college basketball. Kenny Brooks’ squad enters the new week ranked No. 12/13.
Will Stein’s first coaching staff is taking shape
Will Stein is a busy man, balancing two jobs this holiday season. On Saturday, his Oregon Ducks scored 51 points in their first College Football Playoff game. Then on Sunday, news spread of Stein’s latest hire for his first staff in Lexington.
Former Cal assistant Allen Brown will serve as Kentucky Football‘s cornerbacks coach. Brown replaces Chris Collins, who joins Brad White and Jon Sumrall at Florida, and rounds out Stein’s list of assistant coaches for his first season at UK:
- Joe Sloan: Offensive Coordinator
- Jay Bateman: Defensive Coordinator
- Cutter Leftwich: Offensive Line
- Kolby Smith: Running Backs
- Justin Burke: TBA
- Joe Price III: Wide Receivers
- Josh Christian-Young: Safeties
- Anwar Stewart: Defensive Line
- Tony Washington Jr: Pass Rushers
- Allen Brown: Cornerbacks
Former Cal assistant to coach Kentucky’s cornerbacks
Tune in to KSR at 10 a.m.
Matt Jones hosts today’s show from New Orleans, where he will call his first football game for ESPN Radio tomorrow. Joining him via technology are Ryan Lemond and me in Lexington, and Shannon The Dude in Louisville. Together, we’ll recap the high and low weekend from 10 a.m. to noon. Go Cats.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota volleyball’s Avery Van Hook, Kamryn Farris and Amanda Loschen were named to the Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League team, announced the league office Monday.
South Dakota accounted for three of the seven spots on the Academic All-League team and was the only program to have multiple athletes named to the team. Van Hook has been named to the Academic All-League Team in consecutive seasons, while Farris and Loschen appeared on the team for the first time in their career.
The three Coyotes were also named to the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s participating members, and voting is conducted by both SIDs and FARs. The teams are made up of ten student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.
2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Pos. | GPA | Major |
| Ally Barth | NDSU | Sr. | MB | 3.94 | Management Communication |
| Kamryn Farris | South Dakota | Sr. | DS | 3.75 | Business |
| Avery Van Hook** | South Dakota | Jr. | S | 3.87 | Kinesiology & Sport Management |
| Kali Jurgensmeier** | Omaha | Sr. | OH | 3.82 | Biology |
| Amanda Loschen | South Dakota | Jr. | MB | 3.86 | Medical Biology |
| Lauren Perugini** | North Dakota | Jr. | OH | 4.00 | Dietetics |
| Joslyn Richardson** | SDSU | Jr. | DS | 4.00 | Construction Management |
*Career Academic All-League honors
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech men’s basketball senior Marcus Tomashek has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for week six, the league office announced on Monday.
The honor marks the ninth of his career and the first of his senior season.
Tomashek, a standout from Green Bay, Wisconsin, averaged 30.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds to lead the No. 9 nationally-ranked Huskies to win over Florida Tech (64-52) before blitzing the high-flying offense of the Lynn Fighting Knights (105-67) at the Florida Tech Christmas Classic over the weekend to wrap non-conference play with a 11-1 record overall.
In the largest scoring game against a Division II opponent in over 15 years, Tomashek netted a season-high 39 points in the 105-67 win on 14-21 from the field and 11-17 from 3-point land, breaking the school record for single-game 3-point field goals made, surpassing fellow Husky All-Americans Kyle Monroe and Ben Stelzer. He also added four assists that helped the Huskies break the team record for most 3-point field goals made with 23.
Tomashek finished the weekend shooting 54.1 percent from the field (20-37), 50 percent from long range (14-28) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.
The Huskies resume GLIAC play next weekend, hosting Grand Valley State Thursday and Davenport on Saturday.
SUWANEE, Ga. — The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) today announced its 18th annual fall All-Sportsmanship teams. A total of 63 student-athletes – the most since 2011-12 – were selected to the 2025 squad in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.
Since the inaugural All-Sportsmanship teams were honored in the fall of 2008, the SCAC has recognized over 2,500 student-athletes who each, in his or her own way, has displayed the league’s core belief in the value of honorable conduct.
For this year’s selections, each conference head coach was asked to elect one member from his or her team who displayed good sportsmanship throughout the season.
The 2025 SCAC All-Sportsmanship honorees for the fall sports season are listed below:
2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Cross Country Team
Centenary College – Zack Wroten, Fy., Benton, Louisiana
Colorado College – Luc Santos, Sr., Exeter, New Hampshire
Concordia University (Texas) – Gerardo Leal, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of Dallas – Martin Lane, So., Hot Springs, South Dakota
Hendrix College – Davin Barragan, Fy., Hot Springs, Arkansas
LeTourneau University – Austin Jett, Jr., Magnolia, Texas
McMurry University – Roman Perez, Sr., Big Spring, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Daniel Sanderson, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Sean Dansby, Jr., Pasadena, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Mason McFeeters, Jr., Lake Jackson, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Peyton Bristow, Fy., Round Rock, Texas
2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Cross Country
Centenary College – Grayson Shugart, So., McKinney, Texas
Colorado College – Brooktie Frogge, Sr., Nashville, Tennessee
Concordia University (Texas) – Camille McWhorter, Jr., Humble, Texas
University of Dallas – Teresa Chshen, Jr., River Ridge, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Pippy Newell, Fy., Owasso, Oklahoma
LeTourneau University – Alayna Galloway, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
McMurry University – Madison Soultanova, Sr., Jacksonville, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Chloe Weathers, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Piper Hoeke, So., Boerne, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Alejandra Ramon, Jr., Klein, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Audrey Malbrough, So., Selma, Texas
2025 All-Sportsmanship Football
Austin College – Evan Dennis, Sr., McKinney, Texas
Centenary College – Gideon Bowman, So., Destrehan, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Auvic White, Sr., Munford, Tennessee
Lyon College – Grayson Johnson, Jr., Anniston, Alabama
McMurry University – Kimani Smith, Sr., Austin, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Anthony Ortegon, Jr., Houston, Texas
2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Soccer
Austin College – Justin Ajdukovich, Sr., Frisco, Texas
Centenary College – Joshua Mensah, So., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Colorado College – Will Jones, So., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Concordia University (Texas) – Steven Dolan, Jr., Bellevue, Washington
University of Dallas – Josh Longlois, So., Houston, Texas
Hendrix College – Charlie Mata, Sr., Houston, Texas
LeTourneau University – Nate Bransford, Sr., Kijabe, Kenya
McMurry University – Abel Gonzalez, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Hunter Robert, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
Schreiner University – Derek Toney, Fy., San Antonio, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Elijah Flores, Sr., Missouri City, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Preston Huff, Sr., Houston, Texas
2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Soccer
Austin College – Lynna Martin, Fy., Paris, Texas
Centenary College – Anna Hobart, Fy., Natchitoches, Louisiana
Concordia University (Texas) – Lilianna Cherry, Jr., Kingwood, Texas
University of Dallas – Kit Gibbons, Sr., Tomball, Texas
Hendrix College – Ella Kelly, Sr., Webster Groves, Missouri
LeTourneau University – Clarissa Martinez, Sr., Richwood, Texas
McMurry University – Alexandria Flores, Jr., San Angelo, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Jayden Vazquez, So., Dardanelle, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Aspen Ulibarri, So., Clovis, New Mexico
University of St. Thomas – Bre Medina, Fy., Pearland, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Alysa Marquez, Jr., Miami, Florida
2025 All-Sportsmanship Volleyball
Austin College – Selah Coleman, Sr., Houston, Texas
Centenary College – Hannah Dimmel, Jr., Navasota, Texas
Colorado College – Meghan Gannon, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio
Concordia University (Texas) – Camryn Parker, Sr., Garland, Texas
University of Dallas – Breana Timms, Fy., Mansfield, Texas
Hendrix College – Lily Meyer, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska
LeTourneau University – Emma Smith, Sr., San Antonio, Texas
McMurry University – Jalie Miller, So., Rockwall, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Claire Zeiler, Fy., Paris, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Emma Frye, Jr., Tigard, Oregon
University of St. Thomas – Madi Baker, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, California
Texas Lutheran University – Ryann Ely, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
To view an archive of past All-Sportsmanship teams, click here.
Richardson, a two-time Summit League Scholar of the Championship presented by JLG Architects, collected the second all-academic honor of her career.
Richardson played every match as the Jackrabbits’ libero in 2025 and led the team in digs per set with 3.31. She also set a new program record with 41 ace serves this year.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s ten institutions and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). The team is made up of the seven student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.
2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Pos. | GPA | Major |
| Ally Barth | NDSU | Sr. | MB | 3.94 | Management Communication |
| Kamryn Farris | South Dakota | Sr. | DS | 3.75 | Business |
| Avery Van Hook** | South Dakota | Jr. | S | 3.87 | Kinesiology & Sport Management |
| Kali Jurgensmeier** | Omaha | Sr. | OH | 3.82 | Biology |
| Amanda Loschen | South Dakota | Jr. | MB | 3.86 | Medical Biology |
| Lauren Perugini** | North Dakota | Jr. | OH | 4.00 | Dietetics |
| Joslyn Richardson** | SDSU | Jr. | DS | 4.00 | Construction Management |
*Career Academic All-League honors
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