In this episode of The Hog Pod, newly retired Arkansas men’s track & field coach Chris Bucknam sits down for an honest, funny, and deeply reflective conversation about closing out his 18-year run leading one of college sports’ most storied programs. Bucknam talks about clearing out his office, leaving trophies where they belong and wrestling with the memories — the SEC Triple Crowns, 18 podium finishes, two national titles and the one-point heartbreaks that still stick with him.

He shares candid stories about replacing a legend in John McDonnell, what it felt like to sit in “that chair,” and why he always kept a picture of Coach McDonnell on his desk as a daily reminder of the standard he inherited. Bucknam also discusses the challenge of trying to win in all three sports — cross country, indoor and outdoor — with limited scholarships and why he believes that philosophy defined his tenure.

He opens up about the changing landscape of college athletics, the transfer portal, NIL and why the evolution of the sport played some role — but not the main role — in his decision to step away. Ultimately, he says, retirement is about family, health and passing the program to someone he trusts. Bucknam emphatically explains why longtime assistant Doug Case is the right person to lead Arkansas next, praising his loyalty, calm presence and technical mastery.

It’s a wide-ranging look back at a remarkable career — full of competitive fire, humility and the perspective that only comes at the end of a legendary run.

LINCOLN, Neb. – A memorable comeback attempt fell just short for the Nebraska volleyball team Sunday afternoon in a five-set loss to No. 6 Texas A&M in front of 8,650 fans at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Texas A&M won the first two sets to become just the third team this season to win two sets against the Huskers. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Nebraska fought back to win the third set then fought off three match points en route to winning the fourth set, 37-35. But the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback as the Aggies were victorious in the fifth set by a 15-13 margin.

Nebraska ended its season with a 33-1 record while Texas A&M (27-4) advanced to the NCAA Semifinals. Kyndal Stowers (25) and Logan Lednicky (24) each finished with more than 20 kills for Texas A&M, while Morgan Perkins had nine blocks.

Harper Murray paced the Husker offense with a career-high 25 kills, but Texas A&M had more kills (75 to 73) and a higher attack percentage (.275 to .270) than Nebraska. The Aggies also out-blocked Nebraska, 17-8. Bergen Reilly had 58 assists and 13 digs to post a double-double. Rebekah Allick had 15 kills on 25 swings and hit .480 in the match with four blocks. Reilly (13), Olivia Mauch (13) and Laney Choboy (10) each had double-figure digs for the Big Red.

Set 1: Murray had a block, a kill and an ace as the Huskers built a 6-2 lead. Kills by Reilly, Murray and Allick made it 10-3 Big Red. The Aggies pulled within 11-8 after a 5-1 spurt. Allick produced a pair of kills and Adriano tallied another to put NU up 15-10. But a 10-0 run by the Aggies gave them a 20-15 lead. Manaia Ogbechie subbed in and terminated a sideout kill, and Landfair found the corner before Ogbechie connected again to make it 20-18. After a Logan Lednicky kill, the Huskers won a challenge that resulted in a kill for Murray, and a block by Allick and Reilly cut it to 21-20. But Stowers tipped a kill for set point and the Aggies won 25-22 with their fourth ace of the set.    

Set 2: NU rallied from down 6-4 to go up 8-6 with kills by Jackson and Landfair and an ace by Murray. But A&M went back in front 14-11 after a 4-0 run. Murray tooled a block for a sideout kill, but the Aggies answered with back-to-back blocks for a 16-12 advantage. Consecutive A&M kills put the Aggies up 19-15 as Nebraska took a timeout. The Aggies earned set point at 24-20. An Ogbechie kill and Aggie hitting error gave NU hope, but the Aggies won 25-22 on a Lednicky kill. 

Set 3: The Huskers claimed a 10-5 lead with Murray tallying three kills out of the gate. But Texas A&M cut it to 10-9 with four straight kills. An ace by Sigler, and kills by Allick and Jackson put NU ahead 15-12. NU led 18-17 when Allick and Murray posted kills for a 20-17 lead. Adriano added one, and A&M committed three errors down the stretch as the Huskers won 25-20 on a Murray kill. 

Set 4: A&M grabbed a 5-2 lead, but two Murray kills helped the Big Red get back even at 5-5. The Aggies rebuilt an 11-7 lead after a 4-0 run. Landfair ended it with a kill, but A&M went up 12-8 on a Stowers kill. The Aggies increased their lead to 18-11. NU roared back with an 8-1 run to tie it 19-19. Kills by Allick and Murray put NU in front, 21-20. Ogbechie recorded a kill for a 23-22 advantage, but an A&M block tied the score. Adriano terminated to grab set point for the Big Red, but Lednicky answered for A&M. Sigler found the floor for a kill, but Lednicky answered again. Reilly dumped a kill for a third set point try for the Big Red, but NU served out. A&M returned the favor, but Stowers terminated to keep it tied 27-27. Allick sided out once again for the Huskers to make it 28-27, but a block error by the Huskers tied it 28-28. Allick and Adriano teamed up for a block on the ensuing rally to make it 29-29 NU, but the Aggies came right back with a block. A&M committed an attacking error but followed with a kill to keep it tied. Ogbechie terminated, but so did Lednicky. The Huskers then hit wide to give the Aggies match point at 32-31. But A&M served into the net to keep NU alive. The teams then traded service errors to a 33-33 tie. Stowers and Allick traded kills for a 34-34 tie. A&M attacked wide to make it 35-34 NU, but Stowers got a kill off of NU’s fingertips to make it 35-35. Murray’s career-high 24th kill put NU ahead 36-35, and Adriano finally finished off the set in NU’s favor, 37-35.

Set 5: Allick and Adriano had early kills, and Ogbechie and Murray combined for a block, as the Huskers went up 3-2. But the Aggies gained a 5-3 advantage with a kill, a Husker hitting error, and a block. The Aggies hit long before a Murray ace tied it 5-5. A&M went ahead 7-5 when Reilly won a joust at the net to make it 7-6. But A&M scored the next three to go up 10-6. A service error ended the run, but A&M claimed a 12-7 lead after a kill and Husker hitting error. After a timeout, Allick posted her 14th kill to make it 12-8, and A&M hit into the net to cut the deficit to 12-9. Stowers answered with a kill to go up 13-9, but Allick answered for the Big Red with a kill. Choboy served an ace to make it 13-11, and A&M called timeout. Adriano and Ogbechie stuffed an A&M attack to make it 13-12, but Lednicky tooled a block for match point at 14-12. Murray stepped up with her 25th kill, but the Aggies got a kill from Lednicky to win 15-13.

Lincoln All-Regional Team

• Chloe Chicoine, Louisville
• Rebekah Allick, Nebraska
• Harper Murray, Nebraska
• Ava Underwood, Texas A&M
• Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M
• Maddie Waak, Texas A&M
• Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M (Most Outstanding Player)

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• With the loss, Nebraska fell to 137-39 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.778).
• The loss snapped Nebraska’s 33-match winning streak, as the Huskers ended the year with a 33-1 record.
• Nebraska fell to 18-16 all-time in NCAA Regional Final matches.
• The Huskers fell to 90-8 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 35-3 record at the Devaney Center.
• Nebraska saw its 29-match home winning streak in the NCAA Tournament snapped.
• Overall, Nebraska saw its 63-match home winning streak snapped, suffering their first home loss since Dec. 1, 2022.
• Nebraska lost the first set, snapping its streak of 48 consecutive sets won at home. The streak was the second-longest in school history and the longest in a single season.
• The Huskers fell behind 0-2, losing two sets for just the third time this season and falling behind 0-2 for only the second time this year (also against Kentucky).
• Nebraska was the first to 20 points in only one of the first four sets. The Huskers won the third set when they were the first two 20 points, and NU ended its season 96-0 when it was the first to 20 points in a set.
• Rebekah Allick finished with a career-high 15 kills, eclipsing her previous high of 13 kills.
• In Nebraska’s four NCAA Tournament matches, Allick had 40 kills and hit .576.
• Rebekah Allick finished her career with a .441 attack percentage and 88 blocks in the NCAA Tournament. Her postseason career attack percentage is the highest by a Husker in school history, while Allick’s 88 blocks rank No. 5 in Nebraska postseason history.
• Harper Murray had a career-high 25 kills in the match, eclipsing her previous high of 23. That marked the second time this season and fifth time in her career she had at least 20 kills in a match.
• Harper Murray had three service aces in the match. She increased her career total to 109 aces and passed Jennifer Saleaumua for the sixth-most aces by a Husker in the rally-scoring era.
• Bergen Reilly had a double-double with 58 assists and 13 digs, and she tied her season high with five kills and two aces.
• Nebraska ended its season with a team attack percentage of .351. That is a school record, breaking the previous record of .331 in 1986.
• Andi Jackson finished the 2025 season with a .467 attack percentage. That ranks as the third-highest season attack percentage in school history.
• Texas A&M hit .275 in the match, the highest attack percentage by a Husker opponent in 2025. The Aggies were also the only team to have a higher attack percentage in a match than Nebraska in 2025.
• Texas A&M also had 17 blocks, the most by a Husker opponent in 2025.
• The Huskers’ 37-35 victory in the fourth set marked the highest-scoring set in Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament history.

Match #31: #3 Texas A&M 3, #1 Nebraska 2
S1: A&M, 25-22; S2: A&M, 25-22; S3: NEB, 25-20; S4: NEB, 37-35; S5: A&M, 15-13
Records: Texas A&M (27-4, 14-1), Nebraska (33-1, 20-0)
Box Score

Major upsets often evoke Al Michaels’ ever-present 1980 question.

On Sunday, Texas A&M’s Jamie Morrison likely answered just as emphatically as he did last week inside Reed Arena:

“HELL YES!”

By taking down a Big Red machine of a different kind — the previously unbeaten Nebraska Cornhuskers — Aggie volleyball is headed to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

An already historic run turned miraculous when A&M (27-4) defeated Nebraska (33-1) on Sunday afternoon in five sets, as the Huskers’ happy place — the Bob Devaney Sports Center — watched the Maroon & White crash a Big Red party.

It is A&M’s first win over the No. 1-ranked team since 1995, and given the stakes, it’s much more significant.

“There is no little ounce of me that is scared of them, and I respect them a lot,” Morrison told the Aggies pregame. “I respect them, but I am not scared because we are prepared for this.”

Then, as if channeling Herb Brooks himself, Morrison added:

“I’m not scared because you were born for this as competitors to step out here and be in this environment, and it will be loud. Use your breath. Stay calm in those moments. It will be hard; they’re a good volleyball team, but we are prepped.”

From being prepped to now propelled to the college game’s biggest stage: The Final Four.

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In just his third season in Aggieland, Jamie Morrison is going where no Texas A&M volleyball coach has gone before!

Kyndal Stowers led the way with 25 kills on a .327 hitting percentage.

Logan Lednicky, already one of the greatest Aggie volleyball players ever, led the way with 24 kills and passed Hollann Hans (1,640) for third place on the Aggie leaderboard in career kills with 1,661.

Morgan Perksin and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla were dominant at the net with nine and eight total blocks, respectively. The latter moved into second all-time in program history in blocks with 556. She’s now six behind Jazzmin Babers’ 562 for the school record.

The A&M attack all began with Maddie Waak, who dished out a ridiculous 63 assists.

Before Sunday, the Big Ten champions had dropped just seven sets all season. As the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Nebraska had been undefeated at home since Nov. 26, 2022, and had swept eight consecutive matches entering the regional final.

No more.

Morrison’s senior-laden Aggies snapped all those streaks and have staked their claim, turning the “Something great is about to happen” prophecy into reality.

From a great opportunity, A&M just authored the program’s greatest moment.

What they have earned here tonight is a trip to Kansas City as the Aggies will face Pittsburgh on Thursday, Dec. 18, at the T-Mobile Center.

Of course, it’s easy to describe Sunday’s victory as a miracle, but Morrison’s program is filled with the precursor: Belief.

And they’ll carry that belief with them all the way to the Final Four.

More to come shortly.