Sports
Ten season-defining moments along Texas A&M’s championship run
The journey was long.
The tournament was a gauntlet.
The ending was unforgettable.
Texas A&M volleyball sits atop the college volleyball world after winning the national championship in Kansas City on Sunday.
A group of nine seniors, an impact transfer and talented youngsters bought into the vision of a third-year head coach and reached the mountaintop… faster than Jamie Morrison originally thought!
Let’s look back on the highs (of which there are many) and lows from the 29-4 campaign, which ended with a trophy ceremony under a shower of confetti.
10. “Voldemort weekend”
Any complete story includes both the good and the bad. For A&M, there were way more wins than losses as the Aggies dropped just four matches all year.
Half of those came during a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back in Dallas and Fort Worth.
A sweep from top-10 SMU and a marathon loss at No. 15 TCU just so happened to be a blessing in disguise for a squad that started the season ranked No. 8 and ultimately fell to No. 14 in the AVCA rankings.
“I thought that changed the tone of our season. It was a wake-up call. We need to dial into things that make us us. We need to hold each other accountable every single day.”
– Texas A&M head volleyball coach Jamie Morrison
“I thought that changed the tone of our season,” Morrison said months after those September defeats. “It was a wake-up call. We need to dial into things that make us us. We need to hold each other accountable every single day.”
Re-centered and re-focused, the Aggies won 21 of their next 23 sets to carry a seven-match winning streak into an Oct. 8 date with No. 3 Kentucky.
9. Reed’s first-ever top-10 match
At 4-0 in SEC play, A&M set up a heavyweight battle with one of the league’s best as No. 3 Kentucky came to Aggieland in early October.
The Wildcats entered at 10-2 with September losses to No. 1 Nebraska and No. 7 Pittsburgh.
Reed welcomed the fifth-largest crowd in program history as 4,469 turned out to watch the Aggies take the first set, 25-21.
However, Kentucky rallied to win the next three, including a 27-25 clincher to hand A&M its only regular-season loss in SEC play.
“I’m a little disappointed and really cut up right now that we couldn’t put that to five,” Morrison said then.
When the two teams met again, A&M wouldn’t need four sets, let alone five.
Kara Andrews, TexAgs
Eight of Texas A&M volleyball’s top 12 crowds came to Reed Arena in 2025, including a program-record 9,801 vs. Texas on Halloween. The 4,469 for the Kentucky match now ranks ninth-best.
8. The winning streak
From Oct. 12 through Nov. 23, the Maroon & White looked invincible as they won 11 consecutive matches and swept eight conference opponents in the process.
The dominant stretch helped A&M finish a perfect 8-0 away from Reed in SEC play and reach the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Savannah.
Oh, and it also included a pair of top-20 victories, the first of which came on…
7. Halloween in Aggieland
Morrison & Co. showed signs of the build back in 2024 when they waltzed into Austin and upset No. 7 Texas in five sets for their first victory at Gregory Gym in 23 years.
When the Lone Star Showdown shifted back to Aggieland on Oct. 31, 2025, the archrivals treated a program-record 9,801 to another five-set classic at Reed Arena.
Kyndal Stowers hit .400 with 22 kills to lead the way. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla had nine blocks. Maddie Waak dished out 46 assists.
In the end, A&M’s victory over No. 2 Texas served as the program’s highest-ranked win since 1995 as well as a message to the rest of the country.
Will Huffman, TexAgs
A&M has won the last two regular-season meetings with the Texas Longhorns.
“A lot of people fear Texas’ logo, and I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” Morrison said. “We proved we can beat them on a national stage. This is huge for our program.”
6. Selection Sunday
At 23-4 and 14-1 in the SEC, A&M was handed a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee…in No. 1 overall seed Nebraska’s region…that also featured 2024 national runner-up Louisville.
“I think our RPI system is broken,” Morrison said after winning it all. “I don’t think our seeding was correct. I think we were probably No. 5 or No. 6 (nationally).”
Their national ranking — No. 6 — would’ve equated to a No. 2 seed.
Additionally, the same TCU team that beat the Aggies in September was sent to College Station for the second round.
As is often the case when committees are involved, A&M was underseeded, but they clearly took that as fuel to ignite a postseason fire.
5. A program-record FOUR (4) All-Americans
Starpower shined throughout the year and then was honored in the postseason as AVCA recognized Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Logan Lednicky, Kyndal Stowers and Maddie Waak as All-Americans.
Cos-Okpalla became A&M’s fourth-ever first-teamer, while Lednicky earned a second-consecutive second-team honor.
Waak, the nation’s leader in assists per set entering the postseason, was recognized on the third team after becoming the first Aggie setter since 2019 to have back-to-back 1,000-assist seasons.
And last but certainly not least, Stowers — who might be the best story in sports right now — went from being out of volleyball altogether following a medical retirement at Baylor to becoming a second-team All-American. She was at her best in the NCAA Tournament, with double-digit kills in A&M’s final five matches.
4. Morrison recognized as the National Coach of the Year
Sticking with postseason accolades, the AVCA honored the Aggie head man just hours before the program’s Final Four match vs. Pittsburgh.
At that time, A&M was already enjoying a historic season with a 27-4 record to represent the most wins in the rally-scoring era and the most since 1999.
“I am honored to receive this award and accept it on behalf of our outstanding university, athletic department, athletes, coaching staff, fans and everyone who works tirelessly within our program,” coach Morrison said. “This recognition is the result of a true collective effort, and I could not be prouder of the people I work alongside or the place I am fortunate to call home.”
Little did he know that a historic 2025 was a few days away from becoming legendary.
3. Reverse sweep of Louisville
Friday, Dec. 12, gave birth to the “Why Not Us” mantra that became synonymous with the 2025 national champions.
As the story goes, when A&M was down 2-0 and staring elimination in the face, Ava Underwood’s and Logan Lednicky’s boyfriends took a trip to the concession stand in search of something — anything — to change the momentum.
Why not, right?
Facing the 2024 national runner-up, the Aggies won a hard-fought third set to stay alive, 25-23. With a 25-18 win in the fourth, they forced a decisive race to 15.
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Kyndal Stowers had 17 kills vs. Louisville, including the set-clinching markers in each of the third, fourth and fifth frames.
Stowers, who had back-to-back points to stave off defeat in a 23-23 third-set deadlock, clinched both the fourth and fifth sets to send A&M to its first Elite Eight since 2001.
As the mysterious piece of paper next to A&M’s bench prophesied: Something great did happen and was about to happen again.
2. Knocking off Nebraska
Nobody — literally, nobody — had gone into Lincoln’s Bob Devaney Sports Center and defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers on their home floor in over 1,000 days.
That changed on Dec. 14 in one of the sport’s more shocking upsets in recent memory.
Nebraska, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, was 33-0 with 28 sweeps to its credit. Prior to the dance beginning, the Huskers were given a 55.5 percent chance to win it all.
A&M didn’t care. Was their victory miraculous? Perhaps, but instead of David vs. Goliath, it was more Goliath vs. Goliath’s stronger, lesser-known sibling.
“I don’t think it’s been the greatest upset in the history of sport. It was a really good volleyball team that put the work in at the right time of year, cared about each other, decided we were going to go grind. We were not going to back down from everybody.”
– Texas A&M head volleyball coach Jamie Morrison
The Aggies won the first two sets, stunning the Big Red crowd of 8,650. Even when Nebraska rallied back and won an exhausting 37-35 fourth set, the Ags never blinked. Instead, their grit and resolve reached a higher level.
As she so often had throughout her incredible career, Lednicky’s 24th and final kill of the match clinched a 15-13 fifth-set victory and punched A&M’s ticket to the program’s first Final Four.
Despite being the overwhelming championship favorite, Nebraska represented the first of three consecutive No. 1 seeds vanquished along A&M’s path to the national title.
“I don’t think it’s been the greatest upset in the history of sport,” Morrison said. “It was a really good volleyball team that put the work in at the right time of year, cared about each other, decided we were going to go grind. We were not going to back down from everybody.
“For us, we don’t consider it an upset because we consider ourselves really, really good. We played with a chip on our shoulder to try to prove it to everybody.”
1. Cos-Okpalla cues confetti in KC
During the second set of the national final, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla became A&M’s all-time leading blocker with the 653rd of her career. She’d finish with 655.
But that wasn’t her crowning moment.
On the third championship point of the day, an Emily Hellmuth dig led to a Waak set for one of three attacking options, but the ball didn’t go to Lednicky or Stowers.
The 6-foot-2 senior from Flower Mound rose high above the net as if suspended for a moment that will live forever in Aggie lore.
“I figured if I got the ball, I’d put it away,” she said. “I knew once I got set, I’m putting it away regardless.”
Known for her stoic presence after monster blocks or emphatic kills, the ever-calm Cos-Okpalla finally let it all out as her teammates rushed the floor with confetti raining down and thousands celebrated the Aggies.
Hugs, tears and trophies — all hard-earned — represented a monumental achievement: The first team in history to sweep back-to-back matches in the Final Four on the road to immortality.
A banner and championship rings will follow. The Aggies finished the job, completing a build to prominence that only took three seasons.
“It’s so amazing to be able to see the fruition of our work now,” Morrison said. “For all of them, they wanted to build something, be a part of something, go out on top with a national championship, I’m just really happy.
“When I’m sitting in the locker room just staring off, our staring off in a distance, it’s a mixture of disbelief and absolute joy they’re getting to see the work they put in pay off.”
Sports
UCLA Announces 2026 Women’s Beach Volleyball Schedule
SOCIAL MEDIA: BeachVB on Twitter | BeachVB on Facebook | BeachVB on Instagram
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Women’s Beach Volleyball team announced its 2026 schedule today, highlighted by hosting three regular-season tournaments (two at Mapes Beach and one at legendary Manhattan Beach Pier) and “Senior Day” against CSU Bakersfield.
The Bruins will compete in seven different regular-season tournaments during the year, beginning with the season opener against Texas on Friday, Feb. 19, at 9:45 a.m. PT at Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic at Queen’s Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Bruins will also face Hawai’i, LMU, Stanford, California, and USC in the opening weekend.
UCLA will return home to host the Battle for LA (along with USC) on Friday-Saturday (Feb. 27-28). The Bruins will face Boise State, Cal Poly, Long Beach State, and Pepperdine in the friendly confines of Mapes Beach for the home opening weekend.
UCLA will host the MPSF Midseason Rumble at Mapes Beach on March 6-7, where the Bruins will face Grand Canyon, Washington, Oregon, and Stanford.
The Bruins will then host the annual East Meets West Invitational at iconic Manhattan Beach Pier on March 13-14. The Bruins will open with Arizona State and LSU on day one and conclude the event with Texas and FiU.
After a week off, UCLA will head to Austin, Texas to compete in the Texas Invitational on March 27-28. The Bruins will take on LSU, Texas, North Florida, and Florida Atlantic at Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex.
The sixth tournament of the season will take place in Laguna Beach, Calif., where the Bruins will face Cal Poly, Stanford, USC, and Long Beach State at the Best in the West tournament on April 3-4 at the Main Beach.
The final regular season tournament will see the Bruins in San Luis Obispo, Calif., for the Center of Effort Challenge on April 10-11. UCLA will open with California and Cal Poly on the first day and will conclude bracket play with Arizona State on day two before heading into the playoff portion of the bracket.
The Bruins will complete their home slate with CSU Bakersfield on April 14 at 3:00 p.m. PT for “Senior Day,” and will conclude the regular season with a date at USC on April 16 at Noon.
For the second straight year, the Bruins will head to Spiker Beach in Hutington Beach, Calif., for the 2026 MPSF Championship Tournament (April 22-24). The winner will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala., to be held May 1-3.
2026 UCLA Women’s Beach Volleyball Schedule
|
Sports
UMBC Baseball Releases 2026 Schedule
BALTIMORE — UMBC Baseball coach Liam Bowen announced the Retrievers 2026 schedule on Monday afternoon. The 52-game slate features 25 contests at Alumni Field, highlighted by a visit from Maryland on April 7.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SCHEDULE
The non-conference road schedule features the first trip to Longwood since 2012 to open the season (2/20-2/22), and the first ever meetings with Penn (3/7-/3/8) and Florida Atlantic (3/13-3/15).
After the Longwood series, home Opening Day at Alumni Field will be on February 24 against Georgetown at 3 p.m., followed by a weekend series with Monmouth (2/27-31). UMBC will then play midweeks at George Washington (3/3) and Delaware State (3/4) before heading to Penn. They then return home to face Mount St. Mary’s (3/10), travel to FAU and then host a rematch with Delaware State (3/17).
America East play then begins as the Dawgs host Maine (3/20-3/22), they then have road tilts Coppin State (3/24) at UAlbany (3/27-29) before closing March by hosting George Washingto (3/31). April opens with a three-game non-conference home series against Iona (4/2-4/4) followed by the visit from the Terps.
Trips to Binghamton (4/10-4/12) and Georgetown (4/14) are then followed with a four-game homestand against UMass Lowell (4/17-4/19) and Towson (4/21). The Retrievers then make the return trip to Maine (4/24-4/26) and head to La Salle (4/28) before returning to Alumni Field to host UAlbany (5/1-5/3) and Coppin State (5/5).
The regular season wraps with trips to Bryant (5/8-5/10) and Towson (5/12), and then NJIT (5/14-5/16) comes to Baltimore for senior weekend.
The America East Tournament begins the following wek in Binghamton. The top six teams qualify, with the top two earning a bye to the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
Sports
Men’s Volleyball Picked to Finish Fifth in Inaugural Season’s NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
BRIDGEWATER, NJ – The NEC has announced the 2026 Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, that featured the Manhattan Jaspers placing fifth, per release on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m excited to begin competing this weekend, after a semester of hard work with the team,” said Head Coach Chris Schortgen.
“We have a competitive schedule ahead of us full of opportunity and I know our guys will make the most of these opportunities.”
The Jaspers open their stint as Associate Members of the NEC with a 15-squad roster, which includes 12 freshmen, and will be immediately eligible to compete in the 2026 NEC Men’s Volleyball Championship come the end of April.
Full List:
T1. Daemen (3)
T1: Saint Francis (2)
3. LIU (1)
4. FDU (1)
5. Manhattan
6. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
7. D’Youville
This season, the Jaspers have packed in a schedule that features teams like Penn State, and Loyola Chicago, while playing home matches against Roosevelt, and conference foes such as LIU, Saint Francis University, and FDU to open its Draddy Gymnasium residency.
The Men’s Volleyball program will open its first ever season on Saturday, January 10, when the Jaspers visit the Nittany Lions of Penn State for a 3 p.m. start in State College. The contest will be viewable on Big Ten Network Plus with a paid subscription.
Sports
Gleason Named Head Sports Performance Coach
VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton Division of Athletics has announced that Lori Gleason has been named its new Head Sports Performance Coach. Having served as an assistant and associate sport performance coach on the staff since 2006, she was promoted to the head job effective Jan. 2.
Gleason will oversee the sports performance programming for all 21 Bearcat athletic programs. In this role, she will lead two assistant sports performance coaches and collaborate closely with team coaches and student-athletes to establish and uphold training programs and performance standards that support continued growth and development of student-athletes.
“Lori has a long-standing reputation as a leader and mentor whose impact extends well beyond the weight room,” Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Sports Medicine & Performance Kara Gorgos said. “Her elevation to Head Sports Performance Coach is a testament to her dedication to Binghamton Athletics and her proven ability to continue raising the performance standards of our student-athletes. We are excited for the continued evolution and advancement of our sports performance program under Lori’s leadership.”
“I would like to thank Binghamton University, Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall Jr, the search committee, and my supervisor Kara Gorgos for this incredible opportunity to move into the role of Head Sports Performance Coach,” Gleason said. “Also, for the continuous support I have been given, I would like to thank my family and coworkers/coaching staff. I am very excited and look forward to growing our area, as well as collaborating with our staff as we all work together to achieve what is most important for our student athletes to be successful in their sport and performance.”
Since being hired as an Assistant Sports Performance Coach in 2006, Gleason has worked directly with seven of the Bearcat athletic programs, six of which have captured America East team championships during her tenure. In addition, Gleason has worked with a track & field program that has produced one NCAA champion as well as seven other All-Americans during that same span.
In 2024, Gleason was elevated to Senior Assistant Sports Performance Coach. Her additional duties included collaborating on the Bearcat teams’ performance programs and injury prevention tactics, establishing a 15+ week Preventive Exercise Plan specifically for ACL injuries and providing mentorship for the Sports Performance interns. In addition, Gleason served as an Athletic Department staff liaison for the Student-Athlete Mental Health Committee.
A 2002 graduate of SUNY Cortland, Gleason went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Applied Exercise Science from Springfield College in 2006. She served as both an intern and graduate assistant strength coach during her years at Springfield.
TRANSACTION
Binghamton University – Lori Gleason named Head Sports Performance Coach
Sports
UCSB Track and Field Announces 2026 Season Schedule
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara has officially announced their meet schedule for the upcoming 2026 outdoor season. The calendar features 14 regular-season meets during the spring, 13 of which will be held across California, featuring three home meets. Following the regular season, the Gauchos will compete at the Big West Championships and the postseason continues into June with the NCAA West Preliminary Round and the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The season will kick off with two home meets on Pauley Track, featuring the two-day Sam Adams Combined Events on March 5 and 6, followed by the Gaucho Relays on March 7.
The Gauchos will compete in two more meets for the remainder of March, including the Westmont Dual on March 13 to the neighboring Westmont College. Their next stop will be at the Jim Bush Legends Meet, hosted by UCLA on March 28.
On the first weekend of April, UCSB will compete in three separate meets, featuring the Stanford Invite and Mike Fanelli Distance Carnival in the Bay Area, as well as the Triton Invite in San Diego. Each meet will be two days, held on April 3 and 4.
Up next, the UCSB heptathletes and decathletes will take to the track at the Bryan Clay Multi April 9 and 10, overlapping with the Challenge Cup on April 10.
Santa Barbara will be featured in three different meets the following weekend, marking their return to Azusa Pacific from April 16 to 18 for the Bryan Clay Invite. The Guachos will also be seen in action at the Long Beach Invite hosted by Long Beach State April 17 and 18, as well as at the renowned Mt. Sac Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium April 16 to 18.
The Gauchos will take to their home track one last time before entering the postseason at the UCSB Invite, the two-day meet being hosted from April 24 to 25. The following weekend, Santa Barbara will travel to the Northeast, where they will compete at the prestigious Penn Relays hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
UC Santa Barbara’s postseason opens up with the Big West Multi Championships held on May 8 to 9 at Anteater Stadium in Irvine, Calif., then the remainder of the championships meet schedule will fill up two action-packed days of competition May 15 and 16 at Long Beach State.
Based on their performance throughout the postseason, the Gauchos have the chance to move on to the NCAA West Prelims hosted by the University of Arkansas, May 27 through 30. The NCAA National Championships will be held June 10 through 13 in Eugene, Ore.
Sports
Texas Sports Writers Association honors El Paso HS volleyball players
Jan. 6, 2026, 12:18 p.m. MT
Three El Paso high school volleyball players have been named to the Texas Sports Writers Association All-State volleyball team for the recently completed 2025 season.
- Chapin junior outside hitter Zoeh Cereceres was named Honorable Mention All-State in Class 5A. This past season, she had 501 kills, 43 aces, 35 blocks and 191 digs. Cereceres helped Chapin to the District 1-5A title and one playoff victory.
- Eastlake senior middle blocker Mia Carrasco was named Honorable Mention All-State in Class 6A. Carrasco finished the 2025 season with 240 kills and 115 blocks. Carrasco helped the Falcons to a District 1-6A title and two playoff wins.
- Eastlake freshman outside hitter Giselle Gandara was named Honorable Mention All-State in Class 6A. Gandara finished the season with 427 kills, 378 digs and 58 blocks. Gandara was also named a Freshman All-American in Class 6A by MaxPreps after the recently completed season.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached@fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoPrinceton Area Community Foundation awards more than $1.3 million to 40 local nonprofits ⋆ Princeton, NJ local news %
-
Sports3 weeks agoBeach Volleyball Unveils 2026 Spring Schedule – University of South Carolina Athletics
-
Sports2 weeks agoBadgers news: Wisconsin lands 2nd commitment from transfer portal
-
Sports2 weeks agoIs women’s volleyball the SEC’s next big sport? How Kentucky, Texas A&M broke through
-
Rec Sports4 days agoFive Youth Sports Trends We’re Watching in 2026
-
Sports3 weeks agoBadgers news: Final Four Game Thread vs. No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats
-
Sports3 weeks agoFour From Women’s Volleyball Named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoRefugee-Focused Youth Sport Initiatives : Moving for Change
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoYouth Sports Business in 2025: The Year the Industry Grew Up
-
Rec Sports3 weeks ago
Inside the NWSL’s first combine: Can the league create a more robust pathway for American talent development?





