Proof that Texas A&M volleyball's run is more methodical than magical

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As she has been known to do lately during this unbelievable run by the Texas A&M volleyball team, All-America hitter Logan Lednicky lifted 5-foot-7 teammate Ava Underwood Thursday night and hoisted her in the air.

"We're going to the national championship!" she told Underwood.

"I know," Underwood replied.

The Aggies survived another marathon postseason set and knocked off No. 1 seed Pittsburgh 29-27, 25-21, 25-20 in the NCAA volleyball tournament's final four at T-Mobile Center. The win set up an SEC showdown against Kentucky in Sunday's championship match.

A week ago, Texas A&M was teetering on the brink of elimination and pulled off a reverse sweep of second-seeded Louisville in the Sweet 16. The Aggies followed that up by ending Nebraska's undefeated season in a five-set nailbiter on Sunday in Lincoln that included a 37-35 fourth-set setback. Lednicky called the Aggies the "grittiest team in volleyball" after that one. The label was tough to dispute Thursday, when they calmly withstood an 8-0 run in the second game against Pitt.

The Aggies have become fan favorites during the NCAA tournament, a sort of Cinderella story, a seemingly overachieving team that got hot at the perfect time and is riding a wave of momentum. But coach Jamie Morrison bristles at the idea that his team has arrived at the title game because of something as fleeting and flukey as momentum.

He says it's by design.

"I think volleyball is a game of momentum if -- this isn't a sound bite -- you have a weak mind," Morrison said Thursday night. "The thing I talk a lot about in our program is I care less about mistakes and I care more about responses.

"We talk a lot about mental strength and mental fortitude, and the skills that go into that ... We started this season talking about who you are as a human being, then in the middle of the season we talked about who you are as a competitor. When you get in these big moments, you get sways of four points, then it's a game of momentum because you start losing track of who you are."

The most relevant theme for the Aggies' success is where they've been.

Four seniors -- Lednicky, Underwood, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Lexi Guinn -- went 5-13 in SEC play as freshmen in 2022. Lednicky and Underwood were A&M legacies who dreamed of wearing the maroon and gold, and turning A&M into a volleyball powerhouse. It wasn't until 2023 when that dream came into focus. When Morrison arrived.

"When he took the job," Underwood said, "it was not a question in my mind that I was going to stay. I knew that he was the guy that could make this place a great place for volleyball and just for people to go to, and that was something that I wanted to be a part of. It didn't take much convincing for me."

"He's got a lot of buzzwords, but I think the biggest thing is just be yourself. He's not going to make a bunch of copies of the same type of competitor. He really embraces all of us for the differences that we have, and I think that's what makes our team so special."

By 2024, Morrison had the Aggies in the Sweet 16. They ran into second-seeded Wisconsin and lost in five sets, coming within two points of victory. Morrison, who on Thursday was named the 2025 Division I AVCA coach of the year, said this year's team is reaping the benefits of that experience. Underwood takes it a step further.

"To be honest, I think last year, losing in the tournament, that was the pivotal turning moment for us," Underwood said.

A few weeks later, the Aggies added Kyndal Stowers to their roster. The sophomore had been medically retired at Baylor after suffering four concussions in a span of eight months. Stowers has been one of the Aggies' most dominant players, and led the team with 16 kills and hit .433 on Thursday.

She has been a perfect fit. When Stowers smashed a kill to give the Aggies a 13-11 lead in the third game Thursday, she squinted and flashed a knowing smile to her teammates. Texas A&M had taken control.

"I think we just came together as a team," Stowers said of their rally in the second game that set the tone for the match. "A very similar thing happened when we were playing Nebraska. We were up by quite a bit, and they went on a run. The fourth set, that went forever. We're like, 'Hey, we're not doing that again.

"'They're going on a run right now, we're going to recognize that, props to them for what they're doing, but we're going to respond and we're not going to let that keep happening.'"

It was an uncharacteristically short postseason night for the Aggies. Cos-Okpalla smashed a ball that zipped through the Panthers' defense in the third game, sealing the victory. After the ball landed and the crowd erupted, Cos-Okpalla casually sauntered back to the center of the court, joining her teammates, who were bouncing around in a circle.

The pro-A&M crowd held up big head cutouts of their favorite players, and Lednicky high-fived children and hoisted a few more teammates in the air.

Neither she, nor the rest of the Aggies, were surprised. They'd been building toward this.

"Honestly, I think [the postseason mentality] has been the same," Lednicky said. "I know it's probably like beating a dead horse, but y'all keep hearing, 'Why not us?' Literally why not us?

"We are considered the underdog in a lot of these moments just 'cause we haven't been here before. But we know we have all the right pieces.

"So why not us?"