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Texas A&M volleyball stuns No. 1 Nebraska in regional final, advance to Final Four

by: Alex Byington9 hours ago_AlexByington

Down goes No. 1 Nebraska. Sixth-ranked Texas A&M took down top overall seed and previously undefeated Cornhuskers in five sets, 3-2, on Sunday to punch its ticket to the NCAA national semifinals vs. No. 4 Pitt in Kansas City on Thursday. It’s the Aggies’ first-ever appearance in the national semifinals.

Texas A&M won the wild, back-and-forth game 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, and 15-13, including with an epic fourth set involving double-digit set-point opportunities for the Huskers to force a winner-take-all fifth set Sunday. But it wasn’t enough as the Aggies (27-4) handed Nebraska (33-1) its first loss in nearly a year, the last coming to eventual national champion Penn State in last year’s national semifinals, and first loss in Lincoln since falling to Minnesota on Nov. 26, 2022. It’s also the Aggies’ first victory over a No. 1-ranked team since beating Stanford in 1995.

“It’s a testiment to the girls we have, the staff we have and the support we have from our administration. I’m just so proud,” A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said postgame on ABC. “I told them, we were so in the moment, I was like, ‘We’re going to the Final Four.’ It’s sinking in a little bit, but I’m just so proud of this group of human beings that we have apart of our team.”

A&M was led with 25 kills and 16 digs from Kyndal Stowers for 26 points, while Logan Lednicky added 24 kills and six block-assists for a team-high 27 points. Aggie libero Maddie Waak also contributed 61 assists and four aces in the upset. Meanwhile, Huskers superstar Harper Murray led Nebraska with 25 kills, nine digs and two aces for a team-high 29 points Sunday, while libero Bergan Reilly added 58 assists and a team-high 13 digs.

The wild, back-and-forth fourth set was one for the ages, as the Cornhuskers needed 10 set points to tie the best-of-five series at 2 games apiece, while the Aggies countered with three match points. Texas A&M also needed two match points to seal the deal in the fifth set. But it was Texas A&M’s defense that ultimately shut down Nebraska, outblocking the host Huskers 30-16 in the game, including 26-16 in blocking assists as the two-woman wall of Lednicky and Morgan Perkins stifled Nebraska’s powerful front line.

“This is going to last, and we’re going to do this for years and years to come,” Morrison added. “But right now I’m just going to soak up this moment because it’s absolutely amazing.”