Texas A&M volleyball is hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in head coach Jamie Morrison’s tenure.
In his first season, the Aggies lost 3-1 to Texas in the first round at Gregory Gymnasium. The second season, last year, the Aggies made it to the Sweet Sixteen but lost to Wisconsin in five sets. Morrison’s players echoed the sentiment “we will be back here next year” in that postgame press conference.
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Now in his third year, the Aggies had their best finish since 1984 and best conference regular-season record since 2015 when they were 24-7. They had an impressive win over Texas on Halloween but later fell to the Longhorns in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. Now, they are the No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
All signs point to the Aggies making a deep postseason run, but they have to do a few things first.
Texas Longhorns setter Ella Swindle (1) celebrates a score during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns middle blocker Nya Bunton (55) celebrates a score during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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The Texas Longhorns huddle on the court ahead of the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns outside hitter Torrey Stafford (4) spikes the ball during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns libero Emma Halter (2) and outside hitter Torrey Stafford (4) attempt to return a serve during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers (37) spikes the ball during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns outside hitter Abby Vander Wal (6) spikes the ball during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players and fans celebrate beating the Texas Longhorns in the annual Lone Star Showdown volleyball rivalry match at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M libero Ava Atwood (12) misses a serve return during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M libero Addie Applegate (2) celebrates a score against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players line up for the national anthem ahead of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M fans sing chants during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M libero Ava Underwood (12) returns a serve during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M outside hitter Emily Hellmuth (4) spikes the ball during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M fans wave signs during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Jerritt Elliott walks the cour during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) and setter Maddie Waak (16) celebrate a score against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M celebrates a score against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison talks to his players between sets during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns outside hitter Torrey Stafford (4) returns a serve during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers (37) serves the ball during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns players miss a block during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players leave the court after a second set win against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) and opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) miss a block during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M libero Addie Applegate (2) returns a serve during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M outside hitter Emily Hellmuth (4) spikes the ball during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M head volleyball coach Jamie Morrison walks the court during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) jumps to block a ball tipped by Texas Longhorns setter Rella Binney (3) during the game at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M fans cheer after a defensive block during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns libero Ramsey Gary (32) steps up to serve during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas Longhorns outside hitter Cari Spears (23) reacts to a blocked spike during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M outside hitter Taryn Morris (6) and middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) jump to block a spike during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players celebrate beating the Texas Longhorns in the annual Lone Star Showdown volleyball rivalry match at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players celebrate beating the Texas Longhorns in the annual Lone Star Showdown volleyball rivalry match at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M players celebrate beating the Texas Longhorns in the annual Lone Star Showdown volleyball rivalry match at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M libero Tatum Thomas (3) picks up the Lone Star Showdown trophy after beating the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Here is a preview of the Aggies’ potential road to the Final Four:
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Too many threats on the floor
Texas A&M has a lot of offensive weapons from three dominant outside hitters in Logan Lednicky, Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers to middle blockers Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins. Setter Maddie Waak, gets in on the fun too when she sees the open floor and can lay down an off-speed ball. To beat the Aggies, teams cannot lose sight of anyone because if Stowers is covered well, who can defend an open Lednicky, Cos-Okpalla or anyone else? With Waak being an impressive setter and the nation’s assists leader, it can be hard to keep track of where kills are coming from when she’s running the offense.
MORE: How the Longhorns’ 2-0 lead was vanquished vs Kentucky
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But a secret weapon the Aggies have is Cos-Okpalla.
The middle blocker is one of the best in the nation, recording 159 blocks on the season and leading the Aggies with 33 aces. Cos-Okpalla’s long arms are great for stuffing, but since she has a high point of contact on the ball, it is difficult for teams to block her. Plus, she serves with such power that it can force teams to play out of system, setting up defensive success for the Aggies.
Texas A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) steps up to serve during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Logan Lednicky needs to heat up
The Aggies’ go-to outside hitter, Lednicky had a rough SEC tournament semifinal against the Longhorns despite tallying 12 kills. Her attack percentage was .175 against Texas, but she swung for 14 kills and a .407 percentage in the quarterfinals against Vanderbilt.
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Since points are precious in the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M needs its season kills leader to come alive and swing through the block. Once the NCAA Tournament started last season, she averaged 24.3 kills through three matches. The last time Lednicky had a 20-plus kills match was in the Aggies’ Oct. 19 sweep of Arkansas (22).
MORE: Where Texas A&M is seeded for 2025 NCAA Tournament
Lednicky can catch fire quickly if the Aggies find her early because the more she swings, the more confident she should be to swing through a block. Texas limited Lednicky’s damage by sending multiple players to block her, leading to 24 block assists against the Aggies.
A&M has other offensive weapons in Stowers and Cos-Okpalla, but as one of the nine seniors and top hitters for the Aggies, Lednicky needs to find a rhythm.
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Texas A&M volleyball’s Logan Lednicky watches the ball for a kill against Baylor in the exhibition match Aug. 20, 2025.
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Who is on the schedule?
A&M will play the Campbell Camels in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Camels were 23-6 and had a 13-3 finish in the Coastal Athletic Association. They lost all three matches against Power Four opponents Clemson, Northwestern and South Carolina.
But after the Camels, if the Aggies win out, the journey to Kansas City, Mo. becomes a bit more gruelling.
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The second round could feature a rematch of a September duel between the Aggies and TCU. The Horned Frogs upset the Aggies in five sets. The Aggies suffered poor touches in the final moments and eight aces from TCU gave the Horned Frogs too many points. If the Aggies avenge that loss, they would face second-seeded Louisville, the ACC powerhouse that made last year’s finals. And if the Aggies upset the Cardinals, they’d likely have to get past the undefeated and top-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Elite Eight.
Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers (37) returns a serve during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Provided the rest of the bracket holds true, the Aggies would face Pitt in the national semifinals and if the Aggies were to beat the Panthers, they would play either Texas or Kentucky for the championship.