The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball season recently ended, and if you’ve been following the tournament, the astonishing conclusion will leave you dumbfounded.
Texas A&M, volleyball’s current dark horse, snatched the title from Kentucky in a final for the ages. After a reverse-sweep against Louisville and a takedown of Nebraska, Texas A&M won their first national championship, taking home the title and ending the tournament in an outcome that would shock even the most seasoned of volleyball buffs.
The top four D1 volleyball teams prior to the NCAA tournament, all favorites to win the competition, were Nebraska, Kentucky, Pittsburg and Texas State. And while Texas A&M was always a contender, few would call the Aggies one of the front runners.
Nebraska—an undefeated team at the time boasting multiple all-Americans—and Kentucky, with an experienced coach and a championship already under their belt, along with a plethora of excellent players, were everyone’s top picks for this year’s championship. However, Texas A&M and their swift gameplay and menacingly effective blocks made them the undisputed title holders of 2025.
In the finals against Kentucky, Texas A&M had a rough start. Trailing by as much as 6 points in the first set, Texas A&M came back with their first lead at 25-24, putting them at set point. After a magnificent swipe off the block by Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M won the first set on a 3-0 run.
Starting off the second set of the finals incredibly strong, Texas A&M revealed their secret weapon, which perhaps is what hoisted them to the championship finals in the first place: their superb blocking. Texas A&M’s coordination, speed and efficiency at the net were uncanny, leaving Kentucky fumbling to catch up. Arguably most formidable were the team’s two middles, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins. Defensively, Texas A&M was seemingly unrivaled.
Contrary to the more straightforward method of scoring points with attacks, blocks are more difficult, yet proportionally more rewarding. Blocks put a huge amount of pressure on the opposing team, forcing them to be cautious and conscientious of how, when and where they swing. This consistently held Kentucky to one of their lowest hitting percentages all season (.148).
While Kentucky gave it their all, their passing, the foundation of any in-system or out of system attack, was subpar. The Aggies swept the second set, with a final score of 25-15.
Texas A&M had a dominant start to the 3rd set, and while Kentucky attempted to develop momentum, multiple unforced errors on their side killed any chance of turning the match around.
Kentucky is a good team with a talented roster, but volleyball is a sport where individual prowess is irrelevant if you cannot connect. That connection, for Kentucky, was just too little too late. Texas A&M is strong on offense, but what truly makes them an unbelievably good team—the best women’s college volleyball team in the nation—is their grit, unfailing perseverance and “suffocating defense,” as one announcer said.
Jamie Morrison, the Aggies head coach and 2025 AVCA National Coach of the Year, aims to re-build Texas A&M’s volleyball program from the ground up. While the school’s volleyball program has been historically relatively overlooked, Morrison plans to build it into a powerhouse.
“The college landscape is changing. We did it without the money other programs had,” Morrison reflected on the 3-year journey to winning a national championship. “We care about the people that are a part of our program…we’re going to go make history for a long time to come.”
The Aggies catchphrase, “Why Not Us?” has become, “It Is Us.”
