Since the day that head coach Jamie Morrison was hired to take over the Texas A&M volleyball program three years ago, his goal has been to change the landscape and perception of the Aggies on a national level.
That mission was accomplished in the team’s sweep of the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers in the Final Four on Thursday evening. Once again, Morrison and company find themselves making history, as Texas A&M is set to compete in its first NCAA Championship in program history.
Morrison’s squad set the tone in the first frame, as they battled back and forth into extras with Pitt for a 29-27 victory. The Aggies carried that momentum into the second and third sets by breaking out the brooms with a 25-21 and 25-20 win, respectively. Kyndal Stowers led the way with another outstanding performance on the court, recording 16 kills, six digs and two blocks in the match. Logan Lednicky and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, who have continued to shatter career records in recent weeks, combined for 22 kills and seven blocks in the victory.
After dethroning the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Elite Eight, the Aggies knew the job was far from complete. Even following another historic win over the Panthers in Kansas City, Missouri, there is still one more accomplishment left on the docket before the 2025 campaign comes to a close.
Here is what Morrison, Stowers, Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla said following the team’s historic win over Pitt on Thursday evening:
Morrison talks about how the Aggies will prepare for the national title
“The same way we always do,” Morrison said. “We have to come scout but it depends on which team we play. The thing we have done well all year is pick apart the opponent.”
Morrison’s thoughts on Pitt’s performance
“They played really good volleyball,” Morrison said. “Dan Fisher is one of the best coaches in the game… I know they haven’t made it past this round, and I didn’t want to be the one to do it but that’s sports.”
Morrison on his team’s performance
“I’m proud of our team just because we talk a lot about staying present and enjoying moments. I thought in all of those moments, we enjoyed every single second of it,” Morrison said. “Every single time we were pushed, we talk a lot about responses, and we had a response. That’s all you can ask for in those moments.”
Stowers’ thoughts after the historic win
“I genuinely have no idea, just pure gratitude,” Stowers said. “This is crazy. This is an absolute crazy experience. We had faith in ourselves all year from the first game of the season. We knew that we were capable of this, but now living it. This is insane, it’s really cool.”
Lednicky on how the Aggies became so gritty
“I think it’s a testatment to the work we put in and just genuinely all of our careers,” Lednicky said. “It’s been a long time coming for us and a lot of work put into this moment. We know we have the right group of girls to go out and win this thing now.”
Lednicky speaks on the mentality of the team throughout the tournament
“I think it’s been the same. I know it’s probably like beating a dead horse, but y’all keep hearing why not us. Like literally, why not us,” Lednicky said. “I think we are considered the underdog in a lot of these moments just because we haven’t been here before, but we know we have all the right pieces so why not us?”
Cos-Okpalla on the confidence the Aggies bring to the court each match
“Jamie (Morrison) instills it in us. It’s pretty much every day we’ve heard it, just be us. Not only just us as a team, but us as individuals because we all bring something different to the table. We mesh so well together,” Cos-Okpalla said.
Stowers on staying together and battling against another No. 1 seed
“We just came together as a team and realized a very similar thing happened when we were playing Nebraska. We were up by quite a bit and they went on a run and came back in the fourth set that went on forever and we were like, ‘Hey, we’re not doing that again.’ We’re going to recognize that. Props to them for what they’re doing, but we are going to respond,” Stowers said.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Quotes from Texas A&M volleyball’s HC, players after Final Four win
