News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
The most successful season in Texas A&M volleyball history continues following the No. 3-seed Aggies’ sweep of the No. 1-seed Pitt Panthers, 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-20), in Thursday’s NCAA Championship semifinal match inside the T-Mobile Center.
Texas A&M (28-4) became just the third No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament history to dispatch of two No. 1 seeds, joining UCLA in 2011 and Nebraska in 2021. The Aggies handed Pitt (30-5) its first sweep since October 12, 2024, and became the first team since 2023 to sweep a national semifinal match. In an offensive slug fest, it was the Maroon & White who owned a .382-.344 advantage in attack percentage against the Pitt juggernaut. The Maroon & White closed out the match with a .455 hitting percentage in the third set to take the win.
The Aggies’ four AVCA All-Americans performed on an elite level. First-teamer Ifenna Cos-Okpalla swung at a .538 clip with eight kills and five blocks. Logan Lednicky, a second-team selection, logged a .323 attack percentage with 14 kills. Fellow second-teamer Kyndal Stowers put down a team-high 16 kills, hitting .433 with six digs. Maddie Waak, a third-team selection recorded 48 assists and three service aces.
The opening set was a seesaw affair with 17 ties and six lead changes as neither team scored more than three consecutive points. A 7-3 run by the Maroon & White flipped a one-point deficit into Texas A&M’s largest lead of the set, 12-9, as Pitt called its first timeout. The Panthers scored three in a row to knot things at 12-12. The set was deadlocked 11 more times before A&M prevailed 29-27. With Pitt serving at set point for the first time up 27-26, the Aggies responded with two Stowers kills sandwiched around a service ace by Tatum Thomas. Stowers registered a phenomenal opening stanza, attacking at a .750 clip with nine kills.
In the second set, the Aggies used a 7-2 surge, including four straight points with Lednicky serving to stake claim to a 10-6 lead. The Panthers outscored Texas A&M 9-1 out of a Pitt timeout to nose ahead, 15-11, aided by three Aggie net violations. Texas A&M offered an immediate response. The Maroon & White went on a 9-2 charge with multiple kills by Lednicky (3), Cos-Okpalla (2) and Emily Hellmuth (2) to go ahead, 20-17. Pitt inched back to tie the set 21-21, but the Aggies scored the last four points to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Although the third set was tied on six occasions, the Aggies never trailed after a 5-0 run, sparked by two Waak services aces, grabbing a 12-10 lead. Texas A&M stretched the advantage to 17-13 before the Panthers took their last gasp of air. Pitt knotted the match at 18-18, but a kill by Morgan Perkins and a Panthers attack error put the Aggies ahead for good. Up 21-20, Cos-Okpalla had two kills, including the endgame, and one block as Texas A&M closed the match out with four straight points.