NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament Recap

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Volleyball season always wraps up with a tournament for each division. The most viewed division is consistently the Women’s Division I, which is unpredictable every year. In the quarterfinals, Nebraska, the number one team in the regular season, was defeated by the Texas A&M Aggies in a five-set thriller. The Final Four consisted of Texas A&M, Pitt, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. While A&M easily swept the Pitt Panthers, Kentucky and Wisconsin had a tough match, balanced all the way through the last point of the fifth set. To conclude the season, the Aggies celebrated their first-ever National Championship in a three-set sweep over second-seeded Kentucky. The tournament never disappoints, but this year was unpredictable, with many upsets. 

Prior to the match, all stats predicted a Nebraska win. The main reason for such a huge upset was how strong the Aggies’ defense was. A total of 17 blocks came from A&M, fittingly the best blocking team in the country. Adding on, star sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers led the team in kills and digs, with 25 and 16, respectively. As a team, they were able to adjust to new plays set up by Nebraska, and excelled in serve receive and getting the ball to senior setter Maddie Waak. Waak’s strategic spread of using all her hitters consistently through all five sets prevented Nebraska from reading her well. Texas A&M Head Coach Jamie Morrison said post-game, “I didn’t learn anything. I said this when I was in here the last time, we’re really good at volleyball. And again, that’s not a surprise. What we did this season was, I don’t know. It’s the most wins at this point that this program’s ever had.” Though Nebraska’s early loss disappointed many, it was the result of A&M’s consistency and increasing momentum that pushed them through the tournament’s later stages. The Aggies were well prepared for their National Semifinal match against Pitt, who was led by junior opposite hitter Olivia Babcock. Babcock later won the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Women’s Division I Player of the Year award. It was a clean sweep for the Aggies, winning the sets 29-27, 25-21, and 25-20. Stowers and Waak led the team yet again. 

After the match, Babcock said, “I couldn’t be more proud of this team. I mean, making it to a Final Four is really hard, and obviously losing sucks, but I don’t think there’s anything bad or shameful about losing in a Final Four. I mean, only four teams got to play today, and I think we were grateful enough to be one of them.” Though the Panthers suffered a disappointing loss, A&M was ready for the National Championship. But first, they had to wait and see the winner between Wisconsin and Kentucky. 

Following the A&M and Pitt match, many believed Wisconsin and Kentucky would similarly have a quick three-set victory. That was far from the truth, as the match lasted five sets, each with alternating winners, until Kentucky took the fifth set 15-13. Both teams had top players: Wisconsin with Mimi Colyer, who won AVCA Outside Hitter of the Year, and Kentucky with Eva Hudson, who made the AVCA All-American team. Wisconsin played strongly and got off to a good start compared to Kentucky. However, their momentum wavered during the fourth and fifth sets, which unfortunately cost them the win. Nonetheless, they too had a remarkable season, with a record of 28-5. The match could’ve gone either way, but Kentucky moved on to the National Final.

Even though Kentucky was coming off a high-intensity semifinal match against Wisconsin, the final was quite the opposite. A&M pulled off its first-ever National Championship in a three-set sweep against Kentucky. While the match started off balanced, with the Aggies taking the first set 26-24, Kentucky couldn’t keep up afterwards. The second and third sets were 25-15 and 25-20, respectively. This season was Morrison’s first leading the A&M program, and the team never expected to win the National Championship in this assumed transition year. Morrison said, “I think the reason why we’re all sitting down here laughing at this right now is because we’re in disbelief. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing this has never happened: to take a program from where it was, to winning a national championship in three years.” Following their best season in program history, the team reflects on their historic journey as well as what to expect next. 

Overall, the 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball season ended with an action-packed and loaded tournament, with first-time champions Texas A&M taking the trophy. Moving forward, the Aggies will attempt back-to-back championships, while other prominent programs will strive to maintain their reputations. A lot can happen between now and then, including transfers and new players, so all we can do is wait and see how the season will unfold.