Alexa K. Haverlah

#3 Texas A&M will defeat #1 Kentucky

The Texas A&M Aggies have three things going for them that the Kentucky Wildcats do not: 1) A sense of playing for each other regardless of the outcome, 2) senior leadership, and 3) the best defense in the country.

Aggies Have “It”

Even though it’s against my religion as a Longhorn and I don’t gamble, I’d bet all my money that #3 Texas A&M beats #1 Kentucky today, Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2:30 p.m. CST in the NCAA D1 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

How am I so sure? Because the Aggies have it. What is “it,” you ask? To win a national championship (or any championship), you have to play with your teammates, for your teammates. You have to play with JOY to see your friends and teammates succeed. Even if you’re down a point or a set, you have to force yourself to *smile* when your teammate does something well, because smiling keeps you loose. Staying loose is essential in high-pressure situations; the last thing you want is to get tight and tense and scared of making a mistake.

That’s exactly what happened to Nebraska in the regional finals against A&M. Nebraska was the #1 ranked team in the country for the entire season – EVERYONE thought they were making it to the final. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought they’d win the whole thing (a devastating thought as a Longhorn). Instead, they lost in 5 sets to the Aggies, shocking the volleyball nation. How did this happen to the supposed best team in the country, not to mention at their own home court?

Nebraska lost because they played not-to-lose rather than to-win. This “can’t-lose” mentality during the regional finals was evident when, after a back-row kill from Nebraska’s star outside hitter Harper Murray, you can read her lips saying: “That’s what I fucking thought.” Presumably, she is talking to the Aggie players on the other side of the net. This is what I would call a classic bad attitude, and IMHO, Harper Murray is the queen of it. Another example: In the 2023 championship game against Texas, Harper got blocked solo-style by opposite hitter Molly Phillips. The appropriate attitude might be something along the lines of: Big whoop. You get stuffed; you move on. In volleyball, whether you win or lose a point, they’re all worth the same amount. Sure enough, later on in the game, Murray blocks Molly Phillips. Afterward, you can read her lips saying, “Fucking bitch.” Yikes. That’s an embarrassed-to-lose mentality, not an I-play-to-win-for-my-team-and-coaches mentality.

The Kentucky Wildcats, led by outside hitter Eva Hudson (I’d include Brooklyn DeLeye as well, but let’s be honest, it’s mostly been the Eva Hudson show), are an intense, fierce competitor to be sure. But I’d argue they play for the glory of winning, not for each other. When a player does something right on the Wildcats side, it’s all chest bumps and fists swinging in the air. I have nothing against a chest bump, but winning isn’t about who’s more intense. If it were, Eva Hudson would never lose a point in her life. She’s the baddest, and nobody can take that away from her. (I also think she should have won Player of the Year, but that’s another story.) But getting angry or intense has the opposite intended effect when you lose a point, which inevitably happens. It’s better to stay neutral in those moments. I’d also contend that getting furious doesn’t help pump up your team as much as a running hug or a huge smile. Which reaction would you rather see on your teammate’s face?

Louisville’s star outside hitter Anna DeBeer told her teammates during the 2024 national championship match against Penn State, “We need to get pissed.” How’d that work out? Penn State beat Louisville 3-1. Winning isn’t about getting pissed that you’re losing and feeding off that negative energy; it’s about gratitude for this final moment in the season with your team and coaching staff, regardless of the outcome. In essence, to win, you have to not think about winning. You have to think about who you’re playing with and for, not against.

In the Aggies regional match against Nebraska and the semifinal match against Pitt, they played loosely, meaning less bump-set-kill formulaic, and with love and joy for each other. When an Aggie made a sick block or an impressive save, there were hugs all around and lots of excited jumping up and down. When an Aggie made a mistake, a hand went up accepting responsibility, the player said, “My bad,” and everyone moved on.

That joy and maturity are what will lead Aggies to their first natty. They’re hard to come by, especially when under pressure and among younger players. I want to talk about leadership next, because it’s another reason why the Aggies will win their first national volleyball championship.

Seniors = Leadership

Six starting A&M players are seniors: Opposite hitter Logan Lednicky, outside hitter Emily Hellmuth, libero Ava Underwood, setter Maddie Waak, and middle blockers Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins.

Can you spell L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P??? That’s what seniors provide. They also have more experience and development, exposure to big-time situations, the buy-in in their training and coaching, and the urgency, knowing this is their last chance to make history.

I’m not sure any team has ever won a national championship without any seniors on the roster. Nebraska tried to accomplish this two years ago against Texas, but they lost 3-0 to a Texas team that had “super senior “Asjia O’Neal (who had an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-10), not to mention all-star Madisen Skinner.

I’d argue that senior middle blocker Carter Booth is how Wisconsin made it to the semifinals this year, something I didn’t see coming. As Booth told a reporter after beating Texas in the regional finals, “I refuse to fucking lose.” Of course she does; it’s her last year in the program! She has the urgency and confidence to guide her team.

The seniors on the Aggie team will help ensure their younger teammates, like sophomore Kyndal Stowers, live in the moment and soak up the joy of having made it to their first-ever national championship match. You can also count on the Aggie seniors to leave absolutely everything they have on the court; after all, it’s their last collegiate game. They won’t save anything in the tank.

Defense Wins Championships

Finally, the Aggies will defeat higher-ranked Kentucky today because their defense is better, and defense wins championships.

Between A&M’s serves and blocks, they’ll win the serve-and-pass game and get Kentucky out of system. Senior Ifenna Cos-Okpalla has both a deadly serve and killer blocking technique. When she leaves the court, she’s replaced by Morgan Perkins, who also blocks like an absolute beast. Both middle blockers are quick off their feet when getting set, allowing A&M to run the middle and open up the pins. Senior setter Maddie Waak has a great left-handed serve, as does Logan Lednicky, A&M’s star opposite hitter.

Every volleyball team can produce great offense. Defense is harder. For one, it’s effort-based. It’s mentally (and physically) discomforting to throw yourself on the floor for a ball for a pancake, running the risk of hurting your body or running into a teammate.

Despite never having made it to this stage before in the history of A&M volleyball, despite being ranked lower than Kentucky, despite all the nerves associated with the most stressful moment in their entire volleyball career thus far, I’m confident the Aggies will win the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship.

The Aggies deserve to win because they have proven they have the necessary love and joy for the game, their teammates, their coach Jamie Morrison, they have the leadership from their numerous seniors, and they have the defense.

LFG!!!