KANSAS CITY, MO ― The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament Final Four semifinal matches were intense, with long back-and-forth rallies.
No. 3 seed Texas A&M kept the volleyball world on notice with a dominating sweep of No. 1 Pitt. The Panthers were eliminated in the semifinal of the Final Four for a fifth straight year and have to begin the national championship climb again in 2026. ‘It always hurts the same,’ Pitt’s Olivia Babcock said tearfully afterward.
Texas A&M will play No. 1 seed Kentucky in the first all-SEC national championship title match on Sunday (3:30 p.m., ABC).
The Wildcats beat No. 3 Wisconsin in a five-set heavyweight match that featured numerous rallies and blocks. Kentucky was behind in nearly every major statistical category until a late offensive burst pushed it past Wisconsin.
‘Our team has done an incredible job this year of not letting the score dictate their effort, their willingness and just giving it to the other team,’ Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner said.
As the two remaining teams continue their push for a national championship, here are the winners and losers from the semifinal round of the Final Four.
Winners
Texas A&M sweeps Pitt to reach first national championship
Texas A&M is officially the most dangerous team in volleyball, if they weren’t already during the NCAA tournament. After upsetting Nebraska in the Elite Eight, the Aggies swept No. 1 seed Pittsburgh. They had a field day against the Panthers with five players recording five kills or more, including outside hitter Kyndal Stowers (16 kills on .433 hitting) and opposite Logan Lednicky (14 kills on .323).
Setter Maddie Waak also deserves a ton of credit for her 48 assists that set up her teammates to attack the weak points in the Panthers’ defense. Texas A&M came in with a game plan and didn’t let up. They withstood multiple runs from Pitt, and by the time they took 14 of the last 20 points in the second set, it was evident the Aggies had nothing but winning on their mind. They used every bit of ‘grit’ (their theme all year) they had.
‘It’s a testament to the work we put in in the practice gym and just generally in allof our careers. It’s been a long time coming for us, a lot of work put into this moment,’ Lednicky said. ‘We know we have the right group of girls to go out and win this thing now. So obviously a great match today. I think we got pushed in all the right places. We were down alittle. They’d go on a run; we’d go on a run. We just know how to dig in in the right times.’
AVCA Coach of the Year Jamie Morrison of Texas A&M
On Thursday, ahead of a matchup with No. 1 Pittsburgh, Texas A&M Aggies coach Jamie Morrison won the Division 1 AVCA Coach of the Year award. In just his third season with the program, he led the Aggies to a 27-4 regular-season record and a second-place finish in the SEC. Under his leadership this season, four Texas A&M players (Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Lednicky, Waak, Stowers) earned AVCA All-American honors. Morrison and the Aggies then swept No. 1 Pitt (29-27, 25-21, 25-20) to punch their ticket to their first national championship appearance. What a coaching masterclass by Morrison. He spread the Panthers out with service pressure, attacked their liberos, and withstood a massive day from Babcock.’I’m proud of our team just because we talk a lot about staying present and enjoying moments,’ Morrison said after the win. ‘I thought in all of those moments we enjoyed every single second of it. 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 these moments.’
Pitt’s Olivia Babcock against Texas A&M
Olivia Babcock was a wrecking crew against the Texas A&M Aggies. Not only did she lead the Panthers in hitting percentage (.379) after two sets, but she had 14 kills and five blocks. She finished her day with 22 kills on 41 swings with a .463 hitting percentage, plus six blocks and three digs. She did everything (and then some) that Pitt coach Dan Fisher asked.
Eva Hudson’s stellar night against Wisconsin
Kentucky outside hitter Eva Hudson refused to give up, even after the Wildcats dropped the first set and had their backs against the wall in the fourth set. Hudson was spectacular, seemingly scoring at will as she continued stacking one kill after another. She ended her night with 29 kills on .455 hitting, seven digs and two blocks. It was only fitting that the outside hitter scored the final point to send the Wildcats to the national championship. ‘[Eva] Hudson stepped out of the phone booth with her cape on. We knew where it was going, and it didn’t matter,’ Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield said.
Losers
Pitt continues to be the ‘bridesmaid’
After five straight Final Four appearances, the Pittsburgh Panthers came up short again. Pitt couldn’t string together enough sustained runs to stop Texas A&M. What’s more, at some point during the deciding third set, they stopped being as vocal. (The Aggies were seemingly talking to each other on every point.) Multiple chances by Pitt to fight back and take a set slipped away, and late in the match, it all seemed to come tumbling down.
‘I guess the main story from a coaching standpoint is we hit from a high enough percentage. That’s for sure, ‘ Fisher said. ‘We were nowhere near as good as we needed to be defensively … I thought we were ready. It’s on me and us as coaches.
Dan Fisher’s mood after Pitt was eliminated
Understandably, a coach would be disappointed after losing one of the biggest games of their career for a fifth straight season. Still, Fisher was pretty dry and a bit sour in Thursday’s post-match press conference. He didn’t give particularly long answers to questions, and one question about how proud he was of his teams for making multiple Final Four appearances didn’t sit very well with him. “I don’t have great perspective on that right now,’ Fisher said. ‘I’m proud of being consistently good, consistently in the hunt, but I’m pretty pissed off right now.”
Wisconsin’s 13-game win streak stopped
Badgers middle blocker Carter Booth and outside hitter Mimi Colyer were fantastic against Kentucky. Before the second set even ended, they both had double-digit kills. As the match continued, they both hit the gas. Booth finished with a career-high 21 kills on .633 hitting and six blocks. Colyer, unsurprisingly, hit a match high 32 kills on .348 hitting. She also had 12 digs. Even with great performances from Booth and Colyer, as well as several other players, the Badgers’ 13-game win streak came to an end in Kansas City. ‘Just heartbreaking for everyone who worked so hard this year. I don’t regret it at all,’ Charlie Fuerbringer said. ‘Carter [Booth] gave her all.’
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