KANSAS CITY, MO ― What’s next for Texas A&M volleyball after winning its first title by defeating Kentucky on Sunday? Coach Jamie Morrison is already talking repeat.
Over the last month, the third-year head coach has said again and again that his Aggies would be a force to be reckoned with now and into the future.
‘It’s just the beginning of what our program’s going to do,’ Morrison said.
‘There was a small flame going of interest in our sport. It wasn’t small, it was a pretty big one. I think we just threw a whole 13 gallons of gasoline on it,’ the coach added after Texas A&M swept No. 1 Pitt in the national semifinals.
Morrison believes though the roster might look different, the Aggies can make multiple Final Four runs and win more championships along the way. He believes Texas A&M can recruit, develop talent and has plenty of resources to get the job done.
Morrison believed it before he won Coach of the Year. Before he and his team pulled off back-to-back sweeps during the Final Four. Before Texas A&M beat the Kentucky Wildcats. It was also before and three of his four players who earned All-American honors this season made the NCAA All-Tournament team.
‘They all bought into the way it was going to be, how we were going to work, how we were going to act as teammates, how we were going to care and love each other. Those things weren’t easy,’ Morrison said about his team after winning it all.
‘There was a group of them here from the beginning that said I want to be a part of this, I want to build this program. … For all of them, I don’t think they were envisioning a national championship by the time they were done. I think when we were selling what we were doing, it was building something they could come back to in the future and be really, really proud they helped build.’
With the Aggies first championship, Morrison lived up to his vision and fulfilled the promise he made to his players. Nine of those players — including starting setter Maddie Waak, opposite Logan Lednicky, libero Ava Underwood and middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla — are seniors and will be leaving the program they helped build into a champion.
Assuming the team keeps its remaining core next season, that leaves starting redshirt junior Kyndal Stowers to lead six sophomores and one senior. Stowers, who won All-American honors and Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, will lean on Morrison’s ability to recruit and develop talent.
‘When I say, ‘Hey, we can be good for a time to come,’ it’s not just us in terms of [volleyball] … It’s the entire athletic department.’ Morrison said.’ I think we have a pretty unique group that’s going in there.’
Texas A&M’s incredible run might signal a changing of the guard and more parity in college volleyball. After all, for the first time in nearly 16 years, none of the sport’s blue bloods — looking at you Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska and Texas — made the Final Four. But Morrison isn’t buying the underdog talk.
“We’re a really good volleyball team,” Morrison said. “I don’t think it’s been the greatest upset in the history of sports.”
Morrison believed all along and is confident there’s more to come, starting with defending their title in 2026.