NCAA Volleyball Finals 2025: The Biggest Storylines heading Into Championship weekend ft Texas A&M's first Appearance

The 2025 NCAA volleyball finals are around the corner. After incredible performances by 64 teams, it has come down to two finalists, who will contend for the title. After surpassing multiple top-notch teams, the Kentucky Wildcats and the Texas A&M Aggies have reached the final round.

The finals are slated to take place on December 21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Texas A&M bested Pittsburgh to make their way to the finals, and Kentucky prevailed over the Wisconsin Badgers to advance to the last round of the championships.

Amid the hype of the upcoming final round of the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship, multiple storylines are making headlines. From the Aggies gearing up for their first championship appearance to Nebraska volleyball's Bergen Reilly winning multiple prestigious honors after her team's unexpected loss.

Let's have a look into the biggest storylines that happened while heading into the championship weekend of the 2025 NCAA volleyball season.

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Texas A&M first appearance in the finals of the NCAA volleyball championships

Texas A&M had a successful run in the 2025 volleyball season. They dominated the NCAA championship by dominating several top-notch teams. After besting the unbeaten Nebraska Cornhuskers in the regional final, they met Pittsburgh in the national semi-finals on December 18.

Delivering an efficient performance, the Aggies earned an impressive 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-20) sweep over the Panthers. With this win, they are now headed to the national championship final match for the first time in collegiate history. Players, including Kyndal Stowers, Logan Lednicky, Maddie Waak, and more, delivered significant contributions in the semi-final showdown.

The final matchup will be held against the Kentucky Wildcats on December 21.

Texas A&M volleyball's Kyndal Stowers' massive comeback after injury

The Texas A&M volleyball team's Kyndal Stowers had an incredible journey this season. Stowers started her collegiate career in 2023 at Baylor; however, things took an unexpected turn as her journey was marred by injuries. She sustained four concussions in eight months, which forced her to retire medically in the middle of the season.

Following this, the outside hitter was out of action for almost a year. After focusing on her recovery and working on her skills, she entered the transfer portal in the 2024 NCAA Championships. Amid this, she was reached out to by the Aggies' head coach, James Morrison.

This decision worked out perfectly for the team, as she made a stunning comeback this year. She led the Texas A&M volleyball team to the final round of the 2025 NCAA volleyball. During her team's clash against Pitt, she registered 16 kills, 2 blocks, and 6 digs.

Ticket rates witnessed a drop after the Nebraska volleyball team's unexpected loss

The Nebraska volleyball team that dominated the entire regular season and entered the NCAA championship with a perfect score faced a heartbreaking loss in the regional finals. The team locked horns with Texas A&M, who proved their billing by claiming a 3-2 victory in a thrilling clash.

This led to the Huskers' elimination from the 2025 National Championships. Before the regional final's week, even the cheapest tickets were listed for more than $300. However, following this unexpected loss, the price for the Final Four saw a major drop, as it plummeted to $90.

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Bergen Reilly won prestigious awards days after the team's loss

Following her team's upsetting loss at the 2025 NCAA volleyball regional final, Bergen Reilly earned prestigious honors. She won the Player of the Year and Setter of the Year awards. In addition to this, she also won the First-Team AVCA All-American honor.

Reilly had a notable 2025 season, as she set a school record with a .352 team hitting percentage and also averaged 10.47 assists and 2.70 digs per set. Along with all these achievements, the setter was also named Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Setter of the Year.

Nebraska vs. Texas A&M NCAA volleyball Regional Final: Most-watched record

The terrific showdown between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Texas A&M volleyball team at the Regional Final garnered a lot of audience. This match broke the record, as it became the most-watched regional final with 1.2 million views.

The average viewership of this matchup was 530k. It was held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Edited by Tushhita Barua