The Texas A&M player, Kyndal Stowers, opened up about her team progressing to the National Championship final. The finals is scheduled to be held on December 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Aggies contested against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the national semi-finals on December 18 in Kansas. They delivered a stellar performance and prevailed over their opponent by claiming a 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-20) sweep. With this win, they will be competing in the NCAA finals for the first time.
This match witnessed a significant contribution by the outside hitter, Stowers. She led her team to the win by registering 16 kills, 2 blocks, and 6 digs. NCAA reporter Michella Chester asked Stowers about the win and what kind of statement her team is making about what they can do. Replying to this, she said:
I mean, all week, ever since we beat Louisville, everybody’s been telling us, oh, Jessica swept by Nebraska being Nebraska, like, oh, Jessica swept by Pitts. We’re like, hey, why don’t we just go out and do the exact opposite of what they’re saying? We’ve been saying all your why not us? And it’s not just why not us? Go win, make it look OK. We’re like, no, why not us? Why don’t we just go out there and take this from people?” said Kyndal Stowers.
She added:
“I mean, every single ever since practice yesterday, like we were like, no, we’re going to come in from the first point until the last point and give everything that we have, every ounce of energy, every ounce of effort and strength that we have in our body. We’re going to leave it out on the court and we’re not going to wait. We’re not going to pull another Louisville. We’re going to come out from the first point and get it going for you personally.”
The Texas A&M volleyball team advanced to the regional semi-final round by besting the No. 1 Nebraska Huskers on December 14.
Kyndal Stowers opened up about making her comeback to volleyball
Kyndal Stowers commenced her collegiate career in 2023 at Baylor; however, her journey was cut short due to injuries. She sustained eight concussions in the span of four months, which eventually led to her medical retirement. She was out of action for one year and then entered the transfer portal in December 2024.
Stowers was welcomed to the Texas A&M team by their head coach, Jamie Morrison. Following her game at the national semi-finals, she was asked about her comeback in the press conference. Opening up about her decision process to get back to her collegiate career, she said: (as quoted by 12thman.com)
“I was playing as much as I could. It’s kind of hard because everyone’s in season. Sometimes it was literally just me alone in the gym serving or self-toss hitting, out-of-system setting. Only so much I could do. Making sure I kept touch on the ball,” said Kyndal Stowers.
She added:
“The decision took a lot of time. Wasn’t an easy one. An initial thought that maybe I should just be done with this. It was a crazy series of events. I went back and forth on it a lot. A difficult decision to make.”
In the same press conference, Kyndal Stowers also revealed if she still faces any repercussions from the concussions she suffered.
Edited by Tushhita Barua
