Like I did last year, I'll do a little write up on every player on the roster so we can go into the new year knowing more about our new players and rehashing things about our returners. This year I'll introduce all our newcomers beginning with the freshman, then our transfers. Then I will introduce our returners from youngest to oldest. I will post one player a week getting us closer and closer to fall camp! I hope you all enjoy!
We are back with our player spotlights for the 2026 season and we will kick things off with our freshman defensive specialist / libero Gabi Rodriguez. Gabi Rodriguez was the centerpiece for our 2026 recruiting class. The lighting quick floor general committed June 21st of 2024 and will be a much needed back row player for the reigning national champion Texas A&M Aggies.
Rodriguez earned nearly every accolade a prep volleyball player can receive. A 4 year starter at McKinney North High School where she was coached by her mother Libby Rodriguez. Rodriguez led McKinney North to the 2025 state championship where she recorded a state record 43 DIGS in the 5 set loss. She was a 4 time all district player, a 3 time all state athlete, a 2025 first team AVCA All American, and a 2025 MaxPreps 2nd team All American player. She played her prep volleyball with the prestigious MadFrog volleyball club which was also where Ifenna Cos-Okpalla played club volleyball. Rodriguez has been a part of MadFrog since she was 7 years old. She was also the Texas Sports Writers State Defensive Player of the Year and the DFW's Libero of the Year. She amassed over 2500 digs in her stellar 4 year career at McKinney North.
Most impressive on her resume is Rodriguez being named to the USA U21 National team this past summer. Because of it being played late into the summer, the team was made up of high schoolers. Rodriguez wearing the red white and blue earned the starting nod for team USA as they played in Indonesia. She was rated one of the top liberos statistically despite only being 17 at the time. During this stretch she got to work with Aggie legend Stacy Sykora. At the conclusion of her senior year she was also selected to participate at the Under Armour High School All American Game where she started as well and showed out on the national stage with 11 digs, a couple assists, an even a rare Libero kill.
Rodriguez is one of the best back row players in the nation and can be expected to challenge Addi Applegate for the Libero jersey. She covers a lot of the court and is great at serve receive. She can fly anywhere on the floor and get the offense going with great ball placement. She is a solid server as well. The Aggies are losing Ava Underwood and Tatum Thomas at the position, only returning Applegate. Rodriguez will pick up the slack of losing those two, along with fellow freshman Jenna Thedford.
The battle for the Libero jersey between the two freshman and Applegate will be something interesting to follow this spring and into the fall. Either way we'll be in good hands. I can absolutely see Rodriguez in the Libero jersey, but if not she will be seeing the court in that right back position like Applegate was this past year. With many new players at the net, we'll need steady defense in the back row and that's exactly what Rodriguez will provide. We know how important this position is to Jamie and his staff. Lindsey Walton does a great job with the liberos and an Aggie great at the position Jen Woods is on the staff as well.
Rodriguez is a coaches daughter with an excellent skill set and strong work ethic. She has been praised by so many for her effort, heart, and knowledge of the game. Growing up around volleyball since berth shows in her play. Rodriguez in an interview I'll post below says she never had Texas A&M on her radar, but just a couple conversations with the staff and she was blown away and knew where she wanted to go. She's then fell in love with Aggieland, the school, the team, the staff, and everything about Texas A&M. She will be wearing number 1 this year for the Aggies. Wearing that jersey which was last worn by Ifenna Cos-Okpalla will come with some really big shoes to fill, but Gabriella Kate Rodriguez is a player that can live up to that hype. She will definitely earn multiple all conference and even all American honors during her tenure here at Texas A&M and with her in the back row, SEC coaches will be up at night game planning a little harder.
This week we will be introduced to our other freshman back row libero /defensive specialist Jenna Thedford. Like Rodriguez, Thedford is an excellent prospect in the back row and comes to Aggieland after a stellar prep career at Pearland Dawson and Houston Skyline.
Thedford committed to Aggieland very late into the recruiting cycle. While most commits choose their schools the summer after their sophomore year, Thedford committed to the Aggies February 23rd of 2025 after her junior season. It's usually late to commit that far after the summer to a power 4 program, but Thedford is a quality piece and the Aggies knew headed into 2026 they'd need more assurance in the back row.
Thedford spent her high school years playing for Houston area powerhouse Dawson High School. The school's rise in the volleyball ranks was partly due to the back row presence of Thedford. A four year letter winner, she was Dawson's libero for 3 years, taking them further in the playoffs each year. She was a multi time distinct defensive player of the year. Her senior year she led Dawson out of the tough region 3 and all the way to the state championship, a first in the school's history. They'd eventually fall to future Aggie Sophee Peterson and the powerhouse of Byron Nelson, but the bright play and steady leadership of Thedford made history for Dawson.
What's a Jamie Morrison Aggie team without a Houston Skyline player. After the likes of Logan Lednicky, Ava Underwood, Morgan Perkins, and Maddie Waak departed, it was only fitting we brought in a recruit from Houston Skyline in Thedford. The Skyline to College Station pipeline continues. Thedford started club at a later date but worked her way into the always talented Skyline team. The class of 2026 team featured commits from Nebraskas, Wisconsin, Louisville, Florida, SMU, Baylor and other division one programs. Seeing all those commitments makes it no shock to see that they won open nationals last summer with Thedford at libero.
Although a softball player most of her life, she eventually made the decision to switch to volleyball full time and we'll be glad she did! She will provide stellar play in the back row. She's a great leader and most importantly a winner and she will bring that winning work ethic and characteristic to Aggieland. Like previously mentioned, the back row room features sophomore Addi Applegate and freshman Gabi Rodriguez.
It's unknown what formations and substitutions we will be running in regard to our "littles" but Thedford bolsters the young but talented room. There's an open battle for the libero jersey between all 3 ladies, but I know we'll be in good hands in back row defense. From club highlights, Thedford reminded me a lot of Underwood with her ability to serve out of system balls and place them near the net. She's used to setting high level players and now getting to work with A&M's high level pins should be a seamless transition. Thedford also has the potential to be great from the service line.
Thedford is one of 5 in our talented freshman class. She's enrolled early and has looked strong in the spring games. Thedford seems to be completely bought into this team and being an Aggie. This team is lucky to have her as is this university. And PS, keep an eye out for her little sister Bree who is a libero for Houston Skyline 14 Royal team!
Now we move to the front row of our freshman class. After covering our two L/DS's Gabi Rodriguez and Jenna Thedford, it's time to meet our talented freshman outside hitter Sara Bowcutt who hails from the state of Arizona.
Bowcutt is one of our 5 that made up our 2026 recruiting class. She's a top 100 player in the entire nation, ranked 76th overall and top 5 in the state of Arizona. She is one of two pin hitters and was recruited primarily as an outside hitter. Bowcutt played her high school volleyball at American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek Arizona, a reputable charter school with great athletics. She led her team in kills and aces and led them to their first ever trip to the state championship. She was first team all region and multi time regional player of the year.
Bowcutt played her club volleyball for Arizona Storm Elite, one of the premier clubs in the nation, known for producing elite divison 1 talent. Most notably it was also the club where National Championship Aggie Tatum Thomas played for as well. So you know Bowcutt is familiar with high level volleyball and has gone against some of the best in the nation. Her own club team has signees to UCLA, Bama, South Carolina, Washington, Sanchez Diego and Wake Forest.
Bowcutt is a dynamic and versatile hitter with a deep tool bag at the net. In club and high school ball, she's played all over the front row with lots of time at both pins. At 6 feet tall, Bowcutt has an excellent vertical and a really quick pop off the ground! One of her biggest strengths is her arm speed and how quickly she can demolish a volleyball at the net. A lot of her highlights emphasize her ability to hit sharp angles and adapt to a bunch of different types of sets, but I believe she plays best at a fast tempo like Morrison likes to run. She also has a really solid serve that I know Jamie will turn into a monster behind the service line.
Bowcutt seems to primarily be an outside hitter for the Aggies. She upgrades a room that returns the NCAA Tournament MVP in Kyndal Stowers, as well as sophomores Megan Fitch and Amare Hernandez. Also in the OH room is Marquette transfer and all American Natalie Ring. Getting to develop and learn behind Stowers and Ring will be extremely beneficial for Bowcutt. One thing about Jamie Morrison is that he loves versatile all around pin hitters. Bowcutt comes in as a solid passer, but having that develop will make her an even more dynamic all around player. Bowcutt bring a lot of power and arm speed to the talented group that is know for its heavy arms and ability to flatten a volleyball.
After losing Emily Hellmuth, Taylor Humphrey, and Lexi Guinn, Bowcutt picks up that depth and will be another great option to have at the outside hitter position. She has looked solid in the spring and will only continue to grow. With Stowers leading the group, I believe we have one of the strongest outside hitter rooms in the country.
She's the second highest rated recruit in this A&M freshman class. She began playing volleyball at 6th grade and very quickly became all about the sport. She committed to Texas A&M very early in June of 2024. She's said that she fell in love with A&M's culture and atmosphere and with her early commitment she knew where home was early on. After Jamie Morrison and his staff has coached for only 2 seasons, she believed in the vision and saw what he was building even before the championship was won. That's why I'm a big fan of this recruiting class. They believed in the vision from Jamie and they are now part of it all. This freshman class has a chance to have an amazing 4 years at Texas A&M Volleyball and will undoubtedly win another championship.
Now we head to the right side of the net and look into freshman opposite hitter Brooke Lacewell. Lacewell finds her way to Aggieland growing up as an Aggie as both her parents former students! The explosive opposite hitter comes to Texas A&M highly regarded as a hitter.
Lacewell ended her high school career at the newly opened Eagle Mountain High School in Fort Worth, Texas after playing at Boswell High School. One of the most visually appealing and vast schools, Eagle Mountain competed at the 4A level in its first two years of varsity athletics. Lacewell helped lead the Knights to its school's first ever state championship in its young history. Her senior season was defined by 378 kills, 244 digs, 66 blocks, and 18 aces. She was district co-mvp with her teammate and Cornhusker Keoni Williams. Lacewell earned numerous all state and all region recognitions.
On the club scene Lacewell began playing for Drive Nation until she moved to play for Dallas Skyline. A sister club to Houston Skyline, Lacewell played for a strong club team at the elite level. They finished 5th at nationals last summer that saw Jenna Thedford and Houston Skyline win it all. Lacewell was a dynamic hitter who played primarily at opposite for this talented club team.
Lacewell's prep career earned her many accolades and a ranking of 106th in the class of 2026. Lacewell began playing volleyball at the age of 8 and soon after fell in love with the sport and solely focused on it. She's played all across the net, but the last few years and seemingly into college she's been focusing on the opposite or right side position. Lacewell has some great athleticism and explosiveness to her game. She is explosive with her swing and gives blockers little time to react to her arm speed and quick decision making.
There may not be a bigger hole to fill than at the opposite position after multiple time all American and Aggie legend Logan Lednicky has graduated and is now playing professionally. For many years we were accustomed to seeing number 9 flying in on the right side to annihilate a ball. It's going to take some time getting used to someone else on that right side. Going into this spring there were question marks whether we would pick up a proven opposite from the transfer portal but ultimately we elected not too.
At the position currently the Aggies have a battle between sophomore Taryn Morris and freshman Brooke Lacewell. Morris got some reps behind Lednicky last year, primarily on the defensive side when Lednicky was in the back row to give us some height at the net. Morris stands at 6'3 and has a great arm as well. Lacewell is a bit shorter at 6'0. Both are righties compared to Lednicky who was a lefty.
I think it was telling that Morrison chose not to bring in anyone at this position in the portal. He has faith in his two young options. Morris has some experience and Lacewell is a promising young prospect. This was a battle in January and it will be battle for our staff going into fall camp and non conference. Lacewell is a great option and I'm a fan of her arm swing and ability to flatten a volleyball.
Lacewell, like I've mentioned with the other freshman, committed a couple years ago before Jamie Morrison really got this thing going and long before we stood as national champions. Lacewell believed in this team, this staff, and in this university. Lacewell is an elite prospect who's won a lot of volleyball in her prep career. She will bring that talent and mindset to Aggieland in hopes of helping us bring back another national championship. She's hard to miss with her distinctive red hair, but you'll notice her explosive arm just as easily. Not saying it's a coincidence, but for the past 4 years we had a generational Aggie on the right side do pretty well for us. Now there's a chance another generational Aggie can deliver for us from the same position. Lacewell, I hope you have pictures at Kyle as a child!! We'll use them on our tournament run this year!
thank you so much, I appreciate it! I do this to help grow the fan support for this team and give us all a little more info and background to our entire roster!
The last freshman to introduce is middle blocker Eyiloluwafe (Lolufe) Adedeji. She's the lone incoming freshman who didn't early enroll this spring, but she will be joining the team soon this summer.
Adedeji had a storied career at Edmond Memorial High School, where she led her team to 3 state championships and ended her career being recognized as the Oklahoma Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. During her senior season, in 40 games, she amassed 327 kills and 114 blocks. Capped off by a 12 kill, 9 block game in the state championship. She was named all conference and all state multiple times throughout her high school career; which was a historic one in the Oklahoma ranks. She was simply dominant and unstoppable at the highest level of Oklahoma Volleyball.
For her club team she played for Oklahoma Charge for many years and found much success. OK Charge is one of the top club teams in the state of Oklahoma and Adedeji helped lead them to an AAU National title in 2025. While not enrolled at Texas A&M this spring, she's playing 18U with a new club: Oklahoma Peak, another dominant club team in Oklahoma.
One thing you'll see consistently said about Adedeji is her positive energy on and off the court. Middle blockers in volleyball tend to be the unsung heroes of teams. They get set only a few times, they're asked to do so much laterally across the net taking on hitters. They're forced to defend one on one more often than not. And they're asked to be quick decision makers. They won't get the credit and fame that pin hitters get but they're just as important, if not more. That being said, teams usually take on the personalities of their middles. We saw Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins play confident and dominant volleyball. You have to bring an edge at the position and if you watch Adedeji play, she's celebrating after every point, she's encouraging teammates, she's playing with some fire. She's really expressive on the court and it spreads throughout her team.
Adedeji is ranked the 184th prospect in the country and the second best player in the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma isn't known for producing many elite volleyball prospects, so the competition she will face at the next level be a step up for her. I think she will need time to to adjust defensively, however offensively with better setting she will thrive early. On the court she brings power offensively and defensively. She has a strong swing at the net whether it's set to her quickly or if she's hitting off of one foot behind the setter. She runs the slide really well, similar to Kaia Castle. She has an extremely long arms which make her terrifying to face at the net.
Like previously mentioned about the opposite position, middle blocker has some huge shoes to fill as well, perhaps bigger. For the last 3 seasons the Aggies relied on Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins at the net (and service line). On their way to a national championship, the Aggies rallied behind their middle duo which was one of the best in the nation. There may have been no better blocked than Cos-Okpalla and no better offensive weapon from the middle position than Perkins.
With only one returning middle on the roster, Djurdja Stanojevic, the Aggies needed to add at the position. The Aggies received a commitment from Adedeji in August of 2024. Going into 2026, Jamie and Co would absolutely need to add through the portal. They grabbed two elite transfers, both with 3 years of eligibility in Mountain West Freshman of the year Eliza Sharp and former 5 star recruit from Ohio State Kaia Castle. Although not being able to have enrolled in spring will be a challenge, Adedeji will come into this summer ready to work and join the competition. Middles are a position where you hardly see freshman starting as it takes a while to adapt to the faster collegiate game.
I'm really excited for Adedeji to enroll and get working in this system. Perkins nor Cos-Okpalla were big name recruits. This staff developed them into pro caliber players. I think Adedeji has so much potential at the middle position and from all accounts she's an even better person off the court too. She's very involved in her school and her community and she's going to fit in very well in Reed Arena and around Aggieland!
12th Man, there you have our freshman class! As noted above, most of these girls committed in the summer of 2024. They put their faith in Jamie and this university long before we reached the sweet sixteen, much less a national championship. They believed… now it's time for them to help bring another to Texas A&M
Now that we've all met the freshman, it's time to meet the other newcomers. 4 transfers and we'll kick things off with redshirt sophomore Eliza Sharp. Sharp is a middle blocker who transferred to Texas A&M after 2 seasons at Boise State.
Sharp is from the Bay Area in California In a suburb city of the San Francisco area called Burlingame. She played high school volleyball for Burlingame High School. Her high school career was strongly impacted by covid 19, especially being in the state of California. She bursted onto the scene as a freshman winning a CCS title and delivering the game winning point for her team. An overpass on her sister's serve went over the net and Eliza sent it over, it got blocked, she tried to pick it back up into play and it snuck over the net. She played that season along side her sister Emmy, who played beach volleyball at Stanford and is a big inspiration for Eliza to pick up and fall in love with the sport. Eliza finished her club volleyball career with Rage Westside Volleyball Club out of the Bay Area and saw so much success at 18's level with Rage Westside. She also played for Vision Volleyball Club as well.
Having your sophomore season of high school taken away and your junior season impacted as well, recruiting might have been a tough challenge. Sharp wasn't a top prospect, in fact there's not really any recruiting profiles on her. She committed later in the recruiting process to Boise State. As a true freshman, she was on a Boise team with 5 middle blockers and two super seniors at the position. She was able to redshirt her first year. Boise State head coach Shawn Garus said, the redshirt year was great for Sharp and it gave her time to develop and learn the game from some upperclassmen. In fact during her second year, opposing coaches would approach Garus and ask him how in the world did she not play in 2024 lol.
Coming into 2025, Boise State would again have 5 middle blockers on the roster, but through the spring and summer it was redshirt freshman Eliza Sharp turning heads with her vertical and powerful swing. She opened her season with a doubleheader that saw her go for 15 kills in her first collegiate game then a match with 10 blocks in 3 sets a couple hours later. The middle blocker just showed Boise who she was. Throughout the season she'd have 8 more matches with double digit kills leading to a season total of 250 kills (2.21 per set) all while hitting .323. Those number of kills were second on the entire team, which is a crazy stat for a middle blocker. While her hitting percentage was first on the team. She would also total 140 blocks at 1.21 per set. For reference, in 2 less games she had 6 more kills than Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Sharp would help lead Boise State it a 20-11 record as they fell just short in the Mountain West Championship to Utah State.
Sharp would earn Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, which is an award not so often given to middle blockers. She would be first team all North West Region as well. After Boise State's season concluded she would enter the portal. Right on Christmas Eve, she announced publically that she would be transferring to the national championship winning Texas A&M Aggies. What a Christmas gift for Jamie Morrison and the 12th Man.
Like I mentioned above with Adedeji's profile, we all know that we are losing our two starting middle blockers Cos-Okpalla and Morgan Perkins. With only one returner at the position in Djurdja Stanojevic who never really saw the court. Morrison would add a freshman in Adedeji and two transfers including Sharp. Having to replace two Aggie legends, we had to desperately add talent via the portal. Sharp was one of the most productive middles in the portal after her monstrous redshirt freshman season.
Sharp is an incredible force at the net. She is one of the most dominant offensive weapons from the middle position. At 6'3 she stands taller than Cos-Okpalla and Perkins. What made those two stand out were their speed and athleticism. Sharp is extremely quick as well and has great bounce. Boise State often looked to her on offense and I believe she will fit in well in our system. She has such a quick and powerful swing similar to Morgan Perkins.
Now one of the main questions, if not the main question this off season, is who will be setting Sharp and the rest of this offense. With Sharp's quick swing and athleticism, we'll need a setter who's comfortable setting the middles and can set a quick set. Having two huge weapons on the outside like Kyndal Stowers and Natalie Ring will open up the middle of the net as they will require a defenses full attention. Having a middle blocker like Sharp will ease our new setters transition.
We saw how important the position was for this team and for its success. Replacing Perkins and Cos-Okpalla might seem daunting and while it may be, landing Eliza Sharp out of the portal will make it possible. She will be a dominant force in Aggieland this season for seasons to follow. The future sports psychologist from the Bay Area has found a home here in Aggieland and having someone like Eliza will help Texas A&M Volleyball to remain elite and it's inevitable that she will help bring us another national championship. Everyone meet the former Mountain West Freshman of the Year and one of our new middle blockers Eliza Sharp!
enjoy this cool video I found of little Eliza serving
