First Serve features Sweet 16 rematch to open 2026

The defending national champions are back in action.

No. 8 Texas A&M volleyball heads north to Milwaukee, Wisc., to participate in the AVCA First Serve, where they will take on No. 7 Louisville to kick off the season on Friday evening at 5 p.m. CT.

For the Cardinals, revenge will be on their minds with the wounds of their Sweet 16 loss to A&M still fresh.

The Aggies got the best of the Cards in reverse sweep fashion last December, ending their run prematurely while propelling the Maroon & White to the national title.

Even with 11 Louisville returners with vengeance on their mind, A&M head coach Jamie Morrison won’t know exactly what the Cardinals are going to put on display during the matchup.

“I think it'll be a very similar team,” Morrison said. “And the thing I told our team about this, the thing I like about the beginning of the season, is it's like solving a puzzle while you're playing volleyball, and it's a fun, unique, stressful opportunity for us to go play volleyball in that way. So, they could come out with a very similar lineup; they could change.”

The Aggies find themselves in an opposite situation.

With nine players from last season's championship team gone, Morrison is still trying to put the pieces together to find his perfect six.

Even after a scrimmage and exhibition against Baylor, there still is a lot up in the air in terms of who’s getting the start.

Libero has been the most intriguing position battle all offseason, with sophomore Addi Applegate and freshman Gabi Rodriguez still fighting for the role.

“I think they're probably the two best liberos in the country, or close to,” Morrison said. “I think that makes each other better. I think the fact that we can put a tandem of them on the floor, I think gives us a really, I don't know, an invincible thing.”

The battle for setter is also something to keep track of. While senior Lily Nicholson comes in as a transfer with much experience in Power Four play, sophomore Kirra Musgrove has emerged as a valuable part of the equation.

Danny Grant, TexAgs

Listed at 6-foot-2, sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove appeared in 12 matches in 2025.

The Aggies will have a lot of things to figure out heading into this marquee matchup in the volleyball world.

Participating in the First Serve shows the status of Aggie volleyball as a whole, with only the best-of-the-best granted the opportunity to compete.

“I think a lot for our program,” Morrison said. “I talk a lot about rankings, and the only two that I really care about are the end of the year as a true indication of how you did that year, and I think the beginning of the year is respect for your program. And I think being involved in this match and playing the first match of the year, it just shows the amount of respect that people have for our program now.”

Morrison and his troops will launch into action this weekend at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Friday’s match will air on ESPN2.