Press conference video courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics.
Match #1: No. 7 Louisville 3, No. 8 Texas A&M 1
S1: LOU, 25-20; S2: LOU, 25-23; S3: A&M, 25-20; S4: LOU, 25-21
Records: Texas A&M (0-1, 0-0), Louisville (1-0, 0-0)
Box Score
There was a lot of newness to get used to and plenty to iron out after No. 8 Texas A&M’s inaugural game of the 2026 season.
The Aggies dropped Friday’s match to No. 9 Louisville in four sets in Wisconsin during the AVCA First Serve, which features the country's best competition to kick off the season.
“I talked to my team just now in the locker room is, ‘I'm simultaneously sad,’” head coach Jamie Morrison said. “I'm competitive. I want to win, but I'm encouraged with what the potential of this team is. We've talked the entire time that it's a race to the end of the season. It's not the beginning. We had 17 weeks. Now we have 14 weeks to improve for the NCAA Tournament to make a run similar to what we did last year.”
Early-season nerves got the best of A&M, with 11 service errors and 15 hitting errors being a major factor in the losing effort.
The typical fanfare of a season opener was quickly cut off with an injury to senior outside hitter Kyndal Stowers.
After Stowers aggravated her back in warmups, Morrison elected to take a precautionary approach, opting to sit his start in the opener.
“It was a game-time decision,” Morrison said. “I think she'll probably be back for the next match. She tried to give it a go beforehand, and I just told her before, I don't want you to do anything that's going to cost you anything more later on in the season.”
Even with the absence of the All-American, the Aggies stayed competitive, keeping all of their sets close throughout the match.
Freshman libero Gabi Rodriguez was the standout, earning the opening day libero start over sophomore Addi Applegate. The rookie had her arms all over the court, contributing to 18 digs and two service aces.
“We committed her, and I knew she was going to be good," Morrison said. “Then I really sat down and was just sitting on courts as a fan and just being there to support. And I started to realize more and more and more how special she was going to be.”
Graduate outside hitter Natalie Ring led the way in kills with 11. Sophomore opposite hitter Taryn Morris and junior middle blocker Eliza Sharp rounded out the top three with 10 each.
Sharp also led the way on blocks with six, showing immense production in her first game as an Aggie.
Reeling from the unexpected loss of Stowers, the Aggies had to change things up in set one.
Despite grabbing an early lead, things didn’t go A&M’s way to end it, dropping the frame 25-20. A block from Louisville’s senior outside hitter Chloe Chicoine, who dominated the Aggies all day, sealed the deal for the Cardinals.
A nail-biter in the second stanza went Red as well. A&M erased an early deficit with a block from Sharp, tying it up at 22-22. Louisville pulled away with a huge block from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Meester, ending the set 25-23.
With the game on the line, frame three was all Maroon & White.
The tandem of Ring, Sharp and Kaia Castle made things difficult for the Cardinals, combining for nine kills. Sharp nailed down a ferocious kill to end the set 25-20.
Even with momentum on the Aggies' side, the fourth stanza swung back to the Cardinals. A&M mounted a mid-set comeback to tie things up at 17-17. Chicoine took over to end things, though, knocking down a kill to cap a 3-0 run.
“We want to win obviously,” Ring said. “But in order to do that, that's the steps that we knew we were going to have to take. I think we were successful in that in our exhibition match, but coming into a bigger arena where it's the record goes on the record and finding ways for young players to come together.”
A&M was completely dominated in terms of attacking percentage, getting outhit .152 to .241, which proved to be the difference in Louisville’s fourth-set victory.
The loss breaks a 14-year-long streak of A&M’s opening-game success, dating back to 2011 when the Aggies were swept by USC.
The weekend isn't lost for the Aggies, with a game still on the slate for Sunday, Aug. 23 at 12 p.m. CT against No. 11 SMU.
