Four Ags reach double-digit kills in four-set win over No. 4 Stanford

Match #8: No. 19 Texas A&M 3, No. 4 Stanford 1
S1: A&M, 25-23; S2: A&M, 25-13; S3: STAN, 25-21; S4: A&M, 25-19
Records: Texas A&M (4-4, 0-0), Stanford (4-1, 0-0)
Box Score

No. 12 Texas A&M secured its first ranked win of 2026 against No. 4 Stanford in Kissimmee, Fla., during the Shiners Children’s Showdown at the Net Showcase.

The four-set victory helped the Aggies improve to 4-4 on the season and provides much needed momentum entering another important match on Friday.

Stanford consistently has one of the best volleyball programs in the nation. The Cardinal own nine national titles — the most among Division I women’s volleyball programs.

Prior to the match, senior outside hitter Kyndal Stowers was selected as the Shiners Children’s spotlight player, recognized for overcoming a recent back injury that prevented her from competing in the first five matches of the season.

Stowers prides herself on all aspects of her play. Aside from her standout hitting ability, she consistently stands out with her defense, showcasing that skill by leading the squad’s back court game tonight with 11 digs to go along with her team-high 15 kills.

Callie Garner, TexAgs

Kyndal Stowers led the Aggies in attacks with 39 to finish with a .282 hitting percentage.

Joining Stowers in double figures were Eliza Sharp (13), Taryn Morris (12) and Natalie Ring (10).

Sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove has also stood out this season, being considered one of the most valuable offensive setters in colligate volleyball for her lethal swings she takes. Musgrove dished out 44 assists on Wednesday.

Head coach Jamie Morrison took the week off to focus on finishing sets. Practice made perfect for the Aggies, executing flawlessly in the red zone’s high-intensity moments to close out the first set 25-23.

“The different pieces of our game have been firing at different times all season,” Morrison said. “Tonight we still need to grow, but they started the click together at the same time.”

And that the Aggies did.

They completely regained their confidence in Florida.

They started off the second set with a statement 10-1 against the Cardinal, led by freshman libero Gabi Rodriguez’s relentless serve.

Callie Garner, TexAgs

Of Texas A&M’s seven aces, four of them belonged to Gabi Rodriguez.

The offense for A&M could afford to get blocked, knowing they could depend on their quick reflexed libero having their back on every single swing.

Stanford played a timid defense, which allowed a multitude of Aggie hitters to score. The Aggies dominated the Cardinal in the second, 25-13. Rodriguez made the offense possible by delivering 10 digs and an additional four service aces.

“She really has all the tools,” Morrison said. “The sky’s the limit, and she’s only in year one.”

Rodriguez’s perfect passes and quick reads gave Musgrove the opportunity to run any hitter, achieving one of the team’s goals from last week to run a more balanced offense.

When junior middle blocker Kaia Castle saw a hole in the block, she’d put the ball away. Castle had herself a night attacking at .700, leading the team’s hitting percentage while still taking care of business on her at-the-net defense with seven kills and three blocks.

“I told our team just play like we’ve been playing the last two days of practice,” Morrison said. “The energy and the sense of urgency is hard to play against. Getting off to those big starts, they were on their heels throughout the match.”

The third set showcased which team could stay aggressive while having the fewest unforced errors. Overall, Stanford had the edge, taking advantage of a seven-point run in the middle of the frame.

The Aggies did not want to take another match to five, stunning the Cardinal in four sets thanks to an error-filled frame from Stanford.

A&M saw success in Musgrove running the offense with variability, spreading the ball across all positions and making the Aggies unpredictable for Stanford’s blockers to read. The outside hitters, middle blockers and opposites all pulled their weight each set to shut out Stanford.

“Kirra was one of the biggest presences on the court tonight,” Stowers said. “From before the first serve and in between points, she was talking to us and encouraging everyone.”

Every player had a hand in this match.

“After the Indiana game, we all have to come in to do our part, and that’s exactly what we did,” Stowers said. “We’ve been in practice every single day working on that. It's everything we’ve seen in practice, and we were just able to actually display that in the game.”

Everyone is wondering about the same thing.

What did Morrison say during practice this week that completely flipped the level of play?

That’s for only the Aggies to know, and they’ll enthusiastically bring this energy to Reed Arena on Friday when No. 6 Wisconsin comes to Aggieland.