Texas A&M's different take on NCAA volleyball tournament run - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As she has been known to do lately during this unbelievable run by the Texas A&M volleyball team, All-America hitter Logan Lednicky lifted 5-foot-7 teammate Ava Underwood Thursday night and hoisted her in the air.

«We're going to the national championship!» she told Underwood.

«I know,» Underwood replied.

The Aggies survived another marathon postseason set and knocked off No. 1 seed Pittsburgh 29-27, 25-21, 25-20 in the NCAA volleyball tournament's final four at T-Mobile Center. The win set up an SEC showdown against Kentucky in Sunday's championship match.

A week ago, Texas A&M was teetering on the brink of elimination and pulled off a reverse sweep of second-seeded Louisville in the Sweet 16. The Aggies followed that up by ending Nebraska's undefeated season in a five-set nailbiter on Sunday in Lincoln that included a 37-35 fourth-set setback. Lednicky called the Aggies the «grittiest team in volleyball» after that one. The label was tough to dispute Thursday, when they calmly withstood an 8-0 run in the second game against Pitt.

The Aggies have become fan favorites during the NCAA tournament, a sort of Cinderella story, a seemingly overachieving team that got hot at the perfect time and is riding a wave of momentum. But coach Jamie Morrison bristles at the idea that his team has arrived at the title game because of something as fleeting and flukey as momentum.

He says it's by design.

«I think volleyball is a game of momentum if — this isn't a sound bite — you have a weak mind,» Morrison said Thursday night. «The thing I talk a lot about in our program is I care less about mistakes and I care more about responses.

»We talk a lot about mental strength and mental fortitude, and the skills that go into