- Texas A&M unveils its 2025 national championship banner before the start of Friday evening’s game versus Arkansas State.
- Gabi Rodriguez recorded the most digs by a freshman (18) since Ava Underwood in 2022 during the first game of the season versus No. 7 Louisville.
- Head Coach Jamie Morrison looks to improve to 4-0 in home openers since taking charge of the Aggies.
COLLEGE STATION – The No. 8 Aggie volleyball team returns home to host the Texas A&M Invitational, featuring games versus GCU, Arkansas State and Cal Poly, Aug. 28-29, at Reed Arena.
The Aggies return to Reed Arena to kickoff their home slate, facing three opponents, two of which made last year’s NCAA Tournament. A&M kicks off Friday’s doubleheader at 11 a.m. versus GCU and follows up against Arkansas State at 7:30 p.m. before rounding out the Invitational Saturday with Cal Poly at 7 p.m.
The Maroon & White look back to last season to celebrate their 2025 national title prior to the Arkansas State match, as they will drop the championships banner before the opening serve.
Texas A&M enters the weekend following a pair of hard-fought losses at the AVCA First Serve, where the Aggies fell to No. 7 Louisville (3-1) and No. 11 SMU (3-0). Despite the results, the Maroon & White had some standout performances. Freshman Gabi Rodriguez anchored the defense in her collegiate debut, recording 18 digs in the four-set contest while registering a pair of aces. On the offense, transfer Natalie Ring paced the team in both contests with 11 kills versus the Cardinals and 13 against SMU.
The Maroon & White open their home slate versus GCU, who is coming off a 17-13 season and a fifth-place finish in the Mountain West at 9-9 in league play. Head coach Jamie Morrison looks to improve his record in home openers to four straight versus the Antelopes, and the visitors struggled on the road last year with a ledger of 5-6. The contest marks the first ever meeting between the programs.
Doubling down on Friday, the Aggies return to action that evening for the second all-time faceoff with Arkansas State and first since 1993. In their first meeting, A&M secured a dominant 3-0 sweep, holding a 45-19 point advantage. The Red Wolves are coming off their most successful season in the past 10 years, as it won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to earn its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
The weekend finale versus Cal Poly on Saturday marks the ninth meetings between the teams, with the Mustangs holding the advantage 5-3 in the series. The teams gear up for their first meeting in College Station, and the Maroon & White carry the momentum from the previous matchups, claiming the last two, with the most recent being a 3-2 win in 2021. Cal Poly is coming off its best season showing since 2007, as it reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 following a pair of upset wins over No. 5 seed BYU and No. 4 seed USC.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets to the game through 12thmanfoundation.com.
STREAMING
All-three contests will be streamed on SECN+.