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Stowers, Lednicky lead Texas A&M to sweep Pittsburgh in semifinal, secure berth in championship game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kyndal Stowers and Logan Lednicky combined for 34 points to lead Texas A&M to a 29-27, 25-21, 25-20 sweep of Pittsburgh on Thursday, punching their ticket to the national championship game.

Texas A&M will face Kentucky in the title game on Sunday.

Stowers led with 18 points and 16 kills on a 53% kill rate, while Lednicky had 16 points and 14 kills on a 45% kill rate. It was Lednicky’s 22nd consecutive match with double-digit kills. Maddie Waak had 47 assists.

The No. 3 seed Aggies (28-4) advance to the final for the first time in program history after never advancing past the Elite Eight. En route to the final, the Aggies knocked off two No. 1 seeds in a previously undefeated Nebraska team, and Pitt, along with No. 2 seed Louisville.

Pitt had not been swept a single time this season before Thursday.

Olivia Babcock, a finalist for American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year, led the Panthers (30-5) with 25 points, finishing with 22 kills and a 54% kill rate. No other Panthers player had double-digit points. Brooke Mosher had 31 assists.

The Cactus Bowl is back, returning to Arizona State’s campus in December

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Cactus Bowl is back and it's returning to Arizona State's campus. Fiesta Sports Foundation, which operates the Fiesta and Cactus bowls, announced the return on Wednesday, ending a nine-year run at Chase Field, home of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. The game will be played Dec. 26 at Arizona State's Mountain America Stadium. The bowl moved to Chase Field while Arizona State's stadium underwent renovations and had numerous title sponsors, most recently being known as the Rate Bowl from 2024-25.
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