KANSAS CITY, MO ― On any given day, Texas A&M outside hitter Kyndal Stowers brings three different versions of herself to the court.
One version is very relaxed. The goal is simple: get out on the court, win and leave. Another version of Stowers is more stealthy, unsuspecting. She wins, but the opponents never see it coming. Then, there’s the version that boldly claims victory and lets the opponent know all about it. Every version of Stowers has been seemingly influenced by her journey back to the volleyball court. The sophomore outside hitter was forced to medically retire after her freshman season with the Baylor Bears. In a matter of months, she unexpectedly suffered four concussions, forcing a very frustrated Stowers to rethink whether she’d ever play volleyball again.
‘I think I was … just really emotional about the whole thing, and so part of me was like, ‘Hmm, maybe I could be done. Maybe I could medically retire, go to school, be a normal human being and not like have to go to practice every day,’ ‘ Stowers told USA TODAY Sports.
‘But, after a few months, (I) talked to a lot of people, talked to my family, friends, mentors … I prayed a lot about it. My faith is a big part of my life. I truly just felt like the Lord had another plan for me, and I prayed that I would know that. My heart always was just leading me back to the court. I wanted to keep playing.’
Stowers dropped out of college and went home to train. She eventually entered the transfer portal, joining head coach Jamie Morrison and the Aggies in College Station, Texas. Stowers was happy to have a chance at playing volleyball again, but she knew the concerns about her concussions would surface. That’s when she decided to bring in reinforcement, as part of a re-envisioned approach to her health and recovery. While practicing and in games, Stowers wears a Q-Collar.
It’s an FDA-cleared device designed to protect the brain from repetitive head impacts. The collar lightly presses on the neck, increasing blood volume and reducing brain slosh (movement that occurs when the brain bounces inside a skull). Wearing the Q-Collar gives Stowers the support she needs to continue elevating her game, and it was there for the biggest game of her career.
The Aggies outside hitter and her team upset the title favorite Nebraska Cornhuskers in a monumental five-set chess match during the Elite Eight. Stowers had a career-high day with 25 kills on .327 hitting and 16 digs. Texas A&M’s stunning win shocked the volleyball world, but if you ask Stowers and the Aggies, they expected to be in the Final Four all along. The team has chosen to describe their roster and season with one word: ‘grit.’
‘We have hats that say ‘grit’ on it in four different colorways. Grit is our thing. It’s our theme. I feel like those days where you aren’t feeling that, it’s a goal,’ Stowers said. ‘Throughout the tournament, throughout this season, where you’re playing, and you’re performing, and it’s like, ‘No, that is who we are.’ That is who we are branded to be, and that’s what we’re gonna show every time we step out onto the court.’
Stowers says she thinks much of Texas A&M’s ‘grit’ comes from the confidence the team has in knowing who they are and how much work they’ve put in to get to the Final Four. She shared that the Aggies know what needs to be done to win their first national championship, it’s just a matter of doing it, and being, well, ‘gritty’ in their approach.
Delivering a championship to Texas A&M and its faithful fans, known as the 12th Man, would mean everything to the program. There’s history on the line, and the Aggies aren’t backing down from the chance to add their name to the record books. For Stowers, it would be a huge blessing.
‘It’s one of the things you’ve worked so hard for, and you know that you have earned it and that you deserve it,’ Stowers said. ‘It would just kind of make all of that come full circle, show us that everything that we’ve done is paid off and that it’s worth it. Winning a national championship is, I feel, every little girl’s dream, so (it’s) just making those dreams come true.’
Stowers and Texas A&M take on No. 1 Pitt during the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN.