The unlikeliest journey to NCAA volleyball's final four

"THE DAY KYNDAL STOWERS was told she couldn't play volleyball anymore, she got in her car, silenced her phone, and drove aimlessly around town. It was the spring of 2024, and she had endured four concussions over eight months on the volleyball court at Baylor, once in a collision with a teammate and three times from getting hit by the ball. "Why does this keep happening?" she asked herself. She figured she would redshirt her sophomore season and give her brain time to heal."

"But near the end of the 2024 spring semester, a team doctor summoned Stowers. She thought it was just another checkup. When she arrived, the doctor, a trainer and a member of the university's compliance department greeted her. They told her that she was being medically retired, and that her tuition would be paid for but her playing days -- at Baylor at least -- were finished. She eventually went home to Denton, Texas, and watched the 2024 Final Four on her parents' couch."

"One year later, on Sunday, Stowers stood on the court at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, celebrating her Texas A&M team's five-set upset over the No. 1 -- and previously undefeated -- Cornhuskers in the regional finals. She had 25 kills and then found her mom in the crowd and cried. She rarely does that, Tina Stowers said. It's about a sports family supporting her decision to keep playing, and taking the steps necessary to ensure she's as safe as she can be in an unpredictable arena of high-velocity swings, crashing bodies and flying elbows."

Kyndal Stowers suffered four concussions over eight months while playing volleyball at Baylor, including one collision with a teammate and three from being hit by the ball. Near the end of spring 2024, Baylor medical staff informed her she was being medically retired, and the school offered to pay her tuition while ending her playing career there. Stowers returned home to Denton, Texas, and watched the 2024 Final Four on her parents' couch. She transferred to Texas A&M, regained eligibility to play, and helped the Aggies upset No. 1 Nebraska in the regional finals with 25 kills. Her family supported her decision to continue playing, and steps were taken to manage concussion risks in a high-velocity sport.

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