Libero Legacy: Ava Underwood ’26 on Grit, Growth, and Aggie Volleyball

Ava Underwood, senior marketing major and Aggie volleyball libero, is known for her bubbly personality and the grit she brings to her team. A second-generation Aggie, she says, “I joke I was brainwashed as an Aggie, but my parents encouraged me to look elsewhere, although it was my dad’s dream for me to go to A&M. In the end, I asked myself, ‘Where would I be happiest if I wasn’t playing volleyball?’ It was Texas A&M University. Nowhere else compared.”

Underwood powered through challenging seasons, and the payoff came in her senior year with the memorable 2025 National Championship run. “I stayed when we weren’t very good because I believed in the vision, and to see the growth is amazing,” she says. “If you don’t get what you want right away, be gritty and go get it. The grittiest people are the most successful because they don’t give up.”

She earned celebrity status in the halls of Wehner after the team’s victory, but she remained focused on finishing her education as strong as her collegiate volleyball career. She credits Mays and AmplifyU for helping teach her how to transfer her skills to the business world. As she prepares to graduate and start a new chapter, she reflects on the legacy she wants to leave at Texas A&M: “If something excites you a lot but scares you a little, you should do it. Stay true to who you are and build something where you are.”