Michigan’s first road trip of the 2026 volleyball season comes with a quick turn from the Big Ten/SEC Challenge into the Valpo Popcorn Classic, where the Wolverines will see Cincinnati on Saturday and host Valparaiso on Sunday in Valparaiso, Ind.
Michigan (3-1) opens the weekend against Cincinnati at 1 p.m. CT on Sept. 5, then faces the Beacons at 4 p.m.
CT on Sept. 6 at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Sunday’s match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Wolverines are coming off a split in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge after a strong start to the year. Michigan won its first two matches of the season, then fell to South Carolina in five sets on Tuesday after taking the first two sets and leading in the third. The response came quickly: Michigan beat LSU in four sets on Wednesday, taking the first, second and fourth sets.
A few early trends are already starting to take shape for the Wolverines. Jenna Hanes has been efficient at the net, hitting .538 with only two errors on 52 swings.
Her 14 errorless kills against South Carolina pushed her into third place on the program’s single-game hitting percentage list at .737. She’s also contributing across the board with four aces and eight block assists, which puts her fourth on the team in points.
Cymarah Gordon has been Michigan’s go-to scorer so far, leading the team with 49 kills and averaging 3.27 per set. Operating as the starting opposite hitter in the 6-2 system, she has put up double-digit kills in three straight matches - something she did only four times last season. Gordon has also been active defensively with 12 blocks, second-best on the team.
Morgan Burke has stacked up two straight double-doubles, going for 32 assists and 19 digs against South Carolina and then 27 assists and 11 digs against LSU. She leads Michigan with 99 assists, and she also delivered her first three aces of the season during the Big Ten/SEC Challenge. Burke is second on the team with 33 digs, averaging 2.20 per set.
Meredith Martin has settled in quickly at libero. The freshman became the first freshman libero to start Michigan’s season opener since 2012 and now has 50 digs.
She’s posted three straight matches with double-digit digs, has recorded a kill in each match of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, and added three aces against LSU. Martin is third on the team in assists and is the only non-setter in double figures.
Michigan also got a big outing from Ella Demetrician against LSU, when she finished with 14 kills on 34 swings and added two blocks. She ranks second on the team with 47 kills, has two aces and six blocks, and has chipped in 26 digs, which ranks third on the roster. Demetrician has reached double-digit kills in three of Michigan’s four matches.
Ece Senyapici has given the Wolverines a boost at the net as well, averaging 1.07 blocks per set with one solo block and 15 block assists. The sophomore, who did not play last season, has appeared in every set so far and has added 21 kills on a .327 hitting percentage. She also hit double-digit kills for the first time in her career Tuesday with 10 kills on 21 swings and one error.
Michigan has already leaned on a large chunk of its roster. Fourteen of the 17 rostered players have seen the floor this season, and eight have played in every set.
The same seven starters have been on the court in every match. Carly Greskovics, Trixie McMillin and Ellie White made their season debuts in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, while Hannah Brady, Megan Ingersoll and Jaden Jones have not yet played.
Cincinnati brings a 2-1 record into the weekend after opening with a five-set win over Illinois in Champaign, then sweeping Syracuse before losing its home opener to Santa Clara on Tuesday. The Bearcats will face Valpo on Friday before meeting Michigan. Last season, Michigan beat Cincinnati 3-1 in Cincinnati, and the Wolverines are 3-1 all-time against the Bearcats.
Valparaiso has started 3-0 after beating UAB, Chattanooga and Tennessee State in the Chattanooga Classic. The Beacons went 21-9 last season and finished 12-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference before losing in the conference semifinals as the No. 2 seed.
They’ll take on Cincinnati and Oakland before facing Michigan on Sunday. The Wolverines are 3-0 all-time against Valpo, with a set dropped in the first meeting in 2003 and sweeps in 2004 and 2018.
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