Michigan
Minnesota
Michigan to Visit No. 21 Minnesota, Illinois in Big Ten Road Swing
10/14/2026 11:31:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) heads back on the road for a pair of Big Ten matches this weekend. The Wolverines face No. 21 Minnesota on Friday (Oct. 16) at 7 p.m. CT at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis before taking on Illinois on Sunday (Oct. 18) at 1 p.m. CT at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. Both matches will stream on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan earned its first home Big Ten win of the season with a four-set victory over Iowa on Friday (Oct. 9), closing out the match with a 25-13 fourth-set win behind three Wolverines with double-digit kills. U-M fell to No. 13 Oregon on Saturday (Oct. 10), winning the third set 25-20 and extending the fourth set beyond 25 points.
• The Michigan offense ranks eighth nationally in assists per set (13.30), 12th in kills per set (14.13) and 25th in hitting percentage (.269). The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in assists per set and rank second in kills per set. U-M has totaled 862 kills and 811 assists.
• Ella Demetrician led Michigan with 17 kills in each match last weekend, adding 20 digs, two aces and four blocks across the two contests. She leads the Big Ten with 263 kills and ranks third in kills per set (4.31), up from 2.87 in 2025. Her digs-per-set average also has improved by 0.5.
• Ece Senyapici recorded 13 blocks last weekend, including a career-high-tying eight against Iowa. She leads Michigan with 1.10 blocks per set and ranks third in the Big Ten with 67 total blocks. In her first collegiate season, Senyapici has played in every set while adding 60 kills and a .258 hitting percentage.
• Morgan Burke totaled 43 assists last weekend and leads Michigan with 411 this season. She has recorded at least 15 assists in every match, including a season-high 32. Burke also served an ace in each match last weekend and leads the Wolverines with 24, ranking ninth in the Big Ten. She ranks seventh in program history in career assists and is fewer than 200 shy of 3,000.
• Cymarah Gordon posted 16 kills on a .500 hitting percentage against Iowa and added six blocks. Her 212 kills rank second on the team, and she is hitting a career-best .327. Gordon ranks fifth in the Big Ten in total kills and has 13 matches with double-digit kills this season, totaling 236.5 points.
• Meredith Martin leads the Big Ten in total digs (256) and digs per set. She added her fourth kill of the season against Iowa and totaled 10 assists over the weekend. Martin ranks third on the team with 69 assists and 14th on Michigan's freshman single-season digs list, 30 shy of 10th place.
• Jenna Hanes ranks seventh in the Big Ten with a .417 hitting percentage and has played more sets than anyone else among the conference's top 10 in that category. She recorded nine blocks last weekend, including two solo blocks, bringing her season total to 47. Hanes also has 89 kills and eight aces.
• Camille Edwards recorded 17 assists in each match last weekend, leading Michigan against Oregon. Her 265 assists this season are 13 shy of her career high, and she has reached double digits in all but one match. Edwards added three aces last weekend and ranks second on the team with 18.
• No. 21 Minnesota enters the weekend 9-5 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten play after road wins at Rutgers and Ohio State last week. Its conference losses have come against Illinois, No. 13 Oregon and No. 6 Wisconsin. Michigan trails the all-time series 63-18 but defeated the Golden Gophers in four sets last season. The Wolverines seek their first road win against Minnesota since 2011.
• Illinois is 11-6 overall, 3-3 in the Big Ten and 5-2 at Huff Hall. The Illini are the first team outside the coaches poll and have dropped three straight matches, all against ranked opponents. They own ranked wins over Minnesota, USC and Washington this season. Michigan trails the all-time series 54-30 but swept Illinois in Champaign in 2025 and will look for its second consecutive road win over the Illini.
