Michigan
4-1,0-0Big Ten
Cincinnati
3-2,0-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 28 | 25 | 28 | 3 |
| Cincinnati | 26 | 17 | 26 | 0 |
Michigan Sweeps Cincinnati in Valpo Popcorn Classic
9/5/2026 5:28:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan took down Cincinnati in straight sets, winning 28-26 in the first and third sets.
» The third set saw 14 ties and seven lead changes.
» Ella Demetrician tallied her first double-double of the season, doing so with 13 kills and 16 digs.
» Cymarah Gordon, Lydia Johnson and Jenna Hanes combined for 25 kills and one error.
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team swept Cincinnati (28-26, 25-17, 28-26) on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 5) at Washington Township High School in the Valpo Popcorn Classic.
Michigan (3-1) was led by a double-double from Ella Demetrician, who collected 13 kills and 16 digs with five blocks, including three solo. Cymarah Gordon, Lydia Johnson and Jenna Hanes all tallied eight kills or more with just one error between the three. Meredith Martin tallied 23 digs and broke the 20-dig mark for the first time in her career. Camille Edwards led the team with 21 assists while adding four aces, and Morgan Burke recorded 19 assists.
Cincinnati (3-2) got off to a strong start, going up 5-1 and forcing an early U-M timeout. The teams split the next two points before a 7-0 Michigan run highlighted by two aces from Edwards. The Bearcats tied the match at 12 and took a 16-12 lead after a 7-0 run of their own. U-M hung around and eventually tied at 21 with back-to-back blocks from Johnson.
Cincinnati reached set point first at 24-22, but three straight Wolverine points gave U-M a set-point chance; however, a Bearcat kill ended the run. Michigan got another at 26-25 but could not convert. A Cincinnati service error gave Michigan another chance, and a solo block from Demetrician finished off set one 28-26.
The Wolverines controlled the second set from start to finish, opening on an 8-1 run with Demetrician recording three kills over that span. U-M worked its way to a 15-4 lead with Hanes adding two kills and an ace to reach the media timeout. Cincinnati tried to come back and took 11 of the next 15 points, but a Johnson kill put Michigan up 20-15. The Bearcats brought the score to 21-17, but the Wolverines took the final four points of the set to win 25-17.
In the third set, the teams battled back and forth as the set saw seven lead changes and 14 ties. The teams split the first six points before a 5-0 U-M run, highlighted by two aces from Edwards, gave it an 8-3 lead. Cincinnati tied the match at 10, but kills from Johnson and Gordon kept U-M in front.
The Bearcats took a 14-13 lead before the teams traded points, with Cincinnati going ahead 17-15 and Michigan responding to take leads at 18-17 and 19-18. U-M reached the 20-point mark first, but Cincinnati took the next three points to lead 22-20 and reached set point at 24-21. Demetrician tallied a kill and solo block to force a timeout by Cincinnati at 24-23, and a Bearcat attack error out of the timeout tied the match at 24.
Cincinnati got two more set-point chances at 25-24 and 26-25, but they could not convert. Johnson tied the match at 26 before back-to-back attack errors gave Michigan the set 28-26 and the match 3-0.
Michigan will close out the Valpo Popcorn Classic on Sunday (Sept. 6) at 4 p.m. against Valparaiso in the Athletics Recreation Center. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
