On Aug. 3, Michigan volleyball head coach Erin Virtue, junior outside hitter Ella Demetrician and senior outside hitter Sydney Schnichels attended Big Ten Volleyball Media Day to preview the team’s outlook for the 2026 season. Voted by the conference’s coaches to finish No. 11 in the conference, Michigan is aiming to return to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament to mark back-to-back appearances.
In 2025, Virtue led the Wolverines to their best record since 2018, going 22-11 and 11-9 for a ninth-place Big Ten finish, a slot above where they were projected in the preseason conference poll. With that regular-season performance, Michigan earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2021, Virtue’s first as head coach. Riding a 9-3 finish to conference play, the Wolverines swept No. 8 seed Xavier for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2019.
Particularly in the year of the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament, which the top-15 of the conference’s 18 teams qualify for, Michigan could be poised for new success. Instead of a 20-game Big Ten slate, the Wolverines have 17 matches before the multi-day single-elimination tournament. In that slate, Michigan plays every other Big Ten team once, which means the Wolverines only face Michigan State on the road in 2026. The Big Ten champion will be determined by the tournament, not the regular season, which is a change from prior years.
Despite graduating five players from last season, including honorable mention All-American and unanimous All-Big Ten first-team outside hitter Allison Jacobs (now competing for League One Volleyball’s San Francisco Signal), the Wolverines are prepared to develop and reload for the 2026 campaign.
“I am just excited to go chapter by chapter with this team,” Virtue said at Big Ten Volleyball Media Day. “That is something that we talk about, development. The story, we don’t know what that looks like for this season. We have two incredible leaders here. We just selected our leadership council with Ella and Sydney, Lydia and Morgan. We have incredible returners, of course. Like every program in colleges, one of the best things you see, this change. Every team looks different this year than they looked last year. Ours is not unique in that. So we have some different pieces, some that left, some that came. But we also have some new positions, development that has happened over the last eight months that we’re really excited to just go and put on the court. But looking forward to it.”
Michigan begins with exhibition games against No. 4 Pittsburgh — marking a rematch of the Wolverines’ season-ending loss to the eventual National Semifinalists — on Aug. 15 and Notre Dame on Aug. 19.
Michigan opens its season as home on Aug. 28, facing Long Island University. Other home opponents include Miami, South Carolina and LSU in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, Eastern Michigan, Cornell, Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue.
Marquee matchups at Crisler Center include Nebraska (Oct. 30), Penn State (Sep. 25) and Purdue (Nov. 14). The Cornhuskers are ranked preseason No. 1 nationally, while Purdue (No. 9) and Penn State (No. 10) also appear in the top-10. Last year, Michigan’s match vs Nebraska sold out Crisler Center for the first time in program history, marking the fourth sellout for a women’s sporting event. The 12,707-fan crowd smashed the previous attendance record of 8.137 against Ohio State in 2017.
Eight Big Ten teams are ranked in the AVCA preseason top-25, with another three receiving votes. The Big Ten is arguably the most competitive and strongest volleyball conference in the nation, and there are high-caliber opponents up and down the schedule in each of the Wolverines’ 17 regular-season games.
“I think our team has always had, like last year as well, a lot of energy, a lot of competitive drive,” Schnichels said. “A very gritty team. I think that you are going to continue to see more of that. Like Ella said, we’re still trying to figure out who this team is. We just welcomed in some new freshmen. We have a lot of new players on our team. You’re going to see a lot of those key values still showing very strong this year.”
Key players include both Schnichels and Demetrician at outside hitter, senior setter Morgan Burke, junior middle blocker Jenna Hanes and junior opposite hitter Lydia Johnson. Johnson, Demetrician and Schnichels will likely be the returning core of the Wolverines’ attacking front.
At setter, Burke started all 33 matches in 2025, recording double-digit assists in every match, with a high of 56 against Iowa. She led the Wolverines in assists with 791, an average of 6.54 per set, while tying for the team’s lead in ages with 0.28 per set (34 total). Her consistency at setter, directing the flow of Michigan’s offense, will be critical.
At middle blocker, Hanes, who set the program-record for hitting percentage last season, will be crucial as well. Her .450 hitting percentage based on 185 kills on 360 swings with 23 errors as a middle added another dimension to Michigan’s attack. Hanes also registered 118 blocks in 2025 (19 solo), averaging 1.01 per set and ranking second on the team.
Jacobs, former middle blocker Serena Nyambio and former libero Maddie Cuchran will be tough to replace. At the libero position, watch for senior Carly Greskovics or junior Trixie McMillin to take charge based on their 2025 play. Sophomore Hannah Brady and freshman Meredith Martin are other options.
Despite graduating some key components, the Wolverines’ outlook is solid for the 2026 season. They’ll face a gauntlet of a schedule in the Big Ten, but if the new pieces mesh well into Virtue’s system, Michigan could make a run at the NCAA Tournament for back-to-back appearances.