Gamecocks Face Michigan and Michigan State in Big Ten/SEC Challenge

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The South Carolina volleyball team (2-0, 0-0 SEC) travels to Michigan for its first pair of away matches of the 2026 season, facing Michigan and Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week. The Gamecocks face the Wolverines on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and the Spartans on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 4:00 p.m.

Live streaming is available on Big Ten Network for the Michigan match and Big Ten Plus for the Michigan State match. Live scoring is available on StatBroadcast for both matches. Links can be found on the schedule page. Fan can also follow along on social media through @GamecockVolley on X and @GamecockVB on Instagram.

LAST WE SAW THEM

The Gamecocks had a successful opening weekend, not dropping a set against UNCG or Northeastern to begin the season 2-0. South Carolina put forth a strong offensive presence, holding both teams to hitting percentages under .100. Against the Spartans, the team hit .418, which is the highest mark and first time above .400 during the Rumely Noble era so far. Defensive efforts were also on point as the team tallied 14 total blocks against the Huskies, the second highest amount under Noble.

The new Gamecocks made positive impacts across both matches; Olivia Borgman led the team in kills against both opponents, notching 13 against UNCG and 12 against Northeastern. Lilly Gillespie led the team in digs for both matches, tallying 12 against the Spartans and 16 against the Huskies. Kiana Dinn led the team in assists for both, recording 20 against UNCG and 21 against Northeastern. Freshman Madi Crnjac led the team in aces, earning four in her first collegiate match against UNCG.

Elise Marchal continued to build upon her momentum from last season, hitting .550 with 11 kills in the Northeastern match. Additionally, she added five or more block assists against both opponents. Ava Leahy started off her senior season on a high note, tying her career best for block assists after earning nine against the Huskies. She also helped back the offense with eight or more kills at both matches, hitting .538 against UNCG. Redshirt freshman Sydney Davis made some noise as well, earning five kills and five blocks at each match.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

Michigan is coming off a 22-11 2025 season, going 11-9 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines made it to postseason, opening up their NCAA Tournament appearance with a 3-0 sweep over Xavier before falling 3-0 to Pittsburgh. Michigan lost their top kill leader Allison Jacobs, who notched 473 last season, but return Ella Demetrician who trailed her with 284. The Wolverines also return their top assist leader, Morgan Burke, who passed out a total of 791 last year. On the defensive side, Michigan lost grad student Maddi Cuchran who led the team with 408 digs but will look to Burke who had the second most on the team with 241. The team also lost Serena Nyambio, who earned 151 total blocks last season, to graduation but return Jenna Hanes who followed with 118. The Wolverines were picked 11th in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll and opened their season with back-to-back sweeps over LIU and Miami.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

Michigan State went 18-12 with an 8-12 Big Ten standing for the 2025 season. The Spartans did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament and ended their season with a tight 3-2 loss to UCLA. Karolina Staniszewska, the team’s top kill leader from last season who notched a total of 349, returns for her senior year. The Spartans also bring back Malayah Long who led the team in assists last season, passing out 983 (8.7 per set). On the defensive side, libero Lia Schneider enters her senior year after ending her junior season as the team’s top dig leader, dishing out 343. Zuzanna Kulig also enters her senior year after leading the team with 99.0 blocks last season. The Spartans were picked 12th in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll and opened their season with a five-set win over Miami and sweep of LIU this past weekend.

For continued updates on the team, follow Gamecockvolley on X/Twitter and GamecockVB on Instagram.