Gamecocks Defeat Michigan in Reverse Sweep
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The South Carolina volleyball team (3-0, 0-0 SEC) battled back to defeat Michigan (2-1, 0-0 BIG10) in a reverse sweep, 3-2, on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor to open the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week. With the win, the Gamecocks are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2022. This is also Sarah Rumely Noble’s best start as head coach for South Carolina.
“That was a gritty and trusting win from our team against a really good Michigan team,” Noble commented. “They competed at a really high level all match long and I’m so proud of them! They battled and we were tough as nails!”
The Gamecocks showcased a balanced attack and strong defensive presence in the five-set victory with six different Gamecocks getting three or more kills, all 13 players who appeared in the match getting at least one dig and seven earning two or more blocks. South Carolina also showed up at the service line, notching seven aces.
1st SET: South Carolina and Michigan battled through a back-and-forth opening set, with the Gamecocks’ offense applying pressure as at least one kill or block was provided by several Gamecocks; Elise Marchal, Ceci Vance, Ally Cavanaugh and Sydney Davis. The Wolverines began to create separation midway through the set, taking a 15-12 lead, but a block from Vance and Davis helped the Gamecocks slow Michigan’s momentum. South Carolina then put together a three-point run late in the set, highlighted by a Marchal kill and a Madi Crnjac ace, to cut the deficit to 19-17 and force a Michigan timeout. The Wolverines responded with a 3-0 run of their own and eventually closed out the set, 25-19.
2nd SET: South Carolina faced an early deficit in the second set but continued to get offensive production from throughout the lineup. After Michigan opened with a 5-1 advantage, Marchal and Cavanaugh recorded kills to keep the Gamecocks within striking distance, while Vance added a pair of kills in the middle of the set. Borgman also provided a spark with back-to-back kills, helping South Carolina cut the deficit to 10-14 before a block from Ava Leahy and Marchal brought the Gamecocks within three and forced a Michigan timeout. South Carolina continued to battle late, with Sydney Davis and Kiana Dinn combining for back-to-back blocks before Davis added a kill to make it 19-23. Michigan ultimately held on to take the second set, 25-20.
3rd SET: South Carolina grabbed an early 2-1 lead after a solo block from Davis and kill from Borgman but the Wolverines hit the gas, going on a 6-1 run to take the lead at 7-3. Michigan then pushed to a 14-9 lead but South Carolina answered with authority, commanding a 6-0 run which included two aces from Lilly Gillespie and back-to-back kills from Leahy to even the score at 14-14. A third ace from Gillespie to put the Gamecocks ahead, 15-14. The Gamecocks continued to shine from the service line with Borgman extending the advantage to 19-16 with back-to-back aces. The Gamecocks closed the set with strong work at the net as Davis went up for three consecutive blocks, two with Marchal and one with Vance, to end on a 9-2 run and take set three 25-18.
4th SET: After Michigan opened the set 4-0, the Gamecocks responded with a 9-1 run, highlighted by three kills from Borgman, an ace from Gillespie and a kill from Cavanaugh to take a 10-5 lead. Borgman continued to lead the offense throughout the set, tallying nine kills, while Vance added three kills in the final stretch to help South Carolina maintain a 21-19 advantage. Michigan battled back to tie the set at 22-22, but the Gamecocks regained control as Davis delivered a kill for set point at 24-22. After Michigan forced extra points, Leahy finished the set with a kill at 27-25 to send the Gamecocks to a fifth set.
5th SET: South Carolina capped the comeback with a thrilling 17-15 victory in the fifth set, overcoming a late Michigan push to secure the match. The Gamecocks built an 9-6 lead at the switch, with Vance and Cavanaugh contributing kills before Vance and Davis combined for a block. Marchal added kills during a 3-0 stretch that pushed South Carolina ahead 11-8, while Borgman added another kill to make it 12-9. Michigan rallied to tie the set at 12-12 before South Carolina regained a 14-12 lead behind consecutive Michigan attack errors and a block from Cavanaugh and Leahy. After Michigan fought off two match points to force a 14-14 tie and had a 15-14 lead to force a Wolverine match point, a Michigan service error was followed by a bad set by from Michigan to put South Carolina ahead 16-15. Leahy then delivered the match-clinching kill, sending the Gamecocks to the 17-15 fifth-set win.
Notables
- Olivia Borgman recorded a career high 20 kills to lead the offense.
- Two additional Gamecocks, Ava Leahy (12) and Ceci Vance (11), earned more than 10 kills.
- Leahy hit .524, only having one error on the night.
- Sydney Davis notched a career high 13 blocks.
- Kiana Dinn reached a career high 30 assists.
- Lilly Gillespie earned a season high in digs (20) and aces (3).
- The team had 18 blocks, which is the most since 2024 and during the Rumely Noble era.
Up Next: South Carolina wraps up the Big Ten/SEC Challenge week against Michigan State on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 4:00 p.m.
