Michigan
22-11,11-9Big Ten
Pittsburgh
28-4,18-2ACC
U-M Falls to Top Seed Pitt in Second Round, Ending NCAA Tourney Run, Season
12/6/2025 10:35:00 PM | Volleyball
» Michigan fell in straight sets to No.4-ranked Pittsburgh but reached at least 18 points in each set.
» Cymarah Gordon tallied a team-leading 11 kills on a .474 hitting percentage.
» All six Wolverine attackers tallied at least four kills.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team battled with top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh, but the Wolverines were unable to overcome the Panthers in a three-set loss (25-23, 25-23, 25-18) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (Dec. 6) at the Petersen Events Center.
Michigan (22-11) was led by Cymarah Gordon's 11 kills, .474 hitting percentage and two blocks. Ella Demetrician recorded eight kills and two blocks, while Allison Jacobs and Serena Nyambio each tallied six kills, with Nyambio adding a team-leading four blocks. Jenna Hanes tied Nyambio with four blocks and had an errorless night with five kills on 10 swings. Lydia Johnson was the last Wolverine attacker and added four kills on 12 swings. Maddi Cuchran recorded a match-leading 11 digs while Morgan Burke and Camille Edwards each recorded double-digit assists.
Pittsburgh (28-4) and Michigan split the first four points of set one, but the Wolverines went on a 4-1 run led by a pair of kills from Gordon. Pitt tied the match at six and took a 9-8 lead, but Michigan retook the lead at 11-10 with a block from Nyambio and Jacobs. Tied at 12, the Wolverines went on a 5-1 run spurred by two kills and an ace from Jacobs. The Panthers took a timeout after the ace, then scored six of the next eight points to tie the match at 19. A block from Nyambio and Demetrician kept Michigan in front, but Pitt tied it again after a U-M attack error. Jacobs put the Wolverines back in the lead at 21-20, but they could not hold the lead as the Panthers took the next three points to go up 23-21. Gordon brought Michigan within one with a kill at 23-22, and Jacobs did the same at 24-23, but the Panthers finished off the first set with a kill, winning 25-23.
Tied at two early in the second set, Pittsburgh proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to take a 10-4 lead. The Wolverines continued to fight and went on a 5-1 run led by a block from Hanes and Demetrician. The teams split the next eight points until a kill from Gordon and a Pittsburgh error back-to-back brought Michigan within one at 15-14. The Panthers took the next two, but Michigan countered with three of the next four, capped off by an ace from Hanes, to force a Pittsburgh timeout at 18-17. Out of the timeout, the teams traded four points until a 3-0 Panthers spurt put them up 23-19. Michigan responded and used a kill from Gordon and an ace from Cuchran to force the second Pittsburgh timeout of the set. The Panthers reached set point out of the timeout, but a kill from Gordon and an ace from Edwards cut the Pittsburgh lead to 24-23. As in the first set, Pitt finished off the second with a kill, 25-23.
In the third set, Pittsburgh opened on a 3-0 run, but Michigan tied the match at four, led by a block assist from Nyambio and Gordon. Another block, this time from Jacobs and Hanes, put the Wolverines in front 5-4. The teams then traded the lead three times and saw five ties until the Panthers took a two-point lead at 13-11. Pittsburgh reached the media timeout leading 15-13, but a kill from Hanes out of it put Michigan down one. A service error allowed the Panthers to regain their two-point lead, but a Pitt attack error brought the match to 16-15. The Panthers took the next three points to take a 19-15 lead, then took six of the final nine points to win the third set 25-18.
With the loss to Pitt, the Wolverines' season is now completed. The Wolverines finished with a 22-11 overall record under third-year head coach Erin Virtue, which included going 11-9 in the Big Ten. U-M improved by four wins overall compared to 2024 and upped its conference record from 8-12 last season.
