Any day it rose over 45 degrees in Appleton, Wisconsin, Ella Demetrician was growing up in the backyard of her home, peppering volleyballs with her sister Grace. Yet, these early memories weren’t always filled with laughter and ease. Instead, Grace pushed Ella with an intensity that never faded.
“I was a really tough older sister, and at first, a lot of our time playing volleyball I was being critical and harsh,” Grace told The Michigan Daily. “Although I’d like to think I was making her a little bit better.”
Ella’s first coach didn’t go easy on her. Grace would hit the ball as hard as she could at Ella and tell her to “do better,” often sending her back inside upset. This early criticism shaped how she handled adversity early on, building a foundation of resilience that would follow the now-sophomore on the Michigan volleyball team as she progressed in the sport.
Throughout her journey with volleyball, Ella has been supported by her family and mentors, each functioning as a piece of her vertebrae. All working together to create strength and stability, they keep her standing upright and on her feet.
With that continuous influence from Grace, Ella started playing club volleyball at the age of 9 with a local team for a couple of years that later dissolved. In transition, she picked up a position with another local team in her eighth-grade year, Fox Cities Elite Volleyball Club.
“When I started, I was an outside hitter,” Ella told The Daily. “We didn’t try to fit me in a box yet since I was so young, but I always loved hitting.”
During her youth, Ella started playing on the 18U team for FC Elite as a freshman in high school, never falling away from her outside hitter role. It wasn’t a role that came entirely from Ella herself. Playing in the same gym for all of her years on FC Elite, she also had the same coach, Brett Damrow.
It was a risk for Ella to start playing at such a high level, at such a young age. Yet, knowing she wouldn’t be a top performer yet, Damrow still took that chance and embraced Ella for what she was.
It’s not common to have the same club coach for multiple seasons, but because Ella played at a high level early, they grew a close relationship over their four years together. Damrow knew how to push her in ways Ella wouldn’t push herself. He always found a way to get into her head and assist her in performing to the potential he knew Ella had.
“Getting her to understand that volleyball is a game of errors, it’s a game of mistakes, was the biggest thing we had to work on with her,” Damrow told The Daily. “But that came through osmosis, being in the gym around high-level kids and not putting a lot of pressure on her right away to play at that highest level.”
Because of Damrow’s support, Ella began to trust her own process and acclimate to the feeling of making mistakes. Over time, that confidence translated into more consistent performance on the court, learning to stay present and how to trust herself to be creative.
Ella graduated with FC Elite and participated in four USA Volleyball National Team Development Programs, her first one as a ninth grader. She got to learn what it’s like inside USA Volleyball in regards to logistics, being a leader and having a good relationship with nutrition. It was an opportunity to grow relationships with other players in the same boat as her, too.
The early tough love from Grace, the emphasis on embracing mistakes from Damrow and the guidance she received from both of them shaped Ella into a prepared athlete, ready for the next level.
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While Ella played for FC Elite, she also competed on her home varsity team at Appleton North High School. And throughout her career at Appleton, she gathered an array of accolades.
Ella made three state tournament appearances, one of which playing alongside Grace, as their team won the state championship in 2021. She then was awarded two-time WIAA First Team All-State, three-time WVCA All-Tournament team, two-time Fox Valley Association Girls Volleyball Player of the Year; and the list goes on.
In 2024, closing out her high school career, Ella was an AVCA first-team All-American who obtained the status of all-time kills leader at her high school with a total of 1,340 kills. So after much success in her high school career, Ella came out as Prep Dig’s Wisconsin Class of 2024 No. 1 ranked player.
Ella built her own resume and was a top prospect for multiple programs in the country. But that meant it was time to navigate a demanding recruiting process of balancing communication with coaches, traveling for visits and finding the right fit both on and off the court. For help, she turned to her mom.
“Ella had Big Ten coaches come and watch her when she was in seventh grade,” Laura Demetrician, Ella’s mom, told The Daily. “The things I helped her think about with schools were the academic levels, the level of play, team culture and coaching.”
Amid the prospect of playing at the Division I level, Laura shouldered the brunt of most research on different schools for Ella. She helped her write emails to coaches and did a lot of work on her highlight videos with the goal of keeping Ella vertical and serene. Laura aided her in considering an experience that could benefit her daughter socially, academically and volleyball-wise.
But she was also realistic. She made Ella contemplate a situation in which volleyball didn’t work out, looking at the full picture, demonstrating that Ella’s decision was built on more than just the sport.
With Lauras’s support, Ella didn’t ever have to think twice.
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Her commitment boiled down to two universities, but ultimately, Ella trusted her instincts and chose the Wolverines, committing right after her first camp with Michigan in 2022.
“It came down to a gut feeling honestly. When I came here, it just felt like the place for me. It was great,” Ella said. “Before I came to Michigan, I heard so many amazing things and they’re all true.”
Ella is now a hot commodity for the Wolverines. In both her freshman and sophomore years, she started out on the bench for a few games, coming in as needed, before becoming a starter for the remainder of the season.
In her freshman year, she played in 26 matches and started 21, making an immediate impact. In multiple matches, she tallied over 10 kills, showcasing her ability to contribute at a high level and handle the ever-intense Big Ten play.
“Ella knows important moments and she gives her all, but it’s very steady,” Laura said. “She rallies. She gives such an intensity. She wants everyone on that court to be as locked in as she is. She brings so much emotional energy.”
That emotional energy has been distinctly present in this past season as she played in 30 matches, starting 26. Ella started against high-level teams like then-No. 1 Nebraska, playing all six sets that the Wolverines faced the Huskers. In one weekend, she played 10 sets against ranked teams Penn State and Purdue, contributing to all rotations.
As a sophomore, Ella has played 193 sets and left the 2025 season as second on the team in kills. She is intense and determined, making her a reliable presence on the court and depended upon in high-pressure moments. Ella is now presenting some of her own pieces, and in this case, it’s contributing the backbone of her team.
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Though Ella has made her mark as a Division I athlete, life can still present difficulties and challenges. In those moments, she leans on the people closest to her for support.
“Ella will occasionally use me as a sounding board during distressing moments,” Grace said. “But thankfully, I don’t have to tell her things she doesn’t already know. I remind her that her training and determination day-in and day-out will take care of the rest.”
It takes a lot to compete at the level she has reached. That kind of reassurance from Grace reflects the strong support system Ella has had around her since her youth. Her grandparents are constantly in the stands to watch Michigan compete, traveling from hours away to see Ella continue her successful journey at the collegiate level.
“She always paid it forward,” Damrow said. “For the young women who come to the matches and who look up to these girls, I’d bet you she’s probably one of the best in this environment. She is more than the sport of volleyball.”
Ella understands what life looks like at a young age as an aspiring athlete craving to compete at the highest level. She desires to show young girls that it’s possible to do so while recognizing and feeling the support from others. Ella makes it a priority to funnel that same support into the young girls who want to be in the same position as her.
“I want to be seen as super hardworking,” Ella said. “But to young women and little girls who want to pick up any sport, or anything in their life, I hope I exude a fun energy with what I do. Don’t put yourself in a box, you can do anything. That’s what I was taught growing up.”
Ella has developed into more than just a Division I athlete. She represents the culmination of years of guidance, mentorship and opportunity, while also becoming a source of that same encouragement for others. As she continues her career at Michigan, her impact is extending beyond the court as the example she sets for those watching.
Everyone has a backbone. For some, it’s made up of different things in different ways. But for Ella, it’s always been those surrounding her. Whether she knows it or not, now she’s becoming the role model to other little girls, offering the same support she received in her own journey.
