Wolverines to Battle No. 6 Minnesota at Home on Saturday

• Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

This Week:
Saturday, Oct. 7 -- vs. Minnesota (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
Live Stats

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Following a 3-1 loss at Iowa on Wednesday night (Oct. 4), the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (12-5, 2-3 B1G) will return home on Saturday (Oct. 7) for an afternoon contest against No. 6-ranked Minnesota.

Last Time Out
Despite taking the first set of the night, Michigan dropped the next three sets to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night (Oct. 4) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena and fell by a 3-1 score (21-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21) for its first loss to a team not receiving votes in the AVCA poll.

Scouting the Opposition
No. 6 Minnesota (14-2, 3-2 B1G)
2016 Finish: Final Four
All-time record against: U-M trails 16-50
Minnesota will enter the weekend with an impressive 14-2 record along with a 3-2 record in Big Ten action. The Golden Gophers began the season with 12 straight wins, including a victory over the Wolverines, before losing two straight to Michigan State and Nebraska. The team bounced back with a straight-sets win over Iowa last weekend and defeated Wisconsin on Wednesday night (Oct. 4) in five sets. Freshman Stephanie Samedy is coming off a double-double against Iowa, recording 13 kills and 11 digs. She is first on the team and second in the conference with 218 kills on the season. Junior setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson leads the Big Ten with 12.23 assists per set.

Wolverines at Home
Michigan's senior class has posted a 36-13 record at home over the last three seasons and will look to maintain its perfect record at home this year. The Wolverines are 8-0 when playing in Ann Arbor this season, and only have dropped three sets during that time. Michigan ended its 2016 campaign with a 16-2 home record, with the losses versus teams (Nebraska, Wisconsin) ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll at the time.

Statistical Breakdown
Michigan enters the week ranked fourth in the prestigious Big Ten with an average of 1.32 service aces per set in conference matches. Additionally, the Wolverines rank fifth with 2.23 blocks per set and sixth with 13.0 digs per set.

Kieffer-Wright Earns B1G Defensive Honor
Senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright was named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday (Oct. 2) as she guided Michigan to four-set victories over Ohio State and Maryland last weekend. The senior led the Wolverine defense with a career-high nine blocks on Friday (Sept. 29) and totaled a match-high seven blocks on Saturday (Sept. 30) to finish the weekend with 16 total blocks. She led U-M with 15 kills in Saturday's victory and finished the weekend with a .440 kill percentage with a 3.5 kills per set average.

Michigan and the AVCA Poll
With Big Ten wins over Ohio State and Maryland last weekend, Michigan jumped one spot in the AVCA Poll this week and is now ranked 22nd. The Wolverines began the season ranked 16th in the preseason poll and have appeared in the poll every week this season. Michigan finished the 2016 campaign ranked No. 12 and captured multiple victories over ranked opponents, including home wins over Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Oregon.

The Big Ten and the AVCA Poll
At No. 22, Michigan is one of seven Big Ten Conference teams represented in the AVCA Top-25 this week. Penn State (3), Nebraska (4), Minnesota (6) and Wisconsin (7) sit inside the top 10, while Michigan State (14) and Purdue (18) are in the top 20. Michigan rounds out the group in the top 25, and Ohio State is receiving votes in the poll.