Michigan to Kick Off 2017 Season at USC/LMU Invite

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• vs. Albany (Aug. 25, 11 a.m. PDT): Live Stats
• at USC (Aug. 25, 8 p.m. PDT): Live Stats | Live Video
• at Loyola Marymount (Aug. 26, 7 p.m. PDT): Live Stats

• Complete Notes (PDF)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team will open its 45th season of play this Friday and Saturday (Aug. 25-26) as the Maize and Blue heads to the West Coast to compete in the USC/LMU Invite. The Wolverines will open the 2017 campaign Friday with two matches at the USC's Galen Center, beginning with a contest against Albany (11 a.m. PDT) and finishing the day with a match against co-host USC (8 p.m. PDT). The first weekend of play will wrap up on Saturday (Aug. 26) with a match against co-host Loyola Marymount (7 p.m. PDT) at the LMU's Gersten Pavilion.

Michigan under Mark Rosen
The 2017 volleyball campaign marks the program's 45th season and 19th under head coach Mark Rosen. In his time with the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 363-232 record and has guided Michigan to 15 of its 16 NCAA postseason appearances. Rosen is the winningest coach in program history.

The Path to the Postseason
Michigan posted a 22-10 record through the 2016 regular season and was selected as the No. 12 seed for the NCAA Tournament, which marked the highest seed in program history. The Wolverines rode the momentum to a Sweet 16 appearance before losing in five sets in the regional semifinals. Michigan was one of eight Big Ten Conference teams to earn a selection to the NCAA postseason, which ranked the most in the nation.

Offensive Dominance
Led by captains Claire Kieffer-Wright, Katherine Mahlke and Carly Skjodt, the Wolverines will look to continue their offensive excellence in 2017. Dropping just 11 matches on the year -- eight of which were against top-25 opponents -- the Maize and Blue ended an impressive 2016 season with a program-record .258 team attack average, which broke the previous mark of .251 set in 2004 when Michigan advanced to an NCAA regional final.

Michigan and the AVCA Poll
Armed with a No. 16 ranking in the 2017 AVCA preseason poll, the Wolverines are set to face seven opponents currently ranked in the top 25 this season. Rankings aside, Michigan will face 10 opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Michigan finished the 2016 campaign with multiple victories over ranked opponents, including home wins over Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Oregon.

Season Openers
Michigan is 31-13 in season openers and has not dropped the first match of a season since a 3-0 loss to Notre Dame to begin the 2005 year. Last season, the Wolverines defeated Saint Louis in straight sets to kick of the 2016 Michigan Invitational, which jump-started a perfect 8-0 run with three tournament victories to begin the year.

Wolverine Veterans
Michigan returns 12 players from last year's squad, including 11 letterwinners and four starters, which includes sophomore setter MacKenzi Welsh, who was a 2016 AVCA All-America honorable mention after averaging 10.61 assists per set in her debut season with the Maize and Blue. The Wolverine front row is also led by seniors Claire Kieffer-Wright (preseason All-Big Ten), Katherine Mahlke and Adeja Lambert, as well as Carly Skjodt and redshirt sophomore Cori Crocker, while libero Jenna Lerg will anchor the back row.

Schedule Breakdown
Michigan's 31-match 2017 schedule features 10 contests against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and seven against teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top 25.

Scouting the Opposition
Albany
2016 Record: 16-10, 9-3 America East
The Great Danes return nine letterwinners and three starters plus a libero from last year's team that advanced to the America East Conference championship match. With eight newcomers and just three players lost, Albany has already been picked to finish second in the America East this season. Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Evering will look to lead the Great Dane offense this season after concluding the 2016 campaign with 285 kills at an average of 2.85 kills per set.

USC
2016 Record: 18-14, 10-10 Pac-12
The Trojans return 10 letterwinners and seven key contributors from last year's squad that finished tied for seventh in the competitive Pacific-12 Conference. After advancing to the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016 before ultimately falling to Hawaii, USC was selected as the first team out of the top 25 in the AVCA preseason poll for the 2017 season. The Trojans' top returner is sophomore outside hitter Khalia Lanier, who averaged 4.06 kills per set and 2.60 digs per set last season.

Loyola Marymount
2016 Record: 19-11, 10-8 West Coast
The Panthers return seven letterwinners and three starters plus libero from last year's team that finished in a tie for third in the West Coast Conference and did not advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first season since 2013. Under the tutelage of first-year coach Aaron Mansfield, the Lions will be led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Savannah Slattery, who tallied 330 kills last season at an average of 3.27 kills per set.