Michigan Heads to Penn State for Midweek Big Ten Action

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 14 -- at #7 Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (19-8, 8-8 B1G) will kick off a two-match road swing on Wednesday (Nov. 14) with a midweek Big Ten contest at No. 7-ranked Penn State. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. inside Rec Hall, and the match will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

Big Ten Standings

With an 8-8 record in conference action, Michigan sits tied with Maryland for seventh place in the Big Ten. Following a perfect 11-0 run through non-conference play to kick off the season, all of Michigan's losses have come against Big Ten opponents. Minnesota, which boasts a 16-0 conference record, is the only unbeaten conference team.

Maize and Blue on the Road

The Wolverines are 7-3 when playing on the road this season, with their first two road losses coming at then-No. 3 Nebraska to kick off Big Ten Conference play (Sept. 21) and at then-No. 7 Illinois (Oct. 19) in a five-set heartbreaker in mid-October. Michigan's most recent loss came on Oct. 31 in a 3-1 decision at Indiana.

Midweek Matches

Michigan is now 1-2 in midweek matches this season following losses at Indiana (Oct. 31) and at home against Maryland (Nov. 4). The Wolverines played just one midweek non-conference contest earlier this year, which ended in a 3-0 victory over Valparaiso (Sept. 4). The Maize and Blue is slated to play one midweek match every week for the last four weeks of the regular season, including a contest at Penn State this week (Nov. 14), and a home match against Northwestern (Nov. 21).

Back-Row Defense Steps Up

Michigan saw four players tally double-figure digs during the Wolverines' four-set loss to No. 6-ranked Nebraska last Saturday (Nov. 10). Senior libero Jenna Lerg led the charge for the 23rd time this season with 19 digs, while junior setter MacKenzi Welsh finished with 17. Senior outside hitter Carly Skjodt (18 kills, 16 digs) and freshman Paige Jones (17 kills, 14 digs) each posted a kill-dig double-double in the effort.

Skjodt Leads the Offense

Skjodt has been the Wolverines' go-to hitter this season with a team-leading 4.22 kills per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten. As a six-rotation player, Skjodt has posted nine kill-dig double-doubles this year and ranks third on the team with 2.57 digs per set.

Libero Lerg Anchors the Defense

Lerg leads the Big Ten with 5.16 digs per set, which ranks 32nd in the nation -- but first among Power 5 players. The Michigan native has recorded an impressive 24 double-digit dig performances this season, including 12-straight, and has led the Wolverines in digs in 23 of 27 matches. She has finished with 20 digs or more on 10 separate occasions.

Michigan and the AVCA Coaches Poll

Following an 0-2 week that included losses to unranked Maryland (Nov. 7) and No. 6-ranked Nebraska (Nov. 10), the Wolverines dropped four spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 ranking this week to check in at No. 19 with 459 points. Michigan began the year as the second team outside of the top-25 preseason poll with 153 votes, but has been ranked in each poll since a 2-0 showing at the War Eagle Invitational to kick off the season.

U-M Ranked 20th in Latest RPI

The Wolverines dropped to No. 20 in the latest RPI ranking, which was released by the NCAA on Monday (Nov. 12). Michigan is ranked the seventh-highest of the Big Ten schools, behind Illinois (No. 2), Minnesota (3), Wisconsin (6), Nebraska (12), Purdue (13), and Penn State (17). Eight Big Ten schools rank in the top-50, while five are in the top-16. The NCAA announced the first edition of the RPI on Oct. 1, with the Wolverines coming in at No. 11.

Scouting the Opposition

All-time series against: U-M trails, 50-5
The seventh-ranked Nittany Lions will enter the weekend with a 20-6 overall record and an 11-5 record in Big Ten action. Coming off a 3-2 loss at Illinois last Saturday (Nov. 10), Penn State leads the conference in blocks (2.88 per set) and ranks second in opponent hitting percentage (.163). Freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord ranks fourth in the Big Ten with a .383 hitting percentage, while senior libero Kendall White's 4.85 digs per set rank third. The teams met previously this season (Sept. 30) with Penn State taking the match in a 3-0 fashion and spoiling the Wolverines' then-perfect home record (Sept. 30).