Michigan
High Point
Michigan to Open Season at War Eagle Invitational
8/21/2018 12:41:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Saturday, Aug. 25 -- vs. High Point (Auburn, Ala.) 11 a.m. CDT
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Saturday, Aug. 25 -- vs. High Point (Auburn, Ala.) 11 a.m. CDT
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The University of Michigan volleyball team will kick off its 46th season of play Saturday (Aug. 25) as the Maize and Blue heads Auburn, Alabama, for the War Eagle Invitational. The Wolverines will open the 2018 campaign Saturday morning at Auburn Arena with a contest against High Point (11 a.m. CDT) and finish the day with a match against host Auburn (7 p.m. CDT).
Team 46
The 2018 season marks the Wolverines' 46th season of volleyball. Michigan has an all-time Division I record of 741-654-5 and has totaled 17 NCAA appearances since the program's inception in 1973, including six berths to the NCAA Sweet 16, an Elite Eight run in 2009, and a trip to the Final Four in 2012.
Michigan Under Mark Rosen
The 2018 volleyball campaign marks the program's 20th under head coach Mark Rosen. In his time leading the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 384-244 record and guided Michigan to 16 of its 17 NCAA postseason appearances. In addition to serving as the longest-tenured volleyball coach at Michigan, Rosen is the winningest coach in program history.
Scouting the Opposition
High Point Panthers
Coming off its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, High Point was picked by Big South coaches to repeat as the Big South Conference regular season champions. Despite a deep roster of 19, the Panthers added seven freshmen in the offseason and have a young program.
Auburn Tigers
Guided by nine returners, Auburn will look to make its second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 following a 7th-place finish in the SEC last season. The Tigers began the 2018 campaign with an exhibition match at Georgia Tech last weekend and brought home a 3-1 victory behind a double-double performance from senior Brenna McIlroy.
All-Time History
Saturday's (Aug. 25) season opener will mark the first meeting between Michigan and High Point, while the second match of the day will signal Michigan's fourth contest against Auburn since the teams first met in 1987. The Wolverines own a 3-0 all-time record over the Tigers, including a 3-0 sweep in the last meeting, which occurred in 2016.
Season Openers
Following a 3-0 sweep of Albany to kick off the 2017 campaign, Michigan is 32-13 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.
Michigan and the AVCA Poll
The Wolverines are set to face eight opponents ranked in the top 25 this season after finishing the 2017 campaign with multiple victories over top-ranked competition, including a program-record three consecutive wins over ranked opponents at the end of the regular season. U-M was the second team out of the top 25 in the AVCA 2018 Preseason poll, receiving 153 votes, and was ranked No. 19 in the Volleymob.com preseason ranking.
Skjodt Unanimous B1G Preseason Selection
Senior Carly Skjodt was named to the 14-player preseason All-Big Ten team prior to the start of the 2018 campaign and was one of seven unanimous selections. The outside hitter finished the 2017 campaign with a team-leading 3.67 kills per set and was selected to the AVCA All-America third team.
Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll
Michigan was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' poll. Reigning national champion Nebraska was picked to win the Big Ten crown, followed by Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Penn State.
Veterans
Michigan's returning group of 12 includes five back row players, two setters, two middle blockers and three outside hitters, including Skjodt -- who was named a 2017 AVCA All-American at the close of last season. Michigan lost three significant front row players at the end of the 2017 campaign as the Wolverines graduated middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright (All-America Honorable Mention), outside hitter Adeja Lambert and opposite Katherine Mahlke.
Newcomers
In addition to 12 returners, the Michigan volleyball roster boasts a program-high seven newcomers this season. The Wolverines welcomed six freshmen, including Paige Jones, Lizzie Sadilek, Abbey Malinowski, Grace Persson, Kayla Bair and Erin O'Leary, as well as transfer Katarina Glavinic during the offseason. With 19 student-athletes, the 2018 roster is the largest of the Rosen era.
Crisler Center
The Wolverines will host a record five opponents inside Crisler Center this year, including Notre Dame (Sept. 14), Penn State (Sept. 30), Wisconsin (Oct. 26), Minnesota (Oct. 27) and Michigan State (Nov. 24). Michigan broke its attendance record last season with a crowd of 8,137 inside Crisler as the Wolverines defeated rival Ohio State in their Big Ten home opener.
Oh Captain, My Captain
In the spring of 2018, Michigan announced its captains for the 2018 season, and will have all three seniors guiding the team. The captain council includes setter Maddy Abbott, libero Jenna Lerg, and outside hitter Carly Skjodt.
