Wolverines to Open Big Ten Play at Nebraska, Iowa

THIS WEEK:
Friday, Sept. 21 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 8 p.m. CDT
Live Stats | TV: Big Ten Network
Sunday, Sept. 23 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 2 p.m. CDT
Live Stats | BTN Plus

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (11-0) will kick off Big Ten Conference action this weekend (Sept. 21-23) with a road trip to Nebraska and Iowa. The Wolverines will open against Nebraska on Friday (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. CDT before wrapping up the weekend at Iowa on Sunday (Sept. 23) at 2 p.m. CDT. Friday's match against the Cornhuskers will air live on Big Ten Network, and Sunday's contest will be streamed on BTN Plus.

11-0 Through Non-Conference

The Wolverines will enter Big Ten action this weekend with an 11-0 record through non-conference play. The streak is a program best since 2011, when Michigan won 13 matches to start the season. Additionally, Michigan's first 10 wins to start the season came via sweep, which set a new program record.

Unbeaten

Michigan is just one of six teams nationally (and five ranked in the AVCA Top-25) that remains unbeaten, including three from the Big Ten. No. 8-ranked Illinois (11-0) and No. 16-ranked Purdue (11-0) also will jump into conference play this weekend with a perfect record.

How Michigan Stacks Up

Going into conference action this weekend, the Wolverines rank in the top five in the nation for kills per set (14.79) and assists per set (13.94). Michigan also ranks second in the country with a 0.109 opponent hitting percentage, while ranking 15th in team hitting percentage.

Wolverine Stat Leaders

Senior libero Jenna Lerg has been a force in the back row this season, posting 10 matches with double-figure digs and averaging 5.53 digs per set, which ranks 16th in the country. Junior setter MacKenzi Welsh also ranks 16th in the nation with 11.32 assists per set.

Scouting the Opposition

Nebraska Cornhuskers
All-time series: U-M trails, 14-3
The No. 3-ranked Huskers will enter the weekend with a 9-1 record after dropping their first match of the year to Florida. Since then, Nebraska has rattled off nine straight wins, including victories over top-ranked Oregon and Creighton. The Huskers are led offensively by senior outside hitter Mikaela Foecke, whose 3.57 kills per set and .323 attack average ranks among the best in the Big Ten.

Iowa Hawkeyes
All-time series: U-M leads, 41-27
The Hawkeyes boast an 8-3 record, but will enter the weekend on a six-match win streak. Despite sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten statistics in win percentage, Iowa ranks second in the conference with 16.05 digs per set. Senior outside hitter Taylor Louis leads the Big Ten with 4.41 kills per set.

Michigan and the AVCA Poll

Following a home-and-home sweep of Notre Dame last weekend, the Wolverines jumped one spot in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll this week and are ranked No. 18 with 549 votes. Michigan began the year as the second team outside of the top 25 preseason poll with 153 votes, but entered the poll at No. 23 following a 2-0 showing at the War Eagle Invitational to kick off the season.

600-Win Club

Head Coach Mark Rosen picked up his 600th career win on Sept. 7, 2018 -- a 3-0 victory over Oakland. Rosen has more than 600 career wins with stops at Northern Michigan, Cal State Bakersfield, Boise State and Michigan, and is one of 21 active coaches in Division I with 600 career wins.

Team 46

The 2018 season marks the Wolverines' 46th season of volleyball. Michigan has an all-time Division I record of 750-654-5 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.