Michigan to Lock Up With No. 17 Purdue in Top-25 Showdown

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 23 -- at No. 17 Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 1 p.m.
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The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (19-8, 12-5 Big Ten) heads to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a Saturday (Nov. 23) showdown against No. 17 Purdue. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

Michigan Against the Top 25

• The Wolverines are 2-5 against ranked opponents this season and, in addition to No. 17-ranked Purdue this weekend, they will play the Boilermakers in the final week of the regular season (Nov. 27).

• Michigan remains in the AVCA Top 25 after going 1-1 a week ago, sweeping Iowa at home (Nov. 13) and falling at No. 5 Minnesota in straight sets (Nov. 16).

• Monday's (Nov. 18) AVCA Top 25 poll had seven Big Ten Conference teams ranked. Wisconsin leads the way at No. 5, while Nebraska (6), Minnesota (7), and Penn State (8) all sit inside the top 10. Purdue comes in at No. 17, with Michigan at 23 and Illinois at 25.

5,000 Strong

• Senior MacKenzi Welsh became the fourth player in program history to divvy out 5,000 career assists thanks to her 53-assist performance at Michigan State on Wednesday (Nov. 20). Her 5,017 career assists are 57 behind Linnea Mendoza (1994-97) for third place in U-M record book.

• Welsh moved into fourth in Michigan volleyball history in career assists with her 44-assist performance at Northwestern (Nov. 2).

• Welsh had her sixth 50-plus assist performance of the season with 53 at Michigan State (Nov. 20).

Two Wins Away

Michigan (12 Big Ten wins) needs two victories over its final three matches to break the program record for conference wins in a season (13 in 1997).

Career Night for Pertofsky

Freshman May Pertofsky had a match to remember against Michigan State on Wednesday (Nov. 20), finishing with a career-best 18 kills while hitting .400 and adding four total blocks (one solo, three assisted), four digs, one ace and one assist.

Jones Continues to Roll

Sophomore Paige Jones leads the Wolverines and is fourth in the Big Ten in kills per set (3.82) this season while hitting .258, and she has had double-digit kill efforts in 16 of 17 conference games.

Ace, Ace, Baby

Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten in aces per set (1.54) following an eight-ace performance against Michigan State (Nov. 20). The duo of Paige Jones (0.36, 8th in the B1G) and freshman May Pertofsky (0.34, 11th) have fared well from the service line as individuals, while senior Katerina Rocafort had another great night at the line, finishing with three total aces against MSU and bringing her total to eight aces in the last three matches.

Scouting the Opposition

Purdue
All-time series against the Boilermakers: U-M trails, 49-27
Purdue sits one game behind Michigan in the Big Ten standings with two head-to-head meetings remaining in the final three regular-season matches. The Boilermakers make their living at the net, ranking second in the Big Ten in blocks per set with a 2.74 average. Both Shavona Cuttino (1.28, 4th) and Blake Mohler (1.21, 6th) rank in the top six in the conference in blocks per set, while Caitlyn Newton is fifth best in the league in kills per set (3.72).

Michigan under Rosen

The 2019 volleyball campaign marks the program's 47th season and 21st under head coach Mark Rosen. In his time leading the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 427-262 record and guided Michigan to 17 of its 20 NCAA postseason appearances. In addition to serving as the longest-tenured volleyball coach at Michigan, Rosen is the winningest coach in program history.