Michigan
Purdue
Michigan to Wrap Regular Season at Home Against No. 16 Purdue, Indiana
11/25/2019 6:37:00 PM | Volleyball
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 27 -- vs. No. 16 Purdue (Cliff Keen Arena), 6:30 p.m.
TV: BTN | Live Stream | Live Stats
Friday, Nov. 29 -- vs. Indiana (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Live Stats
• Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (19-9, 12-6 Big Ten) will finish the 2019 regular season with home matches against No. 16 Purdue Wednesday (Nov. 27) at 6:30 p.m. and Indiana Friday (Nov. 29) at 7 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena.
Against the Top 25
The Wolverines are 2-6 against ranked opponents in the 2019 season after falling at No. 17 Purdue Saturday (Nov. 23). Michigan finishes its regular-season portion against the top 25 with No. 16 Purdue coming to Cliff Keen Arena Wednesday (Nov. 27). Monday's (Nov. 25) AVCA Top 25 poll had seven Big Ten Conference teams ranked. Wisconsin leads the way at No. 5, while Nebraska (6), Penn State (7) and Minnesota (8) all sit inside the top 10. Purdue comes in at No. 16, with Michigan at 22 and Illinois at 24.
Climbing Up the Record Board
Senior MacKenzi Welsh sits in fourth place in Michigan volleyball history in all-time assists (5,049) and needs just 24 more to surpass Linnea Mendoza (5,072, 1994-97) for third place in U-M annals. Welsh became the fourth player in Michigan volleyball history to divvy out 5,000 career assists thanks to her 53 helpers against Michigan State last week (Nov. 20) for her sixth 50+ assist performance of the season.
Jones Adding Up the Kills
Sophomore Paige Jones leads the Wolverines and is fourth in the Big Ten in kills per set (3.85) this season while hitting .256, and she has had double-digit kill efforts in 17 of 18 conference matches. The New Bremen, Ohio, native has 397 kills on the season and needs just six more to surpass her total as a freshman (402).
Wolverine Notes
• Michigan needs two wins to break the program record for Big Ten wins in a season (13 in 1997).
• Fifth-year senior Cori Crocker continues to lead the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.435) and is ranked fourth nationally. She had 10 kills and hit .444 at Michigan State (Nov. 20) and added six kills on 14 swings at No. 17 Purdue (Nov. 23).
• Sophomore Paige Jones (0.36, 7th) and freshman May Pertofsky (0.35, 10th) each rank in the Big Ten's top 10 for service aces per set, while the Wolverines rank third in the conference as a team in aces per set (1.53).
Scouting the Opposition
Purdue
All-time series against the Boilermakers: U-M trails 50-27
Purdue (20-7, 12-6 Big Ten) and Michigan are tied for fifth in the Big Ten standings with two matches remaining in the regular season. The Boilermakers swept the Wolverines Saturday (Nov. 23), holding U-M to its season-low attack percentage (.168) and forcing a season-high 24 attack errors. Purdue is second in the Big Ten and 14th in the country in blocks per set with a 2.77 average, and they have three players ranked in the top 12 in blocks per set in the conference: Shavona Cuttino (1.27, 5th), Blake Mohler (1.20, 7th) and Grace Cleveland (1.08, 12th).
Indiana
All-time series against the Hoosiers: U-M leads 41-38-1
Indiana (14-17, 3-15 Big Ten) has lost three of its last four matches but is most recently coming off a home sweep of Michigan State Sunday (Nov. 24). As a team the Hoosiers rank in the bottom half of the league in most statistical categories, but they do hold opponents to a .203 attack percentage, which places them in seventh in the Big Ten. Sophomore Breana Edwards is the main focus of IU's offense, coming in with the fourth-most attacks per set in the conference (10.23) and ranking 10th in kills per set (3.48).
Michigan Under Mark 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 427-263 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.
