Michigan Welcomes No. 21 Illinois to Keen for Crucial Matchup

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 9 -- vs. No. 21 Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team hosts No. 21-ranked Illinois in an important weekend matchup Saturday (Nov. 9) at 7 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena. The match will be streamed live on BTN Plus.

Saturday's match has NCAA postaseason implications for both Michigan and Illinois, as the Wolverines come in with the nation's 39th-best RPI, and the Illini slot in just behind them at 40.

Against the Top 25

• Last weekend's win over then-No. 19 Illinois marked the first win over an AVCA Top 25 team for Michigan in 2019. The Wolverines are now 1-4 against ranked opponents, and will play No. 21-ranked Illinois Saturday (Nov. 9) in Cliff Keen Arena.

• Michigan snapped a 10-match losing streak in Huff Hall when it took down Illinois, 3-1.

Keeping Up with Jones

• Sophomore Paige Jones has continued her strong play during the Big Ten season, turning in three consecutive double-double performances against Illinois (Nov. 1), Northwestern (Nov. 2) and Michigan State (Nov. 6). The outside hitter now has eight double-doubles on the season and has had double-digit kills in 12 of 13 Big Ten matches.

• Wednesday night's 26-kill output matched Jones' career-high set earlier in Big Ten play against Minnesota (Oct. 25). The New Bremen, Ohio, native has had 10 kills or more in seven straight matches.

The Million Dollar Quartet

• The Wolverines had four players reach double-digit kills in both matches last weekend, marking the first time since 2016 that U-M accomplished that feat in back-to-back matches.

• When Paige Jones (15), Sydney Wetterstrom (13), May Pertofsky (13) and Jess Robinson (11) all reached double-digit kills against Illinois (Nov. 1), it was the first time since Dec. 1, 2017, that a Michigan quartet had done so.

How May Mac Assist You?

• Senior MacKenzi Welsh moved to fourth in career assists at Michigan thanks to her 44-assist performance at Northwestern (Nov. 2). Her 4,851 assists are 222 shy of Linnea Mendoza (1994-97) for third place.

Freshman Phenom

Freshman Jess Robinson leads all Big Ten freshman in attack percentage with her .338 average. That mark also is good for ninth in the conference. The Troy, Michigan, native has had double-digit kill performances in three of the Wolverines' last five matches.

Scouting the Opposition

No. 21 Illinois
All-time series against the Fighting Illini: U-M trails, 50-27
Illinois comes into the weekend with an overall record of 10-9 and holds a Big Ten record of 5-5. The Fighting Illini have several individuals at or near the top in the league's individual standings, including Jacqueline Quade, who leads the conference in kills per set (4.23) and attacks per set (11.97). Setter Diana Brown is third in the Big Ten in assists per set (10.99).

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 424-261 record and has 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.

Up Next

Wednesday, Nov. 13 -- vs. Iowa (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.