Michigan
Maryland
Wolverines Return Home to Take on Maryland, No. 3 Wisconsin
10/13/2021 5:27:00 PM | Volleyball
» U-M opens the weekend against Maryland in Cliff Keen Arena on Friday at 6 p.m.
» Michigan takes on No. 3 Wisconsin Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m. in Crisler Center.
» The Wolverines and Badgers will be featured on Big Ten Network.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 15 – vs. Maryland (Cliff Keen Arena), 6 p.m.
TV: B1G+Â Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Oct. 16 -- vs. #3 Wisconsin (Crisler Center), 4:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video
PROMOTIONS
• Oct. 15: Postgame Serves -- All kids 6th grade and under are invited to send a serve over the net following the match.
• Oct. 16: Wolverine Kids Club Day, Postgame autographs
• Full Promotions Schedule
• Complete Match Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team returns to the comfort of home for a pair of matches this weekend, starting with Maryland on Friday (Oct. 15) at 6 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena and ending with No. 3-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday (Oct. 16) at 4:30 p.m. inside Crisler Center. Friday's match will be streamed live on B1G+, while Saturday's showdown will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Wolverine Bites
• The Wolverines look to continue their strong play at home on the season, coming into the weekend with a 6-1 record in Ann Arbor. U-M is undefeated against opponents when playing in Cliff Keen Arena (3-0) and is 3-1 in Crisler Center.
• U-M takes on two teams that are the best in the Big Ten in some key categories. Maryland leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.140) and blocks (3.18 per set) while Wisconsin is the league's top team in hitting percentage (.321) and comes in at No. 2 in kills (14.90 per set).
• The Big Ten Conference has six programs represented in the Top 20 of the NCAA RPI. Wisconsin (No. 3) leads all teams, followed by Purdue (sixth), Ohio State (10th), Nebraska (14th), Penn State (16th) and Minnesota (20th). Michigan sits at 31st, just ahead of Illinois (32).
• Several Wolverines find themselves ranked in the Big Ten's top 10 in statistical categories, with junior May Pertofsky second in the conference in aces per set (0.50). Redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant is seventh in digs per set (3.98) while sophomore Jess Mruzik ranks 10th in points per set (3.96) and fellow sophomore Scottee Johnson is 10th in assists per set (9.41).
• Pertofsky's 28 service aces on the season give her the second-most in the Big Ten, while her 0.50 aces-per-set mark is good for 24th in the NCAA.
• Michigan also ranks in the top half of the Big Ten in several team categories, sitting fourth in service aces (1.54) and opponent kills (11.45), fifth in hitting percentage (.243), sixth in digs (14.68) and seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.181).
• Friday night's (Oct. 8) win over No. 8 Minnesota featured a defensive effort not seen in nearly five years from the Wolverines. Five players had double-digit dig efforts (Grant, 24; Johnson, 19; Mruzik, 15; Murray, 14; Jones, 13) for the first time since Dec. 9, 2016, against Creighton (Lerg, 30; Skjodt, 21; Murphy, 13; Clark, 13; Welsh, 12) in the NCAA Tournament.
• Sophomore Jess Mruzik had her second 20-kill performance of the season against Minnesota and finished with a double-double of 20 kills and 15 digs.
• Sophomore Kendall Murray has shined in different roles in her second season with the Maize and Blue, most recently serving as the Wolverines' primary option as a defensive specialist. The Ann Arbor native has averaged 1.66 digs per set on the season, but since moving to DS has put up 2.55 digs per set, second most on the team over that span.
• Abbey Malinowski came off the bench in the decisive fifth set against Minnesota, seeing her first action in a match since Sept. 17. The senior had three successful serves, two digs and added a crucial kill to help lift the Wolverines to victory over the Badgers.
• Michigan's last win over a top-five opponent was against Wisconsin in Madison, upsetting the No. 5 Badgers in four sets (19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22) on Nov. 4, 2018. The Wolverines went on to a Regional semifinal appearance that season.
• The last time the Wolverines defeated a top-five opponent at home was five-set thriller against No. 4 Nebraska Nov. 2, 2012, that they won in a reverse sweep (21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-9).Â
Opponent Preview
Maryland
Michigan leads the all-time series 12-2
Michigan-Maryland looks to be a great matchup to open the weekend, as the two split five-set thrillers during the spring 2021 season in Cliff Keen Arena. Overall the Wolverines have dominated the series since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten, winning 12 of 14 matches all time.
Defense is the name of the game for Maryland, having the Big Ten leaders in both blocks per set and digs per set. Senior Rainelle Jones has an impressive 1.90 blocks-per-set average that leads all of NCAA Division I, while freshman libero Milan Gomillion leads the league with a 4.76 digs per set mark. Sophomore setter Sydney Dowler is fourth in the league in assists per set with a 10.38 average and sophomore Sam Csire has the Terps' top kills-per-set mark with a 3.37 average.
The Terrapins started the season 12-0 but have gone 2-4 since the start of Big Ten action. However, one of their wins was over the Wolverines' other opponent this weekend, Wisconsin, who was ranked No. 2 at the time.
Wisconsin
Michigan trails the series 59-21
The Wolverines have won just one of the last 10 meetings with the Badgers, who come in as the NCAA's No. 3-ranked team. Wisconsin brought back four key student-athletes thanks to the NCAA's COVID exception, as Lauren Barnes, Giorgia Civita, Sydney Hilley and Dana Retke all returned for an extra year.
The key returner of the group is Retke, who is a four-time AVCA first team All-American as well as a former Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year and AVCA National Freshman of the Year. The Riverside, Ill., native leads the Big Ten with a .500 attack percentage on the campaign and is No. 7 in kills per set with a 3.63 mark. Hilley is the conference leader in assists per set with a 12.19 average, and Barnes is No. 9 in digs per set with a 3.90 mark.
Wisconsin picked up where its spring 2021 season left off, going 13-1 to start the fall campaign. The Badgers' lone loss came at Maryland in the Big Ten opener, but have since won five straight, dropping just two sets along the way. UW has impressive wins over No. 7 Minnesota (3-0), No. 8 Kentucky (3-1) and No. 10 Baylor (3-1) on the campaign.
Up Next
• Wednesday, Oct. 20 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, ind.), 7 p.m.
