Michigan
Louisiana State
Michigan to Begin 2021 Campaign at Weather-Altered LSU Tiger Classic
8/25/2021 6:25:00 PM | Volleyball
UPDATE (8/27/2021, 10:30 p.m.): Due to Hurricane Ida, Saturday's match against Northern Arizona has been canceled. The Wolverines' match with Florida State on Saturday will be played as scheduled.
UPDATE (8/26/2021, 8 p.m.): Due to the forecast of Tropical Storm Ida possibly being upgraded to a hurricane before Sunday, the LSU Tiger Classic schedule has been altered. Michigan will play LSU on Friday as scheduled, but will face both Florida State and Northern Arizona on Saturday.
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sun., Aug. 27-28 -- at LSU Tiger Classic (Baton Rouge, La.)
Friday, Aug. 27 -- vs. LSU, 6 p.m. CDT
TV: SEC Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Aug. 28 -- vs. Florida State, 10 a.m. CDT
Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 28Â -- vs. Northern Arizona - canceled
• Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team opens the 2021 campaign at the LSU Tiger Classic to take on host Louisiana State, Florida State and Northern Arizona on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 27-28). in Baton Rouge, La. The Wolverines will take on host LSU on Friday at 6 p.m. CDT, and the match will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. On Saturday (Aug. 28), Michigan will face Florida State at 10 a.m. CDT.Â
Wolverine Bites
• The 2021 volleyball campaign marks the program's 49th season and 23rd under head coach Mark Rosen. In his time leading the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 433-274 record and guided Michigan to 18 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.
• This season marks the first since 2011 that Michigan is opening up the campaign with two road tournaments. After the Tiger Classic, the Wolverines head to Annapolis, Md., to take part in the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy.
• In 2011 U-M opened the season at the Morehead State Eagle Challenge in Morehead, Ky., before heading west to the La Quinta Inn and Suites Challenge in Orem, Utah, hosted by Utah Valley.
• The Maize and Blue would go on to make a run to the NCAA Regional Semifinals that season.
• The Wolverines have five seniors and a graduate student on their fall roster, highlighted by 2019 AVCA All-American Paige Jones. She played in 50 of 51 sets during the spring season, leading the team with 179 kills (3.58 kills per set) and coming in second on the team with 123 digs (2.46 per set). The other four-year seniors include Kayla Bair, Abbey Malinowski, Grace Persson and Lizzie Sadilek.
• Joining the Maize and Blue for a final go-around is graduate transfer Haley Hallgren, who spent the past four years earning her degree from the University of Southern California, where she played beach volleyball. Hallgren was a two-time team captain and helped the Trojans win the 2021 NCAA Championship. The Southlake, Texas, native is a true utility player, using her skills from beach to make her an asset as a hitter, defender, or setter.
• A dynamic duo highlights the junior class, as middle blocker Jess Robinson and opposite hitter May Pertofsky return to the court this fall. Robinson, who spent part of her summer practicing at the USA Volleyball training center, had 94 kills (1.84 kills per set) and was second on the team in total blocks (30) during the spring campaign. Pertofsky was third on the team with 112 kills (2.49 kills per set) and led the team in service aces (14).
• Joining the bigs from the junior class are setters Maddie Dowd and Jenni Liu, as well as defensive specialist Amber Beals. Dowd saw action this past spring, including an eye-popping 65-assist match against Indiana on March 12.
• The sophomore class includes contributors in all facets of the game, highlighted by the all-around skill from Jess Mruzik. The Livonia, Mich., native enrolled at U-M as the national Gatorade Player of the Year, and tuned in a freshman campaign that saw her earn Big Ten All-Freshman team honors. She was second on the team in kills with 163 (3.54 kills per set), had 10 service aces and added 84 digs and 20 blocks defensively.
• Joining the Wolverines in her first collegiate season this spring was Michigan State transfer Hannah Grant. The Northville, Mich., native stepped in and controlled the libero position from day one, finishing the season with a team-best 214 digs (4.20 digs per set).
• Another rookie that saw a bulk of the playing time at her position was Scottee Johnson. The setter played in all but one game this spring, leading the Wolverines with 383 assists (8.33 assists per set). She also added 122 digs and nine service aces.
• Local product Kendall Murray stepped into a crucial role in her freshman campaign, finishing the season with 33 kills, 37 digs and nine total blocks. The Skyline High School alumna earned the first two starts of her career against Nebraska.
• The last member of the sophomore class is Brooke Humphrey. The defensive specialist saw action as a serve specialist as well as a DS.
• Michigan had a small 2021 freshman class, bringing in Jacque Boney, Mira Chopra, Maddi Cuchran.
• Boney hails from Brookhaven, Ga., where she was an Under Armour First Team All-American. The 6-foot=4-inch middle blocker also was ranked the No. 26 recruit in the country and No. 4 middle by Prep Volleyball, and was one of VolleyMag.com's 23 Underclassmen to Watch in 2020. Boney holds the Georgia state single-match records for total blocks (10) and kills (42).
• Chopra joins the Wolverines from the heart of Big Ten country in Champaign, Ill. The middle blocker hit .514 and averaged 2.5 blocks and 5.8 digs per set as a senior, helping her earn honorable mention Under Armour All-American honors.
Cuchran, a Downers Grove, Ill., native comes in as reinforcement for the Wolverines' defensive unit. As a libero, Cuchran had 1,243 digs in her high school career (13.5 digs per set) to go along with 182 career assists and 96 career aces.
Opponent Preview
The Wolverines square off with three relatively unfamiliar opponents this weekend, having previously played LSU six times, Florida State five times and Northern Arizona only once.
U-M holds the all-time edge over the Tigers, 4-2, having won each of the last two meetings in 2015 and 2018. LSU won the first-ever meeting between the two storied institutions, taking a five-set thriller in the 1985 season. This will be the first time in program history that the two teams have played in Louisiana.
On the flip side, Michigan trails the series with Florida state, 3-2. The Seminoles won 3-2 the last time these two teams played in 2013.
Northern Arizona nearly pulled of an upset over then-No. 15 Michigan in the first and only meeting between the two at the Michigan Invitational in 2019. The Wolverines, facing a 2-1 deficit, came back and won the final two sets for a five-set victory.
Up Next
Friday, Sept. 3 -- vs. West Virginia (Annapolis, Md.), Noon
Friday, Sept. 3 -- at Navy (Annapolis, Md.), 7 p.m.
