Michigan to Travel to No. 9 Minnesota, Host Maize Out vs. Michigan State

• Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team kicks off Big Ten Conference play with a road-home split weekend, traveling to No. 9-ranked Minnesota on Friday (Sept. 24) at 8 p.m. CDT inside Maturi Pavillion. The Wolverines will returning to Crisler Center on Sunday (Sept. 26) at 1 p.m. to take on in-state rival Michigan State at Crisler Center. Friday night's match is the first national broadcast of the season for the Wolverines, as they take on the Golden Gophers on Big Ten Network. Sunday's match will be streamed live on B1G+.

Sunday also will feature a Maize Out at Crisler, as fans are encouraged to wear maize to help show support for the Wolverines as they battle the Spartans. There also will be a maize pom pon giveaway to the first 1,000 fans and postgame autographs.

Wolverine Bites

• U-M wrapped the non-conference portion of the schedule with a perfect weekend, winning the Michigan Invitational with sweeps over Eastern Michigan, Boston College and Dayton. It marked the first time since 2018 that the Wolverines won each match of the Michigan Invitational 3-0.

• Sophomore Jess Mruzik was a crucial part of the Wolverines' 3-0 weekend, finishing with 3.33 kills per set at an impressive .324 attack percentage. In addition to the stellar offensive production, Mruzik averaged 2.33 digs per set, 0.44 blocks per set and added five service aces. The sophomore was the difference-maker in Michigan's sweep of Dayton, finishing with 17 kills while hitting .500, 11 digs, three aces and a pair of blocks.

• The Michigan offense rolled over the weekend with sophomore Scottee Johnson orchestrating a balanced attack. The Dayton, Ohio, native had the offense clicking to the tune of a .330 percentage in the Wolverines' clean sweep of the Michigan Invitational. As a team, the Wolverines hit .368 against Eastern Michigan and .361 against Dayton. Individually, Johnson had 82 total assists for a 9.67 per-set average and also added 25 total digs (2.78 per set), seven kills and two total blocks.

• Michigan hit .330 as a team over the weekend, averaging 14.22 kills per set, while holding all three opponents to a miniscule .111 attack percentage and just 9.89 kills per set. The Wolverines finished the three matches with 22 total blocks (2.44 per set) while their opponents totaled just 10 (1.11 per set).

• Junior May Pertofsky had another stellar weekend for the Wolverines, helping the Maize and Blue in all facets of the game in its weekend sweep of Eastern Michigan, Boston College and Dayton. Pertofsky finished with 22 kills while hitting .347, had seven service aces and averaged a block per set in the three matches.

• Freshman Jacque Boney turned in another impressive weekend for the Michigan defense, leading the team with 14 total blocks and a 1.56 blocks-per-set average. Her season mark of 1.33 blocks per set is eighth-best in the Big Ten through the non-conference campaign, and her 44 total blocks are first among Big Ten freshmen.

• Redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant saw her consecutive double-digit dig streak snapped Saturday, as the libero fell one short against Dayton with nine. Dating back to the spring season, Grant had registered at least 10 digs in 16 consecutive matches.

• Senior Paige Jones finished the Michigan Invitational with the highest kills total for the Wolverines, turning in 31 (3.44 per set) and hitting .301. The New Bremen, Ohio, native also averaged 0.44 blocks per set.

• Junior Jess Robinson continued her strong play over the weekend, averaging 2.33 kills per set and hitting .372 in the Wolverines' three wins. The middle blocker also had 0.67 blocks per set.

Opponent Preview

Minnesota
Minnesota leads the series 54-16

Michigan looks to snap a seven-match losing streak against No. 9 Minnesota, having not defeated the Golden Gophers since the 2016 season. The last time the Wolverines won in Minneapolis was nearly a decade ago (Nov. 13, 2011) when the Maize and Blue won in a sweep.

Redshirt senior Stephanie Samedy has been an offensive force in her fifth season, averaging an astonishing 5.21 kills per set while hitting .276. The Clermont, Fla., native has five matches of 20 kills or more on the season, including 31 in the Gopher's loss to Florida. Sophomore Melani Shaffmaster has been stellar from the setter position, averaging 10.46 assists per set on the campaign.

Though just 5-3 on the season, Minnesota's three losses came at the hands of No. 10 Baylor, No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Florida. They've now won four straight, including a neutral-site win over No. 14 Stanford and a road win against No. 11 Oregon.

Michigan State
Michigan State leads the series 53-47

The Wolverines look to add to their longest win streak in program history over their in-state rival, having won each of the last six matches against MSU. The Spartans hold a 53-47 edge in the all-time series and holds the longest win streak in the series history, having won nine consecutive meetings from Sept. 30, 1978, to Nov. 13, 1980. Michigan's current six-match winning streak began with a 3-0 sweep at home Nov. 17, 2018, and most recently saw U-M win 3-1 in Jenison Field House this past spring.

Reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week Sarah Franklin leads the Spartans with 3.56 kills per set and a .277 attack average. Setter Celia Cullen has had a strong start to the 2021 campaign, averaging 10.77 assists per set, while middle blocker Naya Gros has averaged 1.77 blocks per set.

Similar to U-M, Michigan State is riding a three-match win streak thanks to an undefeated home tournament. The Spartans defeated Oakland (3-0), IUPUI (3-0) and Central Michigan (3-1) last weekend. MSU's two losses came at the hands of perennial power BYU and two-time Horizon League champion Wright State.

Up Next

Friday, Oct. 1 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 6 p.m. CDT

University of Michigan Athletics

Michigan to Travel to No. 9 Minnesota, Host Maize Out vs. Michigan State

Players Mentioned

Jacque Boney

Hannah Grant

Scottee Johnson

Paige Jones

Jess Mruzik

May Pertofsky

Jess Robinson

Related Videos