Michigan
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Western Michigan
Wolverines to Host Western Michigan in Home Opener
8/27/2023 12:48:00 PM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (1-1) opens its home schedule at Crisler Center against Western Michigan (2-0) on Tuesday (Aug. 29) at 6 p.m. after splitting its opening weekend at the Boston College Invitational. Tuesday's match will be streamed live on B1G+, and admission is free for all fans.
Notes
• U-M split its first two games of the season at the Boston College Invitational falling to host Boston College in three sets to open the season on Friday (Aug. 25). On Saturday (Aug. 26), Michigan swept Sacred Heart for its first victory of 2023 and the first of head coach Erin Virtue's career.
• Jacque Boney led the Michigan offense with 20 kills, 13 of which came against Sacred Heart. Boney is hitting .633 on the season and has added one ace and five blocks so far. Her 13 kills on Saturday came one shy of tying her career high set against Rutgers last season.
• Over the weekend, Scottee Johnson tallied 58 assists, her most in a two-game span since the 2021 season. She is averaging 9.67 assists per set and has added two kills and a block assist so far. Johnson is just eight assists away from 2,000 in her career and becoming the ninth player in program history to reach the milestone.
• Freshman Lydia Johnson started the second match of the weekend for her first appearance as a Wolverine. She tallied seven kills on 17 total attacks and hit .235 over the match. Johnson also added seven service aces, including four in a row. Also a help on the defensive side, she had five block assists in the game. In just one match, Johnson is third on the team with 16.5 in points, trailing only Boney (24.5) and fellow freshman Valentina Vaulet (17.5).
• Vaulet started both matches over the weekend, the only newcomer to do so. Over the two matches, Vaulet averaged 2.67 kills per set for 16 total -- trailing only Boney (3.33). Prior to coming to Michigan, Vaulet played on the Argentinean U-18 and U-21 national teams and earned a silver medal at the U-21 Pan American Games.
• Joining Lydia Johnson and Vaulet, Carly Greskovics, Morgan Burke, Saj McBurrows and Amalia Simmons all made their debuts for the Wolverines. Greskovics tallied her first career dig and Burke added her first two assists in the match against Sacred Heart. McBurrows played in both matches and had four kills over three sets. Simmons started the first match and had four kills in the match for the first of her career after redshirting last season.
• Libero Hannah Grant had 19 digs in the opening weekend which was tied with Kendall Murray for the most on the team. In her career, Grant now sits in ninth all-time with 1,167 digs and is 119 digs away from tying Kerry Hance for eighth place all-time.
• Erin Virtue earned her first career win against Sacred Heart to even her career record at 1-1. Virtue served as an assistant coach at Michigan from 2011-15 and coached at Northwestern and the U.S. National Team before rejoining the Wolverines. On Tuesday (Aug. 29), she will coach her first home match against Western Michigan.
• The Wolverines are 10-18 all-time and 5-9 at home against the Broncos. Most recently, Michigan defeated the Broncos in straight sets (25-14, 25-17, 26-24) on Sept. 11, 2015. This will be the first time the Wolverines are playing the Broncos at Crisler Center.
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