Michigan
Iowa
Wolverines to Travel West to Face Off against Iowa, No. 2 Nebraska
10/23/2024 11:48:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) will travel west to play two games this weekend. The Wolverines will open the weekend against Iowa (9-11, 3-5 Big Ten) on Friday (Oct. 25) at 6 p.m. CT before facing off against No. 2 Nebraska (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday (Oct. 26). Both matches will stream live on Big Ten Plus.
Notes
• Michigan is currently receiving votes in the AVCA coaches' poll with a 15-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference. Last weekend, the Wolverines swept Washington in three sets, winning the first set 27-25, which featured 15 ties. U-M used a 6-0 run to win the second set 25-23, then took the lead halfway through the third set to win 25-20. On Sunday, Michigan won the first set against Wisconsin before the Badgers took the next three to win the match.
• With 301 kills this season, Allison Jacobs leads Michigan and ranks third in the conference. In addition to her kills, Jacobs has tallied 153 digs, 33 blocks, and five aces. She has also been a strong passer, with just 17 reception errors on 470 total attempts for a team-best .964 reception percentage (among players with at least five receptions). Jacobs has recorded double-digit kills in 17 straight matches and 18 of 19 games this season. Last weekend, she registered 29 kills and 30.5 points.
• In her second season, Morgan Burke is averaging 10.18 assists per set, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 41st nationally. Burke has 743 assists this season, placing her second in the conference behind Taylor Anderson of Purdue and 26th in the NCAA. In addition to her assists, Burke has 21 aces and 183 digs, both second on the team. She has tallied 30 or more assists in 15 of 19 matches, 40 or more in nine matches, and 50 or more in four matches. After 78 assists last weekend, Burke is now tied with Autumn Collins for 14th in program history with 1,231 career assists.
• With 49 aces in 65 sets, Valentina Vaulet is one of the top servers in the country. Vaulet is averaging 0.75 aces per set, ranking second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. Her 49 aces are second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. Along with her aces, Vaulet has 195 kills, averaging 3.00 kills per set. She plays all six rotations and has tallied 141 digs, 36 blocks, and 16 assists, all new season highs, surpassing her totals from her freshman year.
• Senior libero Maddi Cuchran has excelled in the backcourt this season, leading U-M with 293 digs and averaging 4.01 digs per set, nearly double her average from last season. Cuchran has also recorded 84 assists this season, after tallying just 36 in her first three seasons. She ranks third in the Big Ten in both digs per set and total digs. After playing just nine sets in her first two seasons, Cuchran appeared in 100 sets last season and has started every match as libero this year, playing all 73 sets.
• After a streaky season, senior Jacque Boney had a strong weekend with 18 kills and six blocks in two matches. She has 135 kills this season, hitting .284, and has tallied 61 total blocks (seven solo, 54 assists). Boney has 169 points this season and 907 in her career. With her most recent kill, she reached 700 career kills and now has 355 career blocks, ranking 74th among active players.
• Junior Serena Nyambio leads the team with a .407 hitting percentage and 0.99 blocks per set. She ranks fourth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage and is one of only five players in the conference hitting over .400. Nationally, she is one of 25 players hitting above .400. Nyambio has 145 kills this season with just 25 errors on 295 attacks and has posted 12 solo blocks and 57 block assists. She has reached double-digit kills four times this season and has never committed more than four errors in a match. Nyambio has gone errorless five times and committed just one error in each of the last four matches.
• Freshman Ella Demetrician has made an impact, registering 124 kills and 107 digs. She has reached double-digit kills in four matches this season, including the most recent game against Wisconsin. Demetrician has also added 10 assists and 15 blocks. She has started the last five matches after not starting in three earlier Big Ten games.
• Iowa is 9-11 on the season and 3-5 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes won their first two conference matches against Rutgers and Maryland before dropping matches to Washington and Nebraska. Last weekend, Iowa lost to Northwestern and Oregon, both in four sets. Michigan is 49-28 all-time against Iowa and has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including a three-set sweep at home last season.
• No. 2 Nebraska enters the weekend at 18-1 and 8-0 in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers' only loss was to SMU, and they have lost just three sets in conference play. Nebraska leads the all-time series against Michigan 21-3, winning last year's matchup in three sets. Against teams ranked second nationally, Michigan trails 12-1, with the most recent match being a three-set loss to Nebraska. The Wolverines' only win came against Stanford in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
