Michigan
Sacramento State
Undefeated Wolverines Set to Host Michigan Invitational
9/10/2024 5:20:00 PM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (6-0) returns home to host the Michigan Invitational from Thursday to Sunday (Sept. 12-15). The Wolverines will open against Sacramento State (3-2) on Thursday (Sept. 12) at 7 p.m. at Crisler, then will take on Akron (1-4) on Friday (Sept. 13) at 7 p.m. and Oakland (2-4) on Sunday (Sept. 15) at Cliff Keen Arena. All three matches will be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• After a sweep of the Michigan Nike Classic, the Wolverines took down Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (Sept. 4) and defeated Mississippi State (Sept. 6) and Notre Dame (Sept. 8) at the StarkVegas Classic. U-M swept the Bulldogs and after a tough first set against the Fighting Irish took the next three sets to improve to 6-0 on the season.
• Allison Jacobs leads Michigan with 83 kills over the first six matches. She ranks fifth in the Big Ten in total kills and is eighth in kills per set at 3.77. Jacobs has 53 digs this season and has been served 148 times, the most on the team by a wide margin with a 0.973 reception percentage. In the final match of both weekends so far, Jacobs set and then matched her career high with 19 kills, passing her Michigan mark by 10 and her collegiate mark by four.
• Drawing her first start against EMU, Ella Demetrician tallied a least seven kills in each of the first three matches she appeared in. After seven kills against EMU, she found her swinging at the StarkVegas Classic tallying 32 in the two matches. She had a .357 hitting percentage against the Bulldogs and a .368 hitting percentage against the Irish leading the team both days. Her 14 kills against Mississippi State led the team for the first time in her career.
• Sophomore Valentina Vaulet has been a weapon from the service line with 19 aces (first in the conference, second nationally) and is averaging 0.86 per set (first in the Big Ten, sixth nationally). Outside of her service pressure, Vaulet has been playing right side this season and has added 57 kills, which are second on the team.
• After filling in for Hannah Grant last season, Maddi Cuchran is donning the libero jersey full-time this season. In just six matches, she has tallied 101 digs and set a new career high in the first match of the season with 24 before topping it against Notre Dame with 28. Cuchran has also added three aces this season and 24 assists.
• Sophomore Morgan Burke has tallied 221 assists, including 47 in the second match against Kent State on Sept. 1 and 46 in the season-opening match vs. Delaware. She is averaging 10.55 per set, which is seventh in the Big Ten. Last season, in 22 matches and 65 sets, Burke tallied 488 assists and 13 block assists. She now has 221 with 58 digs and eight block assists and has added seven kills and seven aces, halfway to her career highs last year.
• With an impressive .533 hitting percentage, Serena Nyambio set a new career high with 17 kills against Kent State. Her previous best was 12. She leads the team in blocks (five solo, 19 block assists). Against Notre Dame, Nyambio tied her career highs in total blocks (seven) and solo blocks (two). She leads the team and is 11th in the conference in hitting percentage (.365).
• With a .750 attack percentage, Jacque Boney found her offense after a combined 23 kills over the first three matches of the season. She tallied nine kills with no errors against EMU while adding two block assists and had nine kills and eight blocks at the StarkVegas Classic. She is fifth on the team with 41 kills and is second with 19 blocks.
• After a 3-0 opening weekend and 6-0 start, the Wolverines are one of 29 unbeaten teams and rank in the top 30 nationally in aces per set, assists per set, kills per set and team aces. U-M had one of the best serving attacks in the country last season and picked up where it left off, ranking 25th in the nation in aces per set (2.18) and 27th in total aces (48). The Wolverines rank 23rd nationally in assists per set (13.23) and 21st with 14.23 kills per set.
• Sacramento State is 3-2 on the season and swept its second weekend invitational. The Wolverines have faced the Hornets one other time in program history, a sweep in the 2000 season.
• Akron is 1-4 on the season and won its opening match against Evansville before dropping its next four. Michigan is 2-1 all-time against the Zips, with the Wolverines winning the last matchup in 2005.
• Oakland sits at 2-4 to begin the season, with wins over Hampton and Eastern Michigan. Michigan is 15-0-1 all-time against the Golden Grizzles, last playing them in 2019, a U-M sweep.
