Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines Open Conference Play Hosting Michigan State and Rutgers
9/25/2024 2:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Promotions
vs. Michigan State
• Maize Out! - Wear Maize and Support your Michigan Volleyball Wolverines
• Maize Rally Towel Giveaway - The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Maize Rally Towel
• Football Ticket Redemption - Present your ticket from the Michigan vs. Minnesota Football game to receive free admission *while ticket inventory lasts*
vs. Rutgers
• Football Ticket Redemption - Present your ticket from the Michigan vs. Minnesota Football game to receive free admission *while ticket inventory lasts*
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (10-1) opens Big Ten Conference play at home, hosting Michigan State and Rutgers. The Wolverines start with Michigan State on Friday (Sept. 27) at Crisler Center at 7 p.m. and then Rutgers on Sunday (Sept. 29) at Cliff Keen Arena at 5 p.m. The MSU match will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, while the Rutgers match will be live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• The Wolverines started the season on a nine-game winning streak before falling to North Carolina in a tight five-set match, but rebounded with a sweep over Duke. Against the Tar Heels, Michigan took the first and fourth sets but fell in the second, third, and fifth sets. Valentina Vaulet tallied a career-high 22 kills in the match. Four players tallied double-digit digs in the three-set win against Duke, which included a 25-10 set win.
• Through 11 non-conference matches, Allison Jacobs has racked up 163 kills to lead the team and is fourth in the conference. She is averaging 3.98 kills per set, which ranks seventh in the conference. Jacobs has a nine-game double-digit kill streak and has already set a new season high in kills and assists. She is third on the team in digs with 92 and has been served to 260 times with just nine errors.
• After missing two matches, Vaulet returned to the court in the ACC/B1G Challenge and tallied a team-leading 33 kills across two games and four aces, with a career high of 22 kills in the match against UNC. She has 26 aces on the season, which ranks third in the conference and eighth in the nation. She is averaging 0.79 aces per set (26 aces in 33 sets), which ranks first in the conference and second in the nation, trailing only Emma Werkmeister of UConn, who is at 0.79 aces per set (34 aces in 43 sets).
• Twice this season, Serena Nyambio has tied her career high with seven blocks, including over the weekend against North Carolina, with two solo blocks and five block assists. Nyambio has reached 90 kills on the season, already surpassing her freshman year campaign, and has a team-leading 43 blocks (10 solo blocks, 33 block assists). She is also leading the team in attack percentage with .425 and has gone errorless four times this season.
• Starting every set as the team's only libero, Maddi Cuchran has been a strong presence in the backcourt this season. She has 166 digs, 51 assists, and 7 aces. Last season, she had 35 assists and has already passed last year's total in less than half the sets. She is 48 digs away from passing her season-high set last year. Cuchran is averaging 4.05 digs per set, ranking third in the conference.
• So far this season, Morgan Burke has tallied 407 assists and 35.5 points as the team's starting setter. She is averaging 9.93 assists per set, which is ninth in the Big Ten but 52nd in the nation. In just half the matches compared to last season, Burke is close to or has passed every major category. She has already set new career highs in kills with 16 and points with 35.5. She has tied her season total from last year in aces with 13 and block assists with 13, and is closing in on assists, having had 488 last season.
• Freshman Ella Demetrician has played in every match this season except the first and has totaled 73 kills, 52 digs, and 10 block assists. She had a strong StarkVegas Classic, tallying 32 kills across two matches with just eight errors. Over the past weekend, mostly playing in the backcourt, Demetrician tallied seven kills, seven digs, and a block.
• Head Coach Erin Virtue has utilized two serving subs this season: Mira Chopra and Trixie McMillin. Chopra has tallied seven aces this season, including five over the weekend. She has added one assist and 10 digs. McMillin has appeared in 34 sets and has totaled 33 digs, eight aces, and five assists, also seeing some action in the back row.
• With a strong 10-1 record, the Wolverines are tied for 11th in the nation with a .909 winning percentage. U-M is top five in the Big Ten Conference in 10 categories, including second in team assists (536) and team kills (576).
• Michigan State is currently 7-4, splitting last weekend's matches against Duke and North Carolina. The Spartans took down the Blue Devils in five but lost to the Tar Heels in four. All-time, Michigan trails in the series 51-55 and has lost the last two match-ups, both last year, after winning the previous ten.
• Rutgers sits at 5-6 on the season and split last weekend, falling in three sets to Old Dominion but sweeping Maryland Eastern Shore. In program history, Michigan is 12-0 against the Scarlet Knights, dropping only three sets across 12 matches.
