Michigan
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Mississippi State
U-M Set for First Road Trip of Season in StarkVegas Classic
9/5/2024 7:58:00 AM | Volleyball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (4-0) will head on the road for the first time in the 2024 season with the Mississippi State StarkVegas Classic, a two-match weekend that will see the Wolverines face off against Mississippi State (1-1) on Friday (Sept. 6) at 6 p.m. CDT and Notre Dame (2-0) on Saturday (Sept. 7) at 6 p.m. CDT. The match against Mississippi State will be streamed live on SEC+.
Notes
• The Wolverines opened the season 4-0 with three wins in the Michigan Nike Classic last weekend and then a midweek win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday (Sept. 4). In the Michigan Nike Classic, the Wolverines reverse swept Delaware on Friday (Aug. 30) and beat Kent State in three and four sets in a doubleheader on Sunday (Sept. 1). U-M swept EMU, outscoring the Eagles 55-35 and hitting .384 to improve to 4-0.
• After 12 aces over the weekend, Valentina Vaulet added three against Eastern Michigan to improve to 15 on the season. Entering the contest against the Eagles, Vaulet led the Big Ten and was third in the nation in total aces. She had 36 aces last season and averaged 0.39 per set; this season, she is averaging one ace per set. In addition to the aces, Vaulet has added 36 kills and 35 digs, including a career-high 15 digs against Kent State.
• Allison Jacobs set a career high in kills against Kent State with 19 and followed it up with another strong performance, tallying 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage against Eastern Michigan. Jacobs leads U-M with 51 kills and is just 10 away from setting a new season high for her time at Michigan. She alo has added 42 digs and is just one of 35 players to be ranked nationally in kills and digs.
• With a .750 attack percentage, Jacque Boney found her offense after 23 kills in the first three matches. She tallied nine kills with no errors against EMU while adding two block assists. She is fourth on the team with 32 kills and second with 11 blocks. Â
• Serena Nyambio is second on the team in kills this season with 37. After setting a career high with 17 against the Golden Flashes, she added five against EMU and is averaging 2.47 kills per set with just eight errors this season. She leads Michigan in blocks with 12, including two solo blocks.
• After taking over the setting job towards the end of last season, Morgan Burke has totaled 148 assists through four matches this season. She is averaging 9.87 assists, up from 7.51 in 2023. She also has added eight kills and seven aces, totaling 19 points for a 1.27 points per set.
• Drawing her first start against EMU, Ella Demetrician tallied seven kills in each of the three matches she appeared in. In her most recent match, she hit .462 -- a career high -- and added five digs. Demetrician has also added two block assists and two aces.
• Along with Demetrician, four other U-M freshmen have made their collegiate debuts. Trixie McMillin has played in 11 sets so far, including the last 10. She has nine career digs with four aces. Camille Edwards and Ellie White have replaced Burke as the setter for a rotation with Edwards totaling 11 and White adding two. Against Eastern Michigan, Jenna Hanes debuted with one kill on three attacks and one dig.  Â
• Mississippi State is 1-1 on the season with a win against UAB and a five-set loss to Samford to open the season. U-M has faced the Bulldogs once in program history, with Michigan winning the contest in four sets at home in September 2022. In the match, Boney tallied nine kills and added nine total blocks.Â
• Notre Dame is 2-0 this season with a neutral-site win against Villanova and a four-set road victory against Santa Clara. All-time, Michigan trails 9-8 in the all-time series with the Fighting Irish. The two teams last faced off in 2019, doing so twice that year with both schools winning home contests.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
