Michigan
Purdue
Michigan to Wrap Regular Season at Purdue, Indiana
11/21/2017 4:55:00 PM | Volleyball
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This Week:
Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- at No. 16 Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 7 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats
Friday, Nov. 24 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 6 p.m.
Live Stats
• Complete Notes (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hot off back-to-back wins over top-25 opponents, the University of Michigan volleyball team (19-11, 9-9 B1G) will wrap up the regular season slate this week with matches at No. 16-ranked Purdue and Indiana. The Wolverines will first head to West Lafayette, Indiana, on Wednesday (Nov. 22) to face off against Purdue at 7 p.m. before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana, on Friday (Nov. 24) to battle Indiana in the regular-season finale at 6 p.m. Wednesday's match will be streamed live on BTN+ (subscription required).
Skjodt Named Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week
Just one day after being named the Big Ten Conference player of the week, junior outside hitter Carly Skjodt was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the week, the organization announced Tuesday (Nov. 21). The Carmel, Indiana, native led Michigan to back-to-back victories over top-25 opponents last week, including a sweep of No. 8-ranked Michigan State (Nov. 15) and a 3-1 victory over No. 15-ranked Purdue (Nov. 18). Skjodt led the Wolverines with 17 kills at a .351 attack average and added 12 digs for a double-double against Michigan State. She then led Michigan with 16 kills and 16 digs against Purdue for her second straight double-double and the Wolverines' first win over the Boilermakers since 2010. Skjodt is the second player in Michigan history to earn the national award, joining Juliana Paz (Nov. 24, 2009). [Release]
Michigan and the AVCA Poll
The Wolverines were recognized in the AVCA Poll this week for the first time since Week 10. With 52 votes, Michigan is the second team out of the top 25. The Wolverines began the season ranked 16th in the preseason poll and appeared in the poll for the first seven editions before receiving votes in the next three editions before dropping out in Week 11. Michigan finished the 2016 campaign ranked No. 12 and captured multiple victories over ranked opponents, including home wins over Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Oregon.
The Big Ten and the AVCA Poll
The Big Ten Conference has eight teams represented in the AVCA Poll this week, with six earning top-25 rankings. Penn State (1), Nebraska (5), Minnesota (8) and Michigan State (10) all sit inside the top 10, while Wisconsin (11) and Purdue (16) round out the group. Michigan and Illinois are also receiving votes.
Michigan on the Road
Despite three neutral-site victories in the non-conference portion of the season, the Wolverines have picked up just three road victories with their only Big Ten road wins coming at Rutgers and Ohio State. Michigan's first road win came at Loyola Marymount in the first non-conference tournament of the season. Besides a loss to Iowa (Oct. 4), all of the Wolverines' road losses have come to teams recognized in the AVCA poll at the time.
Michigan under Coach Rosen
The 2017 volleyball campaign marks the program's 45th season and 19th under head coach Mark Rosen. In his time with the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 382-243 record and has guided Michigan to 15 of its 16 NCAA postseason appearances. Rosen is the winningest coach in program history.
Michigan Ranked 30th in Latest RPI
The Wolverines are ranked 30th in the latest RPI (released Nov. 20). The Big Ten Conference makes up five of the spots in the top 20, and 11 of the top 50 teams. Penn State leads the Big Ten with a 27-1 record and a No. 4 ranking. The first RPI of the season was released on Oct. 2, and Michigan was ranked 27th in that edition.
Scouting the Opposition
No. 16 Purdue (21-8, 11-7 B1G)
2016 Finish: NCAA Second Round
With an 11-7 record in conference play, Purdue will enter the week in fifth place in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers were on a four-match win streak after defeating Rutgers last week (Nov. 15) in straight sets, but a 3-1 loss to Michigan on Saturday (Nov. 18) snapped the streak. To date, Purdue's .308 team-attack average ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation, while the Boilermakers rank fourth in the conference in assists (13.30/set) and third in kills (14.31/set). Junior outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson leads the offense with a .341 hitting percentage, while senior outside hitter Danielle Cuttino's 4.02 kills per set ranked second in the Big Ten.
Indiana (12-18, 1-17)
2016 Finish: 17-16, 6-14 Big Ten
The Hoosiers will enter the week with a 1-17 conference record, sitting at 13th place in the Big Ten. Indiana has not won a match since a five-set victory over Rutgers (Oct. 20), which puts them on a nine-game losing streak including six losses against teams ranked in the top-25. Despite a tough schedule, sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beerman leads the Hoosiers with 3.11 kills per set, and recently recorded her 500th career kill in a loss to Penn State (Nov. 15). As a team, Indiana ranks seventh in the Big Ten Conference in service aces (1.31/set), and ranks 12th with a .224 hitting percentage.
All-Time History
Record vs. Purdue: U-M trails, 26-49
Though Purdue owns the all-time series with a 49-26 record over Michigan since the first meeting in 1976, the Wolverines took the most recent meeting with a 3-1 victory over the Boilermakers last Saturday (Nov. 18). Prior to that victory, Michigan had not defeated Purdue since 2010, when the Maize and Blue executed the season sweep of the Boilermakers in a 3-1 victory behind 21 kills from All-American Alex Hunt. Saturday's win featured 16 kills and 16 digs from Skjodt, who was recently named the Big Ten Player of the Week and the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week.
Record vs. Indiana: U-M leads 39-37-1
Michigan has a slight edge in the all-time series over Indiana, which began when the teams first met in 1976. Though Friday's meeting will be the first of the season for the two squads, Michigan defeated Indiana in the most recent meeting -- a three-set sweep in Ann Arbor last year. Middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright led all players with 12 kills in the win. Despite leading the all-time series, the Maize and Blue has not defeated Indiana at the Hoosiers' home court since 2013.
