Michigan Heads to Indiana for B1G Midweek Match

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Oct. 31 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 7 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (18-5, 7-5 B1G) will play its first Big Ten midweek contest on Wednesday (Oct. 31) with a match at Indiana (14-9, 5-7 B1G). First serve is set for 7 p.m. at University Gym in Bloomington, Indiana.

Big Ten Schedule

With a 7-5 record in conference action, Michigan sits tied for fourth place in the Big Ten with No. 8-ranked Nebraska. All five of Michigan's losses to date have come in Big Ten action.

U-M Ranked 13th in Latest RPI

Following losses to then-No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 3-ranked Minnesota last weekend, the Wolverines dropped two spots to No. 13 in the latest RPI ranking, which was released by the NCAA on Monday (Oct. 30). Michigan is ranked fifth-highest among Big Ten schools, behind Illinois (No. 3), Minnesota (4), Wisconsin (6), and Purdue (12). To date, seven Big Ten schools rank in the top-16. The NCAA announced the first edition of the RPI on Oct. 1, with the Wolverines coming in at No. 11.

Midweek Action

Wednesday night's match (Oct. 31) at Indiana will serve as Michigan's first midweek match in Big Ten action this season. The Wolverines played just one midweek non-conference contest earlier this year, which ended in a 3-0 victory over Valparaiso (Sept. 4). Following the Indiana meeting, the Maize and Blue will play one midweek match every week for the remainder of the regular season, facing Maryland (Nov. 7), Penn State (Nov. 14), and Northwestern (Nov. 21).

Second Half of the Big Ten Schedule

Last weekend's matches (Oct. 26-27) marked the beginning of the second half of the 2018 Big Ten Conference schedule. Michigan has now faced every Big Ten at least once, with the exception of Michigan State, and the Wolverines will begin their journey to play six conference foes for the second time this season. Wednesday's (Oct. 31) match against Indiana will mark the first time this year that the Wolverines are facing an opponent for the second time.

How Michigan Stacks Up

The Wolverines rank No. 26 in the country in kills per set (13.93) and No. 22 in assists per set (13.14). Michigan also ranks 41st in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten Conference with a .169 opponent hitting percentage.

Wolverine Stat Spotlight

Defensively, senior libero Jenna Lerg leads the Big Ten Conference and ranks 35th in the nation with 5.09 digs per set. On offense, junior setter MacKenzi Welsh ranks 30th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten with 11.00 assists per set, while senior outside hitter Carly Skjodt boasts 4.16 kills per set to rank third in the conference and 34th in the nation.

Scouting the Opposition

All-time series against: U-M leads, 41-37-1
Under first-year head coach Steve Aird, the Hoosiers enter the week with a 14-9 record overall and a 5-7 record in the Big Ten. The teams met earlier this season in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines taking the match by a 3-2 score (19-25, 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14) to earn their first five-set victory on the season. Junior middle blocker Deyshia Lofton leads the Hoosier offense and ranks 10th in the Big Ten Conference with a .346 hitting percentage.

Michigan and the AVCA Coaches Poll

Following losses to top-10 foes Wisconsin (Oct. 26) and Minnesota (Oct. 27) last weekend, the Wolverines dropped two spots in the AVCA Top-25 ranking this week to check in at No. 14 with 767 points. Michigan began the year as the second team outside of the top-25 preseason poll with 153 votes, but entered the poll at No. 23 following a 2-0 showing at the War Eagle Invitational to kick off the season. The Maize and Blue has been ranked in every poll since that time.

Maize and Blue on the Road

The Wolverines are 6-2 when playing on the road this season, with their lone road losses coming at then-No. 3 Nebraska to kick off Big Ten Conference play (Sept. 21) and at then-No. 7 Illinois (Oct. 19) in a five-set heartbreaker earlier this month.