Michigan to Face Navy in NCAA First Round

THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 30 -- vs. Navy - NCAA First Round (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 4 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, Dec. 1 -- NCAA Second Round (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 7 p.m.

• Complete Notes (PDF) | NCAA Bracket
• Rosen Report

• Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (22-9) received an at-large berth in the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship and will face Navy in the first round Friday (Nov. 30) at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The match will start at 4 p.m. on the campus of No. 12-seeded Pittsburgh.

Michigan Earns 18th NCAA Tournament Berth

The Wolverines will make their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years (18th overall). The NCAA berth is Michigan's 17th under head coach Mark Rosen. Through 17 previous postseason appearances, the Wolverines have posted a 21-17 overall record in NCAA matches.

The Big Ten and the Postseason

Seven Big Ten volleyball teams were selected to the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Tournament and five of the top eight seeds are Big Ten programs, including No. 2 seed Minnesota, No. 3 seed Illinois, No. 6 seed Wisconsin, No. 7 seed Nebraska and No. 8 seed Penn State. Unseeded Michigan and Purdue round out the group. The seven bids mark the 26th consecutive season that at least six Big Ten volleyball teams have been selected for the tournament.

Michigan Finishes 7th in Big Ten Conference

The Wolverines finished their Big Ten Conference schedule on a three-match win streak to post an 11-9 record and seventh-place finish in conference play. Following a perfect 11-0 run through non-conference play to kick off the season, all of Michigan's losses on the season came during Big Ten action. Michigan has posted an 11-9 Big Ten record in each of the last three seasons.

Skjodt, Lerg, and Jones Earn All-Big Ten Honors

Senior Carly Skjodt was selected to the 2018 All-Big Ten Conference first team, while senior Jenna Lerg received an All-Big Ten second team selection and freshman Paige Jones was named to the All-Freshman Team, it was announced by the Big Ten Conference office on Wednesday (Nov. 28). Senior Maddy Abbott also earned postseason accolades as Michigan's Sportsmanship Award winner.

Trio of Wolverines Clinch Final B1G Weekly Honors

After guiding Michigan to a 2-0 week with wins over Northwestern (Nov. 21) and Michigan State (Nov. 24) to wrap up the regular season, three Wolverines earned Big Ten Conference player of the week recognitions. Skjodt captured her third honor of the season as she was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, and junior setter MacKenzi Welsh was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week for the third time this year. Jones also earned her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. » Full Release

Scouting the Competition

Navy Mids
All-time series against: First meeting
Navy (23-8) won the Patriot League Conference Tournament with a 3-2 victory over regular-season co-champion American University after entering the tournament with a share of the Patriot League regular-season title thanks to a 13-3 conference record. Led by All-Patriot League honorees Patricia Mattingly (Setter of the Year), Maddi Sgattoni (first team) and Katie Patrick (second team), Navy led the Patriot League in opponent hitting percentage (.162) and ranked second in digs (15.96 per set) and service aces (1.50 per set). The Mids are on a five-match win streak.

Iona Gaels
All-time series against: 0-0
Earning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference automatic bid with its second league title, Iona College will face off against No. 12-seeded Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship. The automatic bid marks Iona's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2004. The Gaels finished conference play with a 16-2 record in the MAAC (19-7 overall) to clinch its first regular-season conference title before defeating Fairfield (Nov. 16) and Canisius (Nov. 17) to capture the MAAC Tournament title. Led by MAAC Major Award Winners Claire Archibald (Player of the Year), Emma Rose (Setter of the Year), and head coach Patric Santiago (Coach of the Year), Iona will enter the postseason with a 20-7 overall record.

Pittsburgh Panthers
All-time series against: Michigan leads, 5-3
No. 12-seeded Pittsburgh is set to host the NCAA first and second rounds this weekend for the first time in program history after posting a 29-1 record through the regular season. The Panthers clinched their second-straight ACC title -- and first outright -- with a 17-1 record through conference play. Pitt's lone loss on the season came at Duke (Oct. 28) and snapped a 23-match win streak. The Panthers are led by ACC Coach of the Year Dan Fisher, along with first team All-ACC selections Layne Van Buskirk, Nika Markovic, Kayla Lund, and Stephanie Williams. Michigan and Pitt last met in 2016, with the Panthers taking home a 3-2 victory on their home court inside Fitzgerald Field House.

U-M Captures 20th Win in Victory at MSU

With a 3-1 victory at Michigan State on Nov. 17, the Wolverines have now reached the 20-win mark 13 times during the Rosen era, including each of the last four seasons.

Michigan and the AVCA Coaches Poll

The Wolverines remained at No. 18 in the AVCA Top-25 rankings this week with 518 points. Michigan began the year as the second team outside of the top-25 preseason poll with 153 votes, but has been ranked in every poll since a 2-0 showing at the War Eagle Invitational to kick off the season.

U-M Ranked 20th in Latest RPI

Despite a 2-0 week with wins over Northwestern (Nov. 21) and Michigan State (Nov. 24) to wrap the regular season, Michigan dropped two spots to No. 20 in the latest RPI ranking, which was released by the NCAA on Monday (Nov. 26). The NCAA announced the first edition of the RPI on Oct. 1, with the Wolverines coming in at No. 11.