Michigan to Battle No. 5 Seed Texas in NCAA Round of 16

THIS WEEK (NCAA Tournament Regional)
Friday, Dec. 7 -- vs. #5 Texas (Provo, Utah), 2 p.m. MST
TV: ESPNU | Live Stats
Saturday, Dec. 8 -- NCAA Regional Final (Provo, Utah), 6 p.m. MST
TV: ESPNU

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

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team (24-9) will square off with No. 5-ranked Texas (22-4) on Friday (Dec. 7) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in Provo, Utah, on the campus of No. 4-seeded Brigham Young. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST, with the match broadcast on ESPNU.

The winner of the Michigan/Texas match will face the winner of Florida/BYU on Saturday evening (Dec. 8) at 6 p.m. MST.

Last Time Out

With the match tied at 2 and the season on the line, Michigan pulled off a gritty win over host Pittsburgh (19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 15-9) on Saturday evening (Dec. 1).

How Sweet it is

Friday's match against Texas will mark Michigan's seventh trip to the NCAA Regional in program history and first since 2016. Should the Wolverines advance, they would make their first Elite Eight appearance since 2012 (third overall).

Lerg, Skjodt and Jones Earn AVCA All-Region Honors

One week after earning All-Big Ten honors, senior libero Jenna Lerg and senior outside hitter Carly Skjodt earned selections to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-North Region team, while freshman outside hitter Paige Jones earned an honorable mention. All three Wolverines will now be considered for AVCA All-America honors, which will be announced Dec. 12.

Michigan Earns 18th NCAA Tournament Berth

The Wolverines are making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years and 18th overall. The NCAA berth is Michigan's 17th under head coach Mark Rosen. Through 18 postseason appearances, the Wolverines have posted a 23-17 record in NCAA matches.

The Big Ten and the Postseason

Seven Big Ten volleyball teams were selected to the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, with five of the top eight seeds beloning to 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 rounded out the group. The seven bids mark the 26th consecutive season that at least six Big Ten teams have been selected to the tournament. With Purdue's loss to Kentucky in the NCAA second round, six Big Ten teams remain in the hunt for the 2018 national title.

Scouting the Competition

Texas Longhorns
All-time series against: Michigan trails, 3-0
No. 5-seeded Texas hosted the NCAA first and second rounds last weekend as the Longhorns made their 34th NCAA Tournament appearance. Following sweeps of Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 29) and Texas State (Nov. 30), Texas advanced to its 31st Sweet 16 appearance, which also marks its 13th straight. With a 22-4 record on the season, the Longhorns will come into Friday's meeting on a 12-match win streak which includes their 11th Big 12 Conference title. Guided by the Big 12 Coach of the Year (Jerritt Ellliott), Player of the Year (Micaya White), and Freshman of the Year (Logan Eggleston), Texas ranks second in the nation with a .312 team hitting percentage. The Wolverines and the Longhorns have met three times in program history -- all during the postseason -- with Texas taking all three matches. The teams last met during the 2012 season, when Texas defeated Michigan in its first Final Four appearance before capturing the national title.

Florida Gators
All-time series against: Michigan trails, 4-0
Florida represents the other unseeded team remaining in the BYU quadrant of the bracket, as the Gators swept in-state rival Florida State (Nov. 29) and Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 30) to advance to their 24th Sweet 16 appearance in 29 tournament trips. The Gators ended the regular season with a 24-6 record and 15-3 SEC record to finish third in the conference. Paige Hammons, Taelor Kellum and Rachel Kramer were named to the All-SEC Team, while Thayer Hall was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team. The teams last met during the 2011 season, when Florida knocked Michigan out of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 victory in Gainesville, Florida, during a Sweet 16 matchup.

Brigham Young
All-time series against: Michigan leads, 1-0
No. 4 seed BYU hosted NCAA first and second rounds last weekend and swept Stony Brook (Nov. 30) and rival Utah (Dec. 1) to make it to their seventh straight Sweet 16 in their 31st NCAA tournament appearance. The Cougars finished the regular season with a 27-1 overall record and went undefeated at home. BYU took its fifth straight West Coast Conference title as Heather Olmstead took home WCC Coach of the Year honors. The Cougars swept the WCC awards, with Roni Jones-Perry named Player of the Year, Mary Lake named Defender of the Year, and Heather Gneiting named Freshman of the Year. Lyndie Haddock-Eppich and McKenna Miller joined the three on the All-WCC First Team. The teams have only met once, in 1999, with the Wolverines sweeping the Cougars.

Team 46

The 2018 season marks the Wolverines' 46th season of volleyball. Michigan has an all-time Division I record of 765-663-5 and has totaled 18 NCAA appearances since the program's inception in 1973, including six berths to the NCAA Sweet 16, an Elite Eight run in 2009 and a trip to the Final Four in 2012.

Michigan under Mark Rosen

The 2018 volleyball campaign marks the program's 46th season and 20th of the Rosen era. In his time leading the Maize and Blue, Rosen has compiled a 408-253 record and guided Michigan to 17 of its 18 NCAA postseason appearances. In addition to serving as the longest-tenured volleyball coach at Michigan, Rosen is the winningest coach in program history.

U-M Captures 20th Win in Victory at MSU

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