Wolverines to Host No. 9 Buckeyes for Blue Out, Hawkeyes for Halloween at Keen

» Michigan will host No. 9 Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 29) at 7 p.m. inside Crisler Center and will take on Iowa on Saturday (Oct. 30) at 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena.
» Friday's match against the Buckeyes will be a Blue Out, with fans being encouraged to wear blue to support the Wolverines. It also is the last match at Crisler this season.
» Saturday's match against the Hawkeyes is the annual Halloween at Keen match.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 29 -- vs. #9 Ohio State (Crisler Center), 7 p.m. - Blue Out
TV: B1G+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, Oct. 30 -- vs. Iowa (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
TV: B1G+ | Live Stats | Live Video

PROMOTIONS
• Oct. 29: Blue Out, Blue Pom Pom Giveaway (first 1,000 fans), Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day, Postgame Autographs
• Oct. 30: Halloween at Keen
• Full Promotions Schedule

• Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (12-7, 5-5 Big Ten) returns home for a rivalry weekend, hosting No. 9-ranked Ohio State (16-4, 6-4 Big Ten) on Friday (Oct. 29) in Crisler Center before taking on Iowa (2-18, 0-10 Big Ten) on Saturday (Oct. 30). Both matches begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+.

Friday's match against the Buckeyes is a Blue Out game, as fans are encouraged to wear blue to support the Wolverines, and also is the final match at Crisler this season. Saturday's outing against the Hawkeyes the annual Halloween at Keen, where children can wear their costumes and Trick-or-Treat around the court following the match. » More Information

Wolverine Bites

• Friday's match against No. 9 Ohio State marks the third time this season that Michigan has hosted an AVCA top-10 team in Crisler Center. So far the Wolverines have gone 1-1, taking down No. 8 Minnesota in a five-set thriller and falling to No. 3 Wisconsin in straight sets.

• The Big Ten has seven programs represented in the top 30 of the NCAA RPI. Wisconsin (No. 3) leads all teams, followed by Ohio State (No. 8), Purdue (No. 10), Nebraska (No. 12), Minnesota (No. 18), Penn State (No. 23) and Michigan (No. 30). Illinois is ranked No. 31.

• Redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant had great numbers defensively against Indiana and Illinois, averaging five digs per set in the Wolverines' 1-1 week. Grant put up 13 digs in a sweep at IU Wednesday (Oct. 20), and came back with her fifth match with 20 digs or more on the season (22) against the Illini on Saturday (Oct. 23).

• Senior Paige Jones has upped her production over the last two weeks, finishing with double-digit kills in three of the last four matches. The New Bremen, Ohio, native has had 15 kills or more in each of those instances, averaging 4.23 kills per set and hit .250.

• Junior May Pertofsky, averaging 0.54 aces per set on the season, leads the Big Ten Conference in aces. The Los Angeles native is top of the conference in both aces per set and total aces (37) on the campaign. The opposite hitter's 18 aces in Big Ten play is more than halfway to the U-M record of 33 for aces in conference play set by Fiona Davidson in 1992.

• Several other Wolverines find themselves ranked in the Big Ten's top 10 in statistical categories, as redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant is eighth in digs per set (4.12), senior Paige Jones sits ninth in kills per set (3.53) and sophomores Scottee Johnson and Jess Mruzik are tied for ninth in assists per set (9.57) and points per set (4.05), respectively.

• Michigan ranks in the top half of the Big Ten in multiple team categories as well, sitting third in service aces (1.62), fourth in opponent kills (11.70) and opponent blocks (1.91), sixth in digs (14.75), and tied for sixth in hitting percentage (.243).

• The Wolverines ran their winning streak over Indiana to four on Wednesday (Oct. 20), defeating the Hoosiers in straight sets at Wilkinson Hall. Senior Paige Jones led the way with a personal-best performance, finishing with 15 kills on 27 attacks with no errors. Her .556 attack percentage set a new career high.

Opponent Preview

Ohio State
Michigan trails in the all-time series 55-27

The Wolverines look to reverse their fortunes against the Buckeyes after falling to Ohio State in the last three meetings. OSU comes in to the weekend having lost it last two matches, falling in four to both No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 12 Minnesota last weekend.

Sophomore Emily Londot continues to lead the Buckeyes in kills per set with a 3.64 average, but it has been the balanced efforts of junior Gabby Gonzales and sophomore Rylee Rader doing the damage lately. Gonzales has had double-digit kill efforts in each of the last five matches while Rader has led OSU in kills in two of the last three matches. Libero Kylie Murr continues her strong season with a 4.41 digs per set average, while setter Max Podraza is averaging a robust 11.88 assists per set.

Each of Ohio State's four Big Ten losses this season have come on the road, all against opponents in the AVCA Top 25 (No. 6 Purdue, No. 20 Penn State, No. 3 Wisconsin, and No. 12 Minnesota). The Buckeyes dispatched the Wolverines in straight sets when the two met on Oct. 10.

Iowa
Michigan leads the all-series 44-27

Michigan made quick work of Iowa when the two met on Oct. 2 in Iowa City, as the Wolverines swept the Hawkeyes in Carver Hawkeye Arena. U-M has dominated the series with Iowa of late, having won 14 of the last 15 matchups. Michigan has won five straight over Iowa, marking the fourth streak of five wins or more over the Hawkeyes since the series began in 1976.

Senior Courtney Buzzerio is the key to the Iowa offense, accounting for 321.5 points and 293 kills on the season. The right-side attacker has nearly 150 more kills than the next closest Hawkeye, and is second in the Big Ten in kills per set with a 4.07 mark. Sophomore setter Bailey Ortega is averaging 7.74 assists per set on the campaign.

Iowa is winless in the Big Ten and has won just three sets total in conference play. The Hawkeyes start the weekend with a match at Michigan State on Friday night (Oct. 29).

Up Next

Friday, Nov. 5 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), 1 p.m.