Michigan to Hit the Road for No. 6 Purdue and Michigan State

» The Wolverines square off with No. 6 Purdue on Friday night (Nov. 19) on Big Ten Network.
» U-M also looks to retain the Michigan Pride Trophy against Michigan State on Sunday (Nov. 21).
» Michigan has won seven straight over rival Michigan State.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 19 -- at #6 Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), 7 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Nov. 21 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 1 p.m.
TV: B1G+ | Live Stats | Live Video

• Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Rosen Report

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (15-10, 8-8 Big Ten) hits the road for the final regular-season weekend away from Ann Arbor, taking on No. 6-ranked Purdue on Friday (Nov. 19) at 7 p.m. in Halloway Gymnasium before returning to the Mitten State to square off with rival Michigan State on Sunday (Nov. 21) at 1 p.m. at Jenison Field House.

Friday night will see the Wolverines and Boilermakers play on Big Ten Network, while Sunday's match against the Spartans will be streamed on B1G+.

Wolverine Bites

• The Wolverines remain at .500 in Big Ten play after yet another 1-1 weekend against Penn State and Rutgers. Michigan looks to buck that trend this weekend and pick up its first win in West Lafayette since a 3-1 victory (25-23, 22-25, 30-28, 25-20) in the 2017 campaign.

• The Maize and Blue holds the upper hand in the battle for the Michigan Pride Trophy after topping MSU 3-1 earlier this season. Michigan has retained the Trophy outright in each of the last four seasons.

• Michigan had an outstanding offensive night against Rutgers on Saturday (Nov. 13), hitting .667 and .632 in the first two sets against the Scarlet Knights.

• Helping make the offense click was sophomore DS Brooke Humphrey. The Lafayette, Ind., native had a career-high four aces and made 24 total serves in the match. Humphrey also had a career-best six digs.

• Sophomore Jess Mruzik has an active streak of 13 consecutive matches with double-digit kills and has reached at least 10 in 17 of the last 18 matches. The Livonia, Mich., native ranks ninth in the Big Ten in kills per set (3.54).

• Four Wolverines registered double-digit digs in Michigan's four-set loss to Penn State Friday (Nov. 12), marking the first time since Nov. 6, 2019, against Michigan State that U-M accomplished the feat. Redshirt Junior Hannah Grant led the way with 19 for the match and sophomore Scottee Johnson added 13, while senior Paige Jones and sophomore Jess Mruzik each tallied 12. Jones was also part of the last quartet to reach double-digit digs in the same match.

• One of the biggest improvements for the Wolverines this fall continues to come in their blocking. After being out-blocked an average of 3.12 to 1.46 per set this spring, Michigan has flipped the script and is out-blocking opponents 2.33 to 1.84. The addition of Jacque Boney (1.10 blocks per set) has helped, but U-M has seen career-high blocks per set numbers from senior Paige Jones (0.42 per set), juniors May Pertofsky (0.95 per set) and Jess Robinson (1.00 per set), and sophomore Jess Mruzik (0.46 per set).

• Junior May Pertofsky continues to be the class of the Big Ten when it comes to performance at the service line, leading the nation's best conference with 0.50 aces per set.

• Several other Wolverines are ranked in the Big Ten's top 10 in statistical categories, as senior Paige Jones sits seventh in kills per set (3.59) and sophomore Scottee Johnson ranks ninth in assists per set (9.67), while fellow sophomore Jess Mruzik and redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant each rank 10th in their respective categories. Mruzik averages 3.54 kills and 4.08 points per set redshirt Grant puts up 4.17 digs per set.

• Michigan ranks in the top half of the Big Ten in multiple team categories as well, sitting in second in service aces (1.60), third in opponent blocks (1.84), fourth in hitting percentage (.255) and opponent kills (12.06), and seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.197), kills (13.11) and opponent digs (14.61).

• The Big Ten Conference has eight programs represented in the top 35 of the NCAA RPI. Wisconsin (fifth) leads all teams, followed by Purdue (eighth), Ohio State (ninth), Nebraska (13th), Minnesota (16th), Penn State (23rd), Illinois (30th), and Michigan (35th).

Opponent Preview

Purdue
Michigan trails 51-27 in the all-time series against Purdue

Michigan and Purdue square off for the first time in the 2021 campaign after playing one another twice this spring. The Boilermakers took both matches in four sets in Ann Arbor during the spring campaign, with the two sides continuing their recent history of tight matches. Each of the last four meetings has at least one set go extra points, with the second meeting of 2019 being a five-set thriller that Purdue came out on top in the final set by a score of 20-18.

The Boilermakers are a veteran bunch, led by fifth-year Caitlyn Newton. The Terre Haute, Ind., native leads the team with 3.90 kills and 4.5 points per set on the season. Senior Grace Cleveland adds another fantastic option on the pin with her 3.16 kills and 3.93 points per set marks. Redshirt senior Hayley Bush is sixth in the Big Ten with 10.26 assists per set, while fifth year libero Jena Otec ranks fifth in the league in digs per set with her 4.48 mark.

Purdue is coming off a highlight weekend, taking down both No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 8 Minnesota on the road. As a result, the Boilermakers have jumped to No. 6 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll. They have seven wins over Top 25 opponents on the season and swept the series with the Badgers with their win last weekend.

Michigan State
Michigan trails 53-48 in teh all-time series with Michigan State

The Wolverines look to add to their longest win streak in program history over their in-state rival, having won each of the last seven matches against MSU. The Spartans hold the all-time edge in the series 53-48 and holds the longest win streak in the series history having won nine consecutive meetings from Sept. 30, 1978 to Nov. 13, 1980. Michigan's current seven-match winning streak began with a 3-0 sweep at home Nov. 17, 2018, and most recently saw U-M win 3-1 in Crisler Center earlier this season.

Sophomore Sarah Franklin leads the Spartans with 3.93 kills per set while hitting at a .224 attack average. The Lake Worth, Fla., native's kills per set mark is good for third in the Big Ten on the season. Senior Rebecka Poljan is having a great offensive season, currently fifth in the B1G with a .377 attack percentage, while middle blocker Naya Gros is also fifth in the conference with an average of 1.77 blocks per set.

Michigan State has split its last four matches, sweeping Rutgers at home before falling to Penn State in Jenison Field House in four sets. The Spartans are 11th in the Big Ten standings with matches against Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern remaining on their schedule.

Up Next

Wednesday, Nov. 24 -- vs. Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 26 -- vs. Northwestern (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.