Michigan
Minnesota
U-M to Wrap Up Homestand with Gophers in Pride Day Contest
10/9/2023 1:05:00 PM | Volleyball
Promotions
• Pride Day -- The Michigan Volleyball team will be celebrating LGBTQ+ social and self-acceptance.
• Pride Day Ticket Pack -- Purchase a ticket and Michigan Pride Fanny Pack for $20! [ Learn More / Pride Day Ticket Pack ]
• Concessions Specials - Rainbow Candy
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (3-12) will wrap up its three-game homestand with Minnesota on Wednesday (Oct. 11) at 8 p.m., and the contest will air on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• Michigan currently sits at 3-12 (1-5 Big Ten) after splitting the weekend with a four-set win over Northwestern and a three-set loss to No. 2 Nebraska. The win over Northwestern was the first conference win under head coach Erin Virtue. The Maize and Blue have had a difficult schedule to begin the season ranking No. 32 in opponent cumulative win percentage at .625 and a 139-84 overall record.
• The Wolverines are averaging 3,340 fans at home matches, which is 15th nationally -- with 23,383 fans overall, which is 12th overall. This season, Michigan has set its second and third-highest attendance in program history with 7,831 fans on Saturday against Nebraska and 6,569 on Sept. 22, against Michigan State.
• In the conference, Michigan ranks in the top five in four categories -- aces per set, digs per set, team attacks per set and team service aces. The Wolverines have 98 service aces on the season for 1.85 per set. 98 total aces ranks fourth in the conference and the 1.85 per set ranks second overall and 31st nationally. U-M also ranks second in attacks per set, with 34.11 attacks per set. Michigan is fifth in Digs per set with 13.98.
• Five players in the Big Ten have had six or more service aces in a match this season with Michigan having three of them. Most recently, Valentina Vaulet had six aces in the four-set win over Northwestern. Kendall Murray leads the team in aces with 21 and had six in a five-set loss to Bowling Green. Lydia Johnson has the most for a member of the Big Ten conference with seven in a match which she accomplished in her career debut in the win over Sacred Heart.
• Kendall Murray has had a strong start to her senior year and leads the Wolverines in kills, aces and is second in digs. Murray has 138 kills so far on the season with a 2.60 average per set, good for 20th in the conference. Over the weekend, she had 18 kills and led the team in kills with 13 against the Wildcats. Murray is second on the team in digs with 127 and needs just 17 more to set a new career high. Â
• Graduate transfer Saj McBurrows had her best weekend wearing Maize and Blue with 16 kills in the two matches and four block assists against Northwestern. She has started the last three matches and played in the last eleven sets. On the season, McBurrows has 30 kills and 10 blocks in 22 sets.
• Recently, two freshmen have set themselves apart with Valentina Vaulet and Carly Greskovics. Vaulet is second on the team in kills and had 19 kills over the weekend. She also tallied six service aces in the match against Northwestern. Greskovics started her first career match against Wisconsin on October 1st and has played in the last 12 sets. She has tallied 15 digs and four assists so far this season.
• Scottee Johnson leads the team in assists and digs with 337 helpers and 131 digs so far this season. Johnson is averaging 2.52 digs per set and 7.58 assists per set. Johnson is also fourth on the team in aces with 12 aces on the season.
• Minnesota is 6-8 on the season and 2-4 in the conference. Michigan is 17-60 in the all-time series against Minnesota with the last U-M win coming in a five-set home match in 2021. Earlier this season on Sept. 29, the Gophers swept the Wolverines in Minneapolis. Vaulet let the team in kills with eight in the match. Scottee Johnson registered 12 assists and Brooke Humphrey had 13 digs, both led the team.
