Michigan to Host No. 19 Penn State, No. 10 Purdue in Two-Match Weekend

Promotions

Oct. 31
• Volloween -- Costumes, candy and killer serves. Fans are encouraged to dress up for a chance to win prizes.

Nov. 2
• Football Ticket Redemption -- Present your ticket from the Michigan vs. Purdue (11/1) football game to receive free admission. (while inventory lasts)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) will play host to a pair of Big Ten foes at home this weekend. First, the Wolverines take on No. 19 Penn State (13-7, 7-3 Big Ten) on Friday (Oct. 31) at 6:30 p.m. inside Crisler Center, then will battle No. 10 Purdue (17-3, 8-2 Big Ten) on Sunday (Nov. 2) at 2 p.m. inside Cliff Keen Arena. Friday's match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, and Sunday's matchup will be streamed live on B1G+.

Notes

• The Wolverines swept their road weekend with wins over Ohio State and Illinois. Against the Buckeyes, Michigan hit a season-high .471 and held Ohio State to a .067 hitting percentage. At Illinois, Michigan hit .309 and had 13 blocks in the sweep over then second-place Illinois.

• The Wolverines' last home match saw a program-record crowd of 12,707 against Nebraska in a sold-out Crisler Center and the largest crowd for volleyball in the state of Michigan. The previous attendance record for Michigan was 8,137.

• Michigan ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in three categories. The Wolverines rank fourth in kills per set (13.79) and fifth in assists per set (12.62) and hitting percentage (0.280). U-M's hitting percentage is 16th nationally and its kill-per-set mark is 26th nationally.

• Jenna Hanes has totaled 31 kills and no errors on 52 swings over the team's last five matches. The sophomore has added 20 blocks over that stretch with a career-high seven in the most recent contest against Illinois. This season, Hanes is hitting .452 to lead the conference among players with 100 kills or more but is not qualified for the NCAA leaderboard.

• Serena Nyambio ranks second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally in hitting percentage at .409. She also ranks fourth in blocks per set, averaging 1.29 with 11 solo blocks and 83 block assists. The senior set a career high with 17 kills against Iowa with just one error on 33 swings. She followed it up with a kill-block double-double at Northwestern, the first in program history since 2015. Nyambio has five kills or more in 16 matches this season.

• Junior setter Morgan Burke has led U-M in assists in 64 of the last 65 matches. Her role changed this year as U-M moved to a 6-2, but she still has contributed with a team-leading 522 assists -- more than three times the next closest Wolverine. She has 18 aces as well this season and is second on the team in digs with 160.

• Allison Jacobs is one of only four players in the conference averaging more than four kills per set (4.06). She has a team-leading 292 kills on 768 swings with double-digit kills in 16 of the 21 matches this season and five or more in all but one. She tallied a career-high five blocks at Illinois. The graduate student has started every match this season and played in all but one set.

• Having played in the last 209 sets, Maddi Cuchran has been a consistent presence in the backcourt and has served as the team's libero since the start of the 2024 season. The graduate student leads Michigan in digs with 245 and is averaging 3.36 digs per set. Cuchran is second on the team among players with at least 100 receptions in reception percentage at 0.953. She has added 16 aces this year.

• Penn State is ranked 19th, coming into the weekend with a 13-7 record and a 7-3 conference record. The Nittany Lions are the reigning NCAA national champions and are 6-1 in their last seven games. All-time, Michigan is 6-57 against Penn State, with the last win coming in 2022 in Rec Hall.

• Purdue enters the weekend as the 10th-ranked team in the country with a 17-3 record and an 8-2 conference record. The Boilermakers' losses came at the hands of Georgia Tech, Illinois and Nebraska but they have won four straight and seven of their last eight. All-time, Michigan is 27-57 against Purdue, with Michigan's last win coming in 2018.