Michigan to Head to Virginia for Two-Match Weekend Against Cavaliers

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team (6-0) heads on the road for two games against Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 12-13) at the University of Virginia Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Wolverines first face the Cavaliers on Friday (Sept. 12) at 6 p.m. before a game on Saturday (Sept. 13) at 11 a.m. Friday's contest will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

Notes

• The Wolverines are 6-0 after going 4-0 last week, including going undefeated at the Michigan Invitational. U-M swept Florida Atlantic and Marshall and beat Southern Indiana in four sets to remain perfect on the season. Michigan hit more than .300 in all four matches and is one of seven remaining teams in the Big Ten without a loss.

• U-M leads the Big Ten in kills per set and assists per set, averaging 14.95 and 13.76, respectively, ranking eighth nationally in both categories. In total assists, U-M is second in the conference with 289 and first in kills with 314. The Wolverines are also in the top five in aces per set, hitting percentage, attacks per set, total digs, total aces and total attacks.

• Allison Jacobs earned her first career Big Ten weekly award, being named the conference's co-Player of the Week on Monday (Sept. 8) after leading Michigan in kills (66). The graduate student averaged 5.08 kills per set, adding five aces and seven blocks over four matches. She led U-M in kills in three of the four matches, including a double-double with 22 kills and 10 digs against Florida Atlantic, and was second on the team in digs over the week with 26.

• This season, Jacobs has tallied 105 kills, which leads the Big Ten and is seventh nationally. She is fifth nationally with five kills per set and is hitting 0.47 better than last season. Jacobs has also contributed a team-leading 11 aces and is third on the team in digs with 46.

• With 137 assists, Morgan Burke is leading the Wolverine offense as a setter. She has recorded double-digit assists in every match, with her season-high (27) coming in U-M's most recent match against Southern Indiana. Also in that match, Burke recorded six aces, including three in a span of four serves, doubling her career high. She has three double-doubles this season and is second on the team with 47 digs.

• Tied for the team lead in blocks per set and second in total blocks, Jenna Hanes has shown improvement since her freshman season. Hanes played in five sets during her freshman season and tallied six kills and zero blocks. This season, she has recorded at least three kills and one block in every match, with highs of nine kills and four blocks. She averages 1.95 kills per set and 0.95 blocks per set, good for a 2.47 points-per-set average, which ranks her fifth on the team.

• Second on the team in kills and fourth in hitting percentage, Lydia Johnson has made the most of her opportunities this season. She made her first start of the season against Eastern Michigan and has kept the job since, recording 32 kills on 67 swings with just six errors. Johnson is one kill away from setting a new season high in kills, which she set on 168 swings and a .071 hitting percentage her freshman year in 14 matches and 41 sets. Johnson has totaled 49 this year on 102 swings with a .422 hitting percentage.

• Leading the Wolverines in total blocks and tied for the lead in blocks per set, Serena Nyambio continues to be a constant presence in the lineup. Michigan's active leader in matches played and blocks, she has played in 88 career matches and 302 sets, recording 481 kills and 284 total blocks. This season, Nyambio has recorded 20 total blocks (five solo, 15 assists) along with 35 kills on a .449 hitting percentage.

• Entering her fifth collegiate season and second as the team's libero, Maddi Cuchran has tallied double-digit digs in five of the six matches this season, missing by one dig against Eastern Michigan. She has also recorded 30 assists and six aces. Cuchran is averaging 4.00 digs per set, almost a full dig higher than her career average, which ranks third in the conference.

• Virginia enters the weekend with a 4-2 record, winning its first four contests against Georgetown, George Washington, Howard and VCU. The Cavaliers' losses came to Appalachian State in five sets and Auburn in a sweep. All-time, Michigan is 6-0 against Virginia, with the last matchup taking place in Ann Arbor on Sept. 8, 2006. U-M and UVA will meet in Charlottesville for the first time on Saturday.