Maize & Blue travel to No. 3 Penn State, host No. 15 Minnesota

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan volleyball team (16-5, 6-4 Big Ten) will travel for a midweek game and then return home to round out the weekend. The Wolverines will first play No. 3 Penn State (20-1, 10-0 Big Ten) on Wednesday (October 30) at 7:30 p.m. ET before facing No. 15 Minnesota (14-6, 7-3 ) Big Ten) on Sunday (November 3) at 2 p.m. ET. The contest with Penn State will air on Big Ten Network and the game against Minnesota will air on Big Ten Plus.

Notes

• Michigan is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Last weekend, the Wolverines defeated Iowa in straight sets, winning the first set 25-16 with the help of plenty of scoring runs. Both teams managed to stay close in the next two sets, but UM stayed ahead each time, winning the second set 25-20 and the third set 25-18. On Saturday, UM won the first set over Nebraska by a score of 28-26, but the Cornhuskers took the next three sets and won the game.

• PhD student Allison Jacobs leads Michigan in kills with 334 this season and is also third in the Big Ten. In addition to her kills, Jacobs recorded 164 digs, 38 blocks and five aces. Jacobs has recorded double-digit kills in 19 straight games and 20 of 21 this season. She had 33 kills, 11 digs and 36.0 points in two games this past weekend.

• In their second season Morgan Burke ranks seventh in the Big Ten with an average of 10.12 assists per set. Additionally, she has 810 assists this season, which ranks her third in the conference and 32nd in the NCAA. Aside from her assists, Burke has recorded 23 aces and 196 digs, both of which rank second on the team – as well as 26 blocks. She has recorded 30 or more assists in 17 of the 21 games, 40 or more in nine games and 50 or more in four games. After tallying 67 more assists last weekend, Burke now ranks 13th for most career assists in the program with 1,298, surpassing Autumn Collins and Mara Martin.

• With 49 aces this season, Valentina Vaulet is one of the best servers in the country. Vaulet is averaging 0.68 aces per set, which ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation – and her 49 aces rank second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation. In addition to her aces, Vaulet recorded 215 kills, 154 digs and 41 blocks as a six-rotation player – all new season highs, surpassing her totals from her first year.

• Senior Libero Maddi Cuchran was an asset in the backcourt this season. She leads the team with 321 digs and averages 4.01 digs per set, nearly double her average from last season. She has also contributed 93 assists this season, up from just 36 in her first three seasons. Cuchran ranks third in the Big Ten in both digs per set and total digs. That season, Cuchran started every game as the team's libero and played in all 80 sets.

• In their final season Jacque Boney has shown good performances online this year. So far, she has 147 kills for a .288 hitting percentage and 69 total blocks (seven solo and 62 assists). Boney has amassed 185 points this season, bringing her career total to 923 points. She recently passed 700 career kills and is tied with Nicole Poquette for 13th place for total career blocks in program history at 363.

• With a team-leading .377 hitting percentage and .99 blocks per set, junior Serena Nyambio is having an impressive season. Nyambio ranks sixth in the conference in scoring percentage and 37th in the NCAA. This season she has totaled 154 kills with just 32 errors in 324 attacks and recorded 12 solo blocks and 64 block assists. Nyambio has never made more than five errors in a game this season and has gone error-free in five games.

• As a true newbie Ella Demetrician has had a big impact on the Wolverines this season. She recorded 136 kills, 120 digs and 14 aces. She recorded double-digit kills in four games and also added 12 assists and 18 blocks in her matches. Demetrician has started the last seven straight games after not starting three games early in the Big Ten.

• No. 3 Penn State is currently 20-1 on the season and 10-0 in the Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lions have lost just 14 sets and remained atop the rankings this season. This past weekend, Penn State won games against UCLA and USC in five sets. Michigan has a 6-56 all-time record against the Nittany Lions, with three of UM's wins coming in the last decade – including a three-set win in 2022.

• No. 15 Minnesota enters the weekend at 14-6 and 7-3 in the Big Ten. In conference play, the Golden Gophers only suffered losses to ranked teams: Purdue, USC and Penn State. Her notable victories include five-set victories over Texas and Wisconsin. UM trails in the all-time series against Minnesota. 17-61, with the most recent win being a five-set match in 2021.