Nebraska Volleyball to Host Michigan Friday

The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team (8-3, 2-0 Big Ten) continues its three-match home stand with Michigan (8-3, 1-1) this Friday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Devaney Center.

Quick Hits
• Nebraska has gone at least 3-0 to start Big Ten play every season since 2013. The Huskers enter the week having won two straight to open the conference slate.
• Lindsay Krause was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after making her conference debut with 3.86 kills per set on .500 hitting — second-highest in conference play — last week.
• Nebraska’s .289 team hitting and 13.71 assists per set to open Big Ten play were the second-highest marks among conference teams. The Huskers averaged a league-best 15.43 kills per set.
• NU opened 2021 with a six-match win streak, then dropped three straight to No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18) before rebounding with two wins last week.
• Nebraska held a streak of 60 straight weeks in the top of the AVCA poll before moving to 12th on Sept. 20. The last time the Huskers ranked outside the top 10 was Sept. 18, 2017, when they were 14th.
• The Huskers played four straight top-20 opponents in an 11-day span last month with No. 19 Creighton (Sept. 8), No. 20 Utah (Sept. 11), No. 16 Stanford (Sept. 14) and No. 5 Louisville (Sept. 18).
• Five of NU’s six freshmen have seen the court so far this year.

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan has won four of its last five matches and is 8-3 (1-1 Big Ten) on the season after a 3-1 win over Michigan State on Sunday. Paige Jones and Jess Mruzik led the way, each finishing with 16 kills. Jacque Boney totaled eight blocks in addition to four kills.

The Wolverines have held their opponents to a .151 attack percentage this season, which is third-best in the conference. Jones has 3.79 kills per set this season, the fifth-most among conference players. May Pertofsky is second in the Big Ten and ranks 27th nationally with 0.52 aces per set.

Michigan finished 4-9 last spring, and Mruzik was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection.

Mark Rosen is in his 23rd season in Ann Arbor with a record of 441-277 and a career mark of 650-314 over his 30 years as a head coach.

Noting the Series: vs. Michigan
In the history of Nebraska-Michigan matchups, the Huskers lead 19-3 in the series — all in the John Cook era. The Huskers have posted 11 straight wins over the Wolverines and won 13 of the last 14 outings. They have a 9-1 advantage at home, including 6-0 at the Devaney Center. Nebraska is 16-2 against Michigan as Big Ten peers.

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