Courtesy: Michigan Athletics
Sept. 14, 2016
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With a near-perfect 8-1 record in hand, the 23rd-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team will finish up non-conference play this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 16-17) at Cliff Keen Arena as the Maize and Blue co-hosts the Michigan/EMU Challenge with neighboring Eastern Michigan. The Wolverines will open tournament play against Auburn on Friday (7 p.m.) before playing two matches on Saturday against Eastern Michigan (11 a.m.) and Colgate (7 p.m.), while Eastern Michigan will host the three other matches of the tournament.
End of Non-Conference
No. 23 Michigan wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend, hosting three opponents hailing from the Southeastern, Mid-American and Patriot League Conferences.
Though U-M has hosted its Michigan Challenge in the past, this season will mark the first time that the Wolverines will co-host the tournament with neighboring Eastern Michigan.
Solid in the Rankings
Despite suffering their first loss of the season last weekend at the Panther Invitational in Pittsburgh, the Wolverines are still ranked among the top 25 teams in the AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 23 with 152 votes.
The Maize and Blue broke into the rankings last week (No. 23), marking the first top-25 ranking for Michigan since Dec. 21, 2015. The Wolverines are one of eight Big Ten teams represented in this week’s poll.
Scouting the Opposition
Auburn (5-5)
2015 Record: 18-12, 10-8 Southeastern
Auburn returns an experienced team, with 10 upperclassmen in total. The Tigers opened up the season with three home losses but have rebounded to win five of the last seven matches. The team is led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Brenna McIlroy, who has 117 kills on the season.
Eastern Michigan (4-6)
2015 Record: 14-16, 6-10 Mid-American
The Eagles will face off against the Wolverines with an inexperienced roster, as 10 out of 15 players on the team are underclassmen. Eastern Michigan went 0-4 to start the month of September but won two out of three matches at the Charleston Classic last weekend. After the Michigan/EMU Challenge, the Eagles will start their conference slate.
Colgate (3-5)
2015 Record: 12-16, 10-6 Patriot League
Colgate began the 2015 with a slow start in non-conference action but rebounded nicely to finish fourth in the Patriot League. The Raiders will come into the weekend on a two-game losing streak but defeated in-state rival Syracuse in the Colgate/Syracuse Tournament to begin the season. The team is led offensively by senior Kathleen Harris, who leads the team in service aces and kills.
How Sweep it is
With two sweeps last weekend of American and Coastal Carolina and a sweep last weekend of Tennessee State, Michigan now has six 3-0 sweeps on the season. After going a perfect 3-0 with three sweeps in the first weekend of play, the Wolverines dropped a set for the first time this year against Kansas State (RV) in week three, dropping a single set the same weekend to Georgia Tech. Michigan’s five-set loss to Pitt last weekend signaled the Wolverines’ first loss and first five-set match of the 2016 season so far.
Lerg Settling In
After starting seven matches as the team’s libero at the end of the 2015 season, sophomore Jenna Lerg has settled back into her role this season with nine starts as the libero. From her spot in the back court, Lerg has lead Michigan in digs in all nine matches this year, tallying a career-high 39 in the Wolverines’ five-set loss to Pitt. She was also named to the Panther Invitational All-Tournament Team for her performance and was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 12).
Up Next
Following the Michigan/EMU Challenge, the Wolverines will open up Big Ten Conference play with matches against reigning national champ Nebraska (Sept. 23) and Iowa (Sept. 24).
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