Volleyball Central: at Michigan State and Michigan

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The final week of the college volleyball regular season is here. The Indiana volleyball team (19-12, 9-9) will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Michigan as it prepares for matches at Michigan State (Friday) and Michigan (Saturday).

Chasing the program's best conference finish in over a decade, a pair of wins would ensure the Hoosiers at least a seventh place finish in the Big Ten. IU finished in a tie for seventh in both 2009 and 2010 but hasn't finished in the top half of the conference since 1999.

Since the Big Ten expanded to 14 teams in 2014, IU's best conference finish came last year when the Hoosiers went 9-11 to end the season in eighth place. IU hasn't won 10 games in the Big Ten since 2002 and has failed to win 11 since 1999.

One win in Michigan would ensure the Hoosiers a season with both 20 wins overall and 10 wins in the Big Ten for the first time since 2002. A pair of wins would see IU match the program's regular season wins record (21) set in 2010 under the leadership of All-American middle blocker Ashley Benson.

IU will get the weekend started with a Black Friday tilt at the Breslin Center against Michigan State (1:00 PM) before closing out the 20-game Big Ten season at Michigan on Saturday evening.

Match Info
Friday, November 24th, 2023 | at Michigan State | 1:00 PM ET
TV: BTN+
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Live Stats

Saturday, November 25th, 2023 | at Michigan | 6:30 PM ET
TV: BTN+
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Live Stats

Hoosier News and Notes
Team Notes
• The Hoosiers sit 19-12 (9-9) ahead of the final two matches of the regular season. The 19 wins are already the most in a single season since 2010.

• Only five times in program history has IU won 20-or-more games in a regular season. IU needs just one more to achieve that feat for a sixth time. IU's regular season wins record, during the Big Ten era, is 21 set in 2010.

• IU hasn't won 20 games overall and 10 games in the Big Ten in the same season since 2002. IU needs just one more win to accomplish that feat for the fifth time in program history.

• Only twice have the Hoosiers won 11+ games in the Big Ten (1995 and 1999). The Hoosiers have failed to do so since the turn of the century but could accomplish the feat with a pair of wins up north.

• The Hoosiers are hitting .237 as a team this season with two matches left. The rally-era single season program record is .239 and the all-time mark, regardless of scoring system, is set at .245. Both of IU's middle blockers, Savannah Kjolhede and Kaley Rammelsberg, are top-seven in the conference in hitting.

• IU has 197 aces on the season, needing just three to hit 200 in back-to-back seasons. The Hoosiers haven't had consecutive seasons with 200+ aces since 1995-96. No Big Ten program, under the current scoring system, has seen back-to-back seasons with 200+ aces.

• With a win over Maryland, the Hoosiers finished their home slate with 10 wins for the first time since 2010. IU went 7-3 in conference at Wilkinson Hall, the best finish in 13 years. Three of the four best-attended contests came this season in Big Ten play.

The Final Two
If the Hoosiers finish with these respective records, they will accomplish the following:

2-0: 21-12 (11-9):
- match program regular season wins record (21), most Big Ten wins since 1999 (11) (2nd most all-time)

1-1: 20-13 (10-10):
- 20 wins overall/10 Big Ten wins for first time since 2002, 20-win regular season for sixth time in program history

0-2: 19-14 (9-11):
- back-to-back seasons of nine conference wins, most overall wins since 2010

What's At Stake?
• The Hoosiers are looking for a 20th and 21st win of the season this weekend. 21 wins would match the program's regular season wins record (2010).

• A win over Michigan State would be the fourth-straight victory in the series. The Hoosiers last won four straight over the Spartans in the mid-80's.

• The victory over Michigan would complete the season sweep of the Wolverines. IU last did the double over Michigan in 1999.

• If IU were to win both contests, it will have swept the Michigan schools for the second-straight season.

Player Watch
#10 Haworth, Camryn
• The junior setter is making her case for All-American honors in 2023, leading the Big Ten in assists (1,163) and aces (66) and one of three players in the conference with 10+ assists per set (10.20). She is third in the NCAA in aces and tops among all players in power five conferences.

• Haworth is now No. 2 all-time in program history in service aces (157). Already the program's rally-era record holder, she needs just 43 aces to break the all-time mark of 197.

• Her 66 aces in a single season are ninth most in Big Ten history during the rally-era (since 2001). She has 115 in the last two years, the third most by a single Big Ten player in a two-year span since 2010.

• She is the first IU player with back-to-back seaosns of 1,100 assists since Victoria Zimmerman in 2002 and 2003. She is looking to be the first Hoosier to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors in consecutive years since Ashley Benson (2009 and 2010).

• Among Big Ten setters, she is top six in kills (105), assists (1,163), assists per set (10.20), aces (66), digs (243) and blocks (55.0).

#18 Rammelsberg, Kaley and #15 Kjolhede, Savannah
• Two of the most efficient middle blockers the program has ever seen, Rammelsberg and Kjolhede are on track to put up some of the biggest offensive numbers in school history.

• With two games to go, Rammelsberg is third (.362) and Kjolhede is fifth (.359) in single-season hitting percentage. Rammelsberg (.326) and Kjolhede (.299) are second and fourth in career hitting percentage.

• In Big Ten games only during a single season, Kjolhede (.377) and Rammelsberg (.348) are first and third in hitting percentage.

• The two are both top seven in the Big Ten in hitting percentage. Among players in the top-10 in hitting percentage in the Big Ten, Rammelsberg has the most kills (266).

#32 Gary, Ramsey
• An important addition to the program, the freshman libero leads the Big Ten in digs (505) and is a close second in digs per set (4.43).

• She already holds the IU single-season freshman digs record and needs just 21 in two games to break the all-time single season digs record for the Hoosiers (525).

• Gary now has the program record for most 10+ dig games (29) and most 20+ dig games (10) in a single season. She is looking to be the first IU freshman and first IU libero to be named First Team All-Big Ten.

Opponent Breakdown: Michigan State
Series History: 33-53 (Michigan State leads) | Last Meeting: 10/23/22 (W, 3-2)

• The Spartans and Hoosiers meet for the first time this year with both teams at 9-9 in the Big Ten. 7th place is on the line Friday.
• Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem averages 3.48 kills per set with 379 in total on the season.
• Veteran libero Nalani Iosia averages 4.17 digs per set and has 454 on the season.
• Michigan State runs a two setter offense with Julia Bishop and Cameron Berger running the team.
• IU beat Michigan State twice in five sets last season and has a three-game winning streak against the Spartans.

Opponent Breakdown: Michigan
Series History: 44-44-1 (Tied) | Last Meeting: 10/14/23 (W, 3-0)

• The Wolverines come in at 7-20 on the season but have turned it on down the stretch in conference play.
• Three players average over 2.4 kills per set including Kendall Murray who leads the team with 261 kills.
• Morgan Burke has taken over the reigns at setter down the stretch and has 434 assists this year.
• Michigan has been boosted by the return of fifth-year libero Hannah Grant who averages 2.94 digs per set.

Volleyball Central: at Michigan State and Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Savannah Kjolhede

Kaley Rammelsberg

Indiana University Athletics