Volleyball Central: Michigan and Michigan State

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Following one of the best regular season weekends in program history, the No. 20-ranked Indiana volleyball team (13-1, 4-0 B1G) will head to Michigan to complete a four-match road swing. IU has played five of its first six conference games on the road and will finish out that stretch with contests at Michigan (Oct. 10) and Michigan State (Oct. 12). Both games will be broadcasted on B1G+.

For the first time in the regular season in school history, IU won back-to-back games against ranked opposition. The Hoosiers dropped the first set in games at No. 17 USC and No. 24 UCLA but quickly corrected to win a pair of matches in four sets. The victories helped propel IU back into the AVCA national poll for the first time since 2010.

Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum played a big role in IU's successful weekend. In her home state of California, she averaged 3.88 kills per set and hit north of .360 across both matches. She offered up 17 kills on a .375 hitting percentage in the four-set victory over No. 24 UCLA. She's 35 kills from reaching 1,000 for her career.

IU will head to the state of Michigan in hopes of extending a fantastic start to its 2025 Big Ten campaign. A win on Friday at Michigan would produce the best start (5-0) to a conference season in program history. If IU wins both contests this weekend, it would be the longest single-season Big Ten winning streak in school history (6).

First serve from Ann Arbor on Friday comes at 7 p.m. from Cliff Keen Arena. IU will close out the weekend at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Hoosiers have won four-straight matches against Michigan and five-straight against the Spartans.

Gameday Info
at Michigan (Friday, October 10th – 7 p.m.)
Live Video: bit.ly/47b6rcm
Live Stats: bit.ly/4gSEQQk

at Michigan State (Sunday, October 12th – 1 p.m.)
Live Video: bit.ly/3KzDhe9
Live Stats: bit.ly/4hhifxn

Stat and Trends
• The Hoosiers' big block was one of the catalysts in a pair of wins at No. 17 USC and No. 24 UCLA. On seven occasions this season, IU has produced at least 10 blocks in a match. IU is tied for the conference lead in blocks per set (2.84). Sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema leads the Big Ten with 1.50 blocks per set.

• IU has been a productive offensive side this season. The Hoosiers are hitting .311 on the year, one of three teams in the conference above .300. Nationally, IU is fourth among all programs in hitting percentage. Both Boersema and senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum are top-100 nationally in hitting efficiency.

• Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles continues to climb the all-time ranks at IU. She moved into the top-15 in program history in kills against UCLA (1,160). She needs just 124 more kills the rest of the season to become a member of the top-10 kills club at IU.

Notable
CHANCE AT HISTORY: Indiana is off to its best conference start in 40 years. It will have the chance to get better this weekend. If the Hoosiers are able to beat Michigan on Friday evening, it will be the first time in program history that an IU team has won the first five matches of a Big Ten season.

CLOSING IN ON 1K: Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum will have a crack at a massive milestone in her college career this weekend. She is just 35 kills away from reaching 1,000 career kills. It will have to take some impressive efforts to reach the threshold this weekend but Tatum is coming off a 17-kill output against UCLA.

VICKY G COMES HOME: Michigan native and freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray will play in front of a plethora of friends and family this weekend. Raised in Temperance, Michigan - Gray will be just 45 minutes from her hometown on Friday in Ann Arbor. She has started 12 of IU's matches this year.

YOUNG BALLERS: On a regular night, IU is playing upwards of seven underclassmen in its regular rotation. Six true freshmen get regular playing time including setter Teodora Kričković and outside hitter Jaidyn Jager - two players that will get consideration as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

BIG TIME BOERSEMA: Sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema is enjoying a massive breakout performance this year. She is the leader in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.50) and has 51 in total across 11 matches. In Saturday's win over UCLA, she came off the bench to provide six big blocks.

EXTEND THE STREAK: With a win over Michigan on Friday, the Hoosiers will have won five-straight matches in the Big Ten. It would match a conference single-season program record - last accomplished twice in 1995. If IU sweeps the weekend, it would be the longest Big Ten single-season winning streak (6) in program history.

FLINGING THE ROCK: Freshman setter Teodora Kričković has settled in nicely to her role with the team this year. She is second in the conference in assists per set (10.82) and is running a very fast offense. The Hoosiers have hit .250 or better in 12 of the 14 contests this year.

BACK IN THE RANKINGS: The Hoosiers moved into the AVCA Top 25 following a pair of ranked wins in California. IU came into the poll at No. 20 - the highest ranking in program history. Of IU's final 16 regular season matches, 10 of them are against teams in the Top 50 of the initial RPI.

Scouting the Opponent
Michigan (11-4, 1-3 B1G)
• Michigan has had a stiff start to the Big Ten season but comes into weekend as one of the best teams in the league. The Wolverines are 11-4 and own a top-10 win over Minnesota on their resume. They are coming off a tight defeat at top-10 Wisconsin last Sunday.

• Veteran outside hitter Allison Jacobs has been the face of Michigan's attack for two years. She's averaging 4.16 kills per set and is contributing 4.81 points per set. She's aided by Michigan's efficient right-side attacker – Lydia Johnson. The junior opposite is hitting .392 on the year.

• Longtime middle blocker Serena Nyambio continues to be outstanding for Michigan. She's leading the team with 57 total blocks (1.12 per set). She's also hitting .426 with 1.78 kills per set. Graduate student libero Maddi Cuchran is pacing the back row with 3.31 digs per set.

Michigan State (12-2, 2-2 B1G)
• Under first year head coach Kristen Kelsay, Michigan State is off to one of the best starts in the last 10 years. The Spartans went undefeated in the non-conference and already have wins over Michigan and Northwestern. Albeit dealing with some injuries, Michigan State has been one of the better teams in the league.

• Running the show offensively is redshirt freshman setter Malayah Long. She is second in the country among freshmen in assists per set (10.42) and has set the Spartans to a .261 hitting percentage. Over the past few weeks, she's made freshman outside hitter Bianca Mumcular (2.69 kills per set) her go to offensive threat.

• Michigan State has spent most of the season rotating through its middle blockers. Junior Zuzanna Kulig was one of the best blockers in the league last year and stayed loyal to Michigan State through the coaching change. She has 33 blocks on the season and 1.06 per set.

Inside the Series
Michigan
• Michigan is one of four programs in the Big Ten that Indiana has an all-time winning record against. IU is on a run of four-straight wins, including a top-25 road victory in 2022. The Hoosiers hold the all-time advantage at 46-43-1. A win on Friday in Ann Arbor would give IU its first five-game winning streak over Michigan since the late 1980's.

Michigan State
• Michigan's counterparts in the state, Michigan State, have fared much better against IU over the years. The Spartans hold a 53-31 advantage and are 31-9 in games played in East Lansing.

• Head coach Steve Aird has been productive when leading his IU program against Michigan State. He's won five-straight matches in the series including a pair of five-set wins in 2022. IU's last defeat in the series came in a road loss in 2019.

Volleyball Central: Michigan and Michigan State

Players Mentioned

Candela Alonso-Corcelles

Ella Boersema

Victoria Gray

Jaidyn Jager

Avry Tatum

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