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. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed through its digital extension on the FOX Sports app with play-by-play commentator Larry Punteney and analyst Emily Ehman on the call.
This week’s action will be carried on Huskers Radio Network with the NU radio team of John Baylor and Lauren Cook West. Baylor is in his 28th season handling play-by-play duties for the Husker volleyball program, and West, a former All-America setter at NU, will provide color commentary for the sixth straight year.
Huskers Radio Network will carry the matches on HRN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be available at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
Hall of Fame Induction, Weekend of Champions Ahead
• The 2020 and 2021 Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame classes will be officially inducted Friday afternoon, including three volleyball inductees: Jordan Larson (2005-08) and former head coach Terry Pettit (1977-99) from the 2020 class and Cathy Noth (1981-84) from the 2021 class.
• Three Husker volleyball teams will be honored as part of a Weekend of Champions event at the Devaney Center. On Friday, NU’s 1990 NCAA Semifinal team will be honored during the match. Coached by Pettit, the 1990 squad swept three matches to advance to the national semifinals and finished 32-3.
• On Sunday, NU will recognize both the 2000 and 2001 Husker teams in-match. The 2000 squad was John Cook‘s first team at Nebraska and posted a perfect 34-0 season en route to the national championship. The 2001 team finished 31-2 and reached the national semifinals.
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.
The most recent Nebraska-Michigan contest was March 26, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the Huskers winning 3-0 in a two-match sweep of the Wolverines. Kayla Caffey had a season-high 10 kills on .769 hitting with four blocks. Lauren Stivrins added 10 kills on .714 hitting with seven blocks.
The last meeting at the Devaney Center was Oct. 13, 2019, and NU held the Wolverines to a .019 hitting percentage as a team. Lexi Sun had 12 kills, 10 digs and seven blocks in the match, and Stivrins finished with 11 kills at .647.
Up Next
Nebraska squares off with Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 3, with first serve set for 3 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on the FOX Sports app, with Chris Vosters and Michelle McMahon on the call. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.
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