Indiana volleyball enters the halfway point of the Big Ten season with a 10-10 record as it travel to face Michigan’s two conference foes this weekend.
The road trip starts with the Hoosiers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face No. 25 Michigan. After the Friday evening match, Indiana will continue the drive up north to play Michigan State in East Lansing in a rematch from earlier this season.
Michigan holds a record of 13-5 this year with recent straight set wins over then-No. 9 Penn State and in-state rival Michigan State. Head coach Mark Rosen has guided the Wolverines to 19 NCAA tournament appearances in the past 24 seasons, including a first round visit in 2021.
[Related: Indiana volleyball responds with 3-2 win over Michigan State after losing to No. 9 Purdue 2-3]
A leader for the Wolverines is senior middle backer Jess Robison who had seven blocks in the win against Michigan State. This would be the third time Robison has collected seven blocks per match, which is her highest number of blocks for the season.
Michigan is looking for a win at home after losing to then-No. 5 Wisconsin on the road Oct. 16. In the match, Michigan was able to win the third set to extend it but fell to the reigning champions 3-1. The Wolverines were led by junior outside hitter Jess Mruzick, who had 12 kills on the night, and redshirt junior libero Hannah Grant, collecting 20 digs.
Indiana will rematch Michigan State and attempt to fulfill a clean sweep over the Spartans. Michigan State is on a five-match losing streak including a recent loss from Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
Michigan State is led by graduate student setter Zoe Nunez who has 430 assists this season. Nunez transferred from the University of Norte Dame where she was named to the United States’ Collegiate National Team in 2020.
When Indiana met with Michigan State on Oct. 16, Indiana won the five-set battle 3-2. The Hoosiers were led by senior defensive specialist Paula Cerame who had 23 digs on the night. After the match, sophomore outside hitter Mady Saris spoke about how the win could translate to future Big Ten games.
“I think our whole thing is just playing hard," Saris said on Oct. 16. ”We just want to focus on what we are going to do that match and not so much on what they are doing. ”
The match between No. 25 Michigan and Indiana will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and the second match against Michigan State will start at 2 p.m. Oct 23. Both matches this weekend will be televised on BTN+.
