The IU volleyball team opens Big Ten play with a home contest at 7 p.m. today against No. 8 Michigan.
A few pre-match notes as the Hoosiers (11-3) prepare to do battle with the Wolverines (12-1):
- IU leads the all-time series against Michigan 35-28-1 but has lost the last five contests to the Wolverines.
- Michigan swept both meetings last season, beating the Hoosiers by scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 38-36 in the October 2008 match in Bloomington and 26-24, 25-18 and 25-21 the following month in Ann Arbor.
- Michigan senior outside hitter Juliana Paz currently ties for highest service ace percentage in the Big Ten at .69 (minimum .10) and sophomore right-side hitter Alex Hunt ranks third at .67.
- IU junior middle blocker/right-side hitter Taylor Wittmer and sophomore libero Caitlin Cox rank fifth in the conference in blocks per match and digs per match, respectively. Wittmer currently stands at 1.31 blocks per match and Cox records 4.08 digs per match.
- Junior middle blocker Ashley Benson has passed Diane Hoereth as the most efficient hitter in IU history at her current .309 clip. Hoereth, who played for the Hoosiers from 1989-90, previously held the all-time record at .290.
- Michigan expects to compete for the Big Ten title this season, writes Mark Burns in The Michigan Daily.
The Hoosiers play their second straight home Big Ten match at 7 p.m. Saturday against No. 16 Michigan State.
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