Notre Dame volleyball is 3-3 on the season, with wins against Colorado State, Santa Clara and East Texas A&M. Although they have three losses on the season, two were tough fights, forcing five-set matches against Villanova and Illinois.
In the win over East A&M, sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte garnered 12 kills for her team, which pushed her to 115 kills on the season and a .308 attacking percentage, meaning she scores around three points for every 10 swings she’s had on the season thus far — an extremely efficient percentage for her position. Senior outside hitter Avery Ross had a strong match with 11 kills and sophomore middle blocker Grace Langer got seven kills with two blocks.
Freshman defensive specialist and libero Maya Evens is having a strong first year with the Irish, recording 89 digs, including 10 in their game against the Lions. However, senior outside hitter Lucy Trump may have one-upped her, controlling the back row and picking up 12 digs for her team that night. Both senior setter Harmony Sample and freshman setter Maya Baker led the team with assists, accumulating 18 and 12, respectfully. Although she’s only a freshman, Baker already has 109 assists, proving herself to be a reliable option alongside Sample. Aside from their previous game leaders, viewers should also watch for junior outside hitter Sydney Helmers, who has 37 kills and a .119 attacking percentage on the year so far; she may become a go-to player in this match.
At 8-1, Michigan has had a very successful season so far, beating big names like Wake Forest and Cincinnati, their only loss being to Virginia in five sets. From their most recent success against Central Michigan, sophomore outside hitter Ella Demetrician led the offense with 12 kills, already adding to her 46 on season. Graduate outside hitter Allison Jacobs was close behind her with nine kills, bringing her to 140 this season and a .246 attacking percentage, showing her consistency as a Wolverine weapon. Michigan's libero had a slow game with only four digs, which is low considering her season total of 108 . As usual, both setters for the Wolverines stacked up a total of 32 assists, adding to a pile of 295 on the season.
The Irish and the Wolverines have been competing against each other since 1999. Since then, they’ve faced off 12 times and Notre Dame has only won three of the matchups, but all have been at home. With this in mind, the Irish have the chance to keep that small success alive and defeat the Wolverine in Purcell Pavilion.
First serve is Friday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m.
