Michigan gear up for a tough weekend on the road

The first week of matches in the Big Ten women’s volleyball conference didn’t go well for Michigan and the second one won’t be any easier as the Wolverines are set to face some of the toughest teams in the division over the next three days.

After getting losses against in-state rivals Michigan State and Maryland last weekend, Michigan are now faced with two road games against two of the top teams in the conference – Minnesota and defending champions Wisconsin, two sides ranked among the top 15 in the country.

• Watch the Big Ten Volleyball matches live on VBTV.

The Wolverines will be on the court on Friday, to face Minnesota, and then will head to Madison, to face Wisconsin on Sunday, at 13:00 local time (18:00 UTC), in a match that will be streamed live to VBTV subscribers around the world.

Senior Kendall Murray has been one of Michigan’s standouts this season, contributing in several areas of the game. In 11 matches, the outside hitter has produced 108 kills, 108 digs and 19 aces. The team will need an outstanding performance from her to upset the Badgers, something they last did almost five years ago, in 2018.

This weekend, the Wolverines will also count on the return of their head coach Erin Virtue, who was absent in the Big Ten opening week as she was with the United States women’s national team, where she’s an assistant coach, as they competed at the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Łódź, Poland.

Their opponents on Sunday, Wisconsin have been in perfect form so far in the season, having won each of their first 11 matches. Their most recent triumph came on the opening match of the second week, on Wednesday, when they swept Ohio State on the road.

Besides Wisconsin’s victory, the first day of matches of the second week of the season also had a 3-1 win of Maryland over Rutgers.

Another 12 matches will be held from Friday to Sunday and one of them, reuniting Illinois and Iowa, on Saturday, at 18:00 local time (23:00 UTC), will also be streamed live to VBTV subscribers around the world.

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