Duke Faces Michigan, Michigan State in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

DURHAM – The Duke volleyball team (4-2) is set for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge this weekend on the road in Michigan.
 
The Blue Devils will take on Michigan State Friday at 7 p.m., before a 7 p.m., contest Saturday against the Michigan Wolverines. Both contests will be streamed on B1G+ ($).

LAST TIME OUT

• Duke swept Elon, 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-18), Tuesday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Head coach Jolene Nagel‘s team moves to 4-2 overall with its fourth-straight win.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES

MICHIGAN

• Duke and Michigan meet for the eighth time in program history as the Wolverines lead the series, 5-2. The Blue Devils are 0-3 in Ann Arbor.

MICHIGAN STATE

• Duke and Michigan State meet for the sixth time in program history as the Spartans lead the series, 3-2. The Blue Devils are 1-0 in East Lansing.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

MICHIGAN

• Michigan is 1-4 overall this fall and most recently dropped a 3-0 decision at No. 21 Arkansas. Offensively, Jacque Boney leads the team with 45 kills and a .343 hitting percentage while setter Scottee Johnson owns 144 assists. Defensively, Kendall Murray and Maddi Cuchran own 66 and 52 digs, respectively, while Boney leads the team at the net with 16 total blocks. As a team, the Wolverines are hitting just .183 percent as their opponents play to a .251 clip.

MICHIGAN STATE

• Michigan State enters the weekend 4-2 overall with wins over Central Arkansas (3-0), Belmont (3-0), Syracuse (3-0) and Delaware State (3-0). Offensively, the Spartans are led by Taylah Holdem with 57 kills and Karolina Staniszewska with 53 kills while Nil Okur is hitting an impressive .418 percent this fall. Okur ranks 49th nationally in hitting percentage. Setter Cameron Berger owns 122 dimes while Nalani Iosia paces the defense with 89 digs. As a team, Michigan State is hitting .262 percent and is limited its opponents to a .120 clip.

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE

• This weekend marks the third installment of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge — Duke is 2-2 in those contests.

             >> 2022: Duke def. Michigan (3-1) + Michigan State (3-2)
             >> 2021: Michigan def. Duke (3-2) + North Carolina def. Duke (3-0).
* Duke + Michigan State did not play in 2021 due to COVID-19 issues … instead, Duke + UNC played

NEXT MATCH

• Duke will take on NC…