The Michigan volleyball team is heading down the home stretch of its season - literally.
Michigan (5-9 Big Ten, 10-15 overall) will play four of its last six matches at Cliff Keen Arena, starting with No. 6 Penn State tomorrow at 7 p.m. and No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Saturday's match will start early to allow for a live broadcast on ESPN2. It will be the first time the Wolverines have appeared on national television.
"It's really exciting to have ESPN2 in Keen Arena," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi said. "My hope is that we can get some people over here, even though it's going to be tight with the end of the football game."
In addition to the unusual starting time, Saturday's match will also feature a modified scoring system to ensure that it fits in a two-hour time slot.
The first three games will be eight-minute timed games, with the clock stopping between the end of a play and the next serve.
Teams can win by one point in the first three games, as opposed to the two points that are normally required.
If games four or five are necessary, they will be played using rally scoring to 17 points, and teams must win by two.
In rally scoring, a point is awarded on every serve, which means teams earn a point for a side-out.
"(Big Ten coaches) feel like they have been mandated to use this system that nobody likes," Giovanazzi said. "Everybody would rather just go out and play a three-out-of-five match. But I think this a better format than what they had last year.
"It's something that I am much more familiar with than my players, because it's what we used to use back in the old days, when we were in these big tournaments with lots of teams, to stay on schedule."
Michigan may have to play this weekend without the services of setter Linnea Mendoza. Mendoza injured her shoulder last Saturday in a loss to Wisconsin.
Giovanazzi said her status for tomorrow is questionable. Senior Erin McGovern will replace Mendoza if she is unable to play.
Whoever does the setting, the Wolverines will need strong play from their attackers. Senior Kristen Ruschiensky and sophomore Jeanine Szczesniak have been pacing the offense lately.
They each had 13 kills last Friday in Michigan's win over Minnesota, and Ruschiensky tallied 22 kills in a losing cause the next night in Wisconsin.
This is a pivotal weekend for Michigan. After these two matches, the Wolverines close out their season with four beatable opponents.
Even assuming Michigan is able to win all four, it will still need a split this weekend in order to finish with a .500 conference record.
Last year Michigan finished the season by upsetting then eighth-ranked Penn State at Keen.
"It gives you hope," Giovanazzi said of last year's victory. "Every year we have pulled off some pretty incredible upsets. I think more than anything else, it is a motivation to every athlete that, not to be cliche but, no match is over until its played."
Tomorrow will be Penn State's (12-2, 23-2) first return visit to Ann Arbor since that loss, but any revenge from last year's match was probably taken care of when Penn State defeated Michigan in State College, 15-5, 15-1, 15-9, on Oct. 5.
With a victory over Michigan State last week, the Lady Lions split their season series with the Spartans, and the two teams are now tied atop the Big Ten standings.
During the same road trip that took them to Penn State earlier this season, the Wolverines were swept by Ohio State, 15-9, 15-1, 15-6.
The Buckeyes (11-3, 22-3) have an 18-match winning streak over Michigan dating back to 1987.
Ohio State is led by the current Big Ten Player of the Week, Venessa Wouters.
The junior outside hitter ranks fourth nationally with a 6.11 kills per game average.
In Ohio State's first meeting with Michigan, Wouters had 18 kills, and the Buckeyes outhit the Wolverines, .365 to .068.
"The reality is we're just playing two very good teams," Giovanazzi said. "Two teams that are going to go to the tournament and probably find themselves in the final eight or final four. It's a real challenge."