The Iowa volleyball team will have two more tough matches this weekend when Michigan State and No. 16 Michigan come to town.

The Spartans (11-14, 3-11) and Hawkeyes (6-17, 1-13) will face off at 7 p.m. today in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and the Wolverines (21-5, 10-4) will come to Iowa City on Saturday after a road contest at No. 22 Minnesota tonight.

This weekend’s objectives for Iowa are to break the team’s 11-match losing streak, or to at least win a few sets. Currently, the team has lost 17-straight sets since winning the third set in a five-set loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 22.

If Iowa is to win either match, tonight’s would be a much more likely victory. Michigan State has a six-match losing streak of its own, including an Oct. 23 loss to Indiana — the only Big Ten school the Hawkeyes have defeated so far this season.

Iowa is down to its last six matches for the season, four of which will be in Iowa City. The struggling Hawkeyes have to play three ranked teams in those final games and two other squads currently receiving votes in the poll.

— by Ian Martin