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[/media-credit]Riding a 13-match winning streak, the No. 8 Wisconsin volleyball team (16-1, 8-0 Big Ten) will be playing for sole possession of the Big Ten lead when it faces No. 2 Penn State (16-2, 8-0) Sunday afternoon.
However, in order to ensure that their match against the Nittany Lions will be for the conference lead, the Badgers are going to have to take care of unranked Ohio State (8-9, 2-6) first.
With a matchup of that magnitude on the horizon, it might be seem natural to overlook the struggling Buckeye team. Nevertheless, head coach Pete Waite is confident that his team will be focused when his team hits the court Friday night.
“We talk about in practice all week that we have two matches to play,” Waite said. “Being home always makes our team focus even better. We have such a veteran team that has taken losses to Ohio State in the past, that they know how hard they will have to work to get the win.”
While the Buckeyes have struggled to start the season, Wisconsin knows that Ohio State is better than its record indicates.
“[Ohio State has] struggled coming out, but we are definitely not taking them for granted,” senior setter Jackie Simpson said. “They have a strong program and a great coach.”
If the Badgers are going to be successful against the Buckeyes, they are going to have to find away to slow down Danielle Meyer. To date, Meyer leads the team with 4.19 kills per game and 1.37 blocks per game.
“Meyer is a kind of player you don’t necessarily stop,” Waite said. “You try to slow her down and try to limit the other players, because she is so good. She is one the most competitive players in the conference.”
After facing the Buckeyes Friday, the Badgers will get a day off to prepare for the big Sunday match.
With their win last year at the Field House over Penn State, the Badgers ended their six-match losing streak against the Nittany Lions. Because of the victory, Wisconsin is confident about facing Penn State — a team it had traditionally struggled to beat.
“It just creates a different mentality,” Simpson said of the last year’s victory. “Before it was always like the almighty Penn State, and (we) feared them. Now we are focused. We know it can be done and that we can do it.
“But also we are not walking in saying, ‘We beat them in three, we can walk all over them.'”
With both teams atop the Big Ten standings, this match means a little more to players, as a victory will help them claim that elusive conference championship.
“That Big Ten title has always been in the back of our mind since freshmen year,” Simpson said. “Now we are kind of seeing it as a reality. Just going into this match we know it’s kind of on the line this time versus just trying to get the win. I think there is that extra motivation to just really focus in.”
However, the four-time defending Big Ten champions are not going to go down lightly. Like UW, Penn State has a very balanced offense with three players — Nicole Fawcett (4.72), Megan Hodge (4.47) and Christa Harmotto (3.14) — averaging over three kills per game.
For the Badgers to be successful at limiting the impact of their top three players, Wisconsin is going to have to be strong at the net.
“You have to put up a good block and play some defense around it,” Waite said. “You have to have total focus throughout the match. There is not a time where you can let up against a team like Penn State.”
Beside the play on the court, the Badgers will have an advantage over the Nittany Lions off the court. Wisconsin has always drawn well for home matches. However, Sunday’s match against Penn State is expected to be close to a sellout, which would mean more than 10,000 fans would be in attendance trying to cheer the team to another win.
“Sometimes people say that the crowd is like the seventh player on the court,” senior co-captain Taylor Reineke said. “They can really pick you up and turn around the momentum (of the match). Especially when this place gets packed and gets loud, it helps us out so much."
