The No. 4 University of Wisconsin volleyball team will be participating in the HotelRED Invitational at the UW Field House this weekend. The tournament will also feature No. 11 Marquette (3-0), No. 17 Baylor (2-0) and unranked Syracuse (0-0).
Wisconsin (2-0) is coming off a weekend in which they dominated ACC opponents Florida State and North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Badgers won both matches in straight sets led by juniors Dana Rettke and Sydney Hilley, both of whom earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
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Rettke has continued to perform as one of the best college volleyball players, combining for 35 kills in the two matches over the weekend. Setter Sydney Hilley has helped to contribute to this success, combining for 78 assists against FSU and UNC.
The Badgers will look to continue this success into the weekend, as they will have tough battles with Marquette and Baylor the next two nights.
Marquette managed to take down BYU on the road, the Cougars’ first home loss since 2017. They also swept Boise State on Friday evening on the road.
Baylor has also impressed out of the gates in 2019, winning in straight sets against UCLA and Creighton last weekend.
Despite Wisconsin’s displays of dominance last weekend, don’t be surprised if Marquette and Baylor put up quite a fight against the Badgers, as both teams held their own in competitive matchups last week.
Wisconsin has never lost to Marquette in their storied history, including a 3–0 victory last September in a matchup in Milwaukee. The Badgers all-time record against the Golden Eagles is 20-0, and they will look to continue their winning ways in a Thursday night matchup.
In the Badgers’ only historical matchup with Baylor, Wisconsin lost in four sets on the road last September. Baylor sophomore Yossiana Pressley led that match with 32 kills, so look for her on the court this time around as Wisconsin aims to redeem themselves at home.
Baylor and Syracuse will battle it out Thursday at 4 p.m. followed by the Marquette v. Wisconsin match at 7 p.m. The invitational will conclude Friday night when Wisconsin takes on Baylor at 8 p.m. All matches will take place in the UW Field House.
