It is the start of Act II of the ongoing drama known as Big Ten volleyball for the Wisconsin Badgers. UW has already played — and beaten — every conference opponent this season, and when the team heads to Ohio State and Penn State this weekend, it will mark the second time around these teams have faced off.
Three weeks ago at the Field House, the Badgers (16-2, 10-0 Big Ten) swept Penn State 30-23, 30-19, 30-21 and repeated this feat the next night by sweeping then-undefeated Ohio State 30-25, 30-28, 30-16.
Wisconsin is currently riding on a 14-match win streak and has swept their last eight conference opponents three games to none. This weekend will mark the second-straight weekend on the road, and head coach Pete Waite is impressed with his team’s poise thus far.
“I think this team plays very well on the road”, said Waite. “I think they get to places and they are very relaxed. We want the team to be fresh and feel healthy on the court, so we are lightening up practices a little bit.”
The tenth-ranked Buckeyes (17-1, 9-1 Big Ten) are looking to avenge their only loss when they play host to the Badgers Friday night. Currently alone in second place, OSU will be looking to beat Wisconsin in Columbus for the first time in three years. UW has won seven of the last nine meetings, including the last four at Columbus.
Leading the charge for Ohio State is true freshman Stacey Gordon. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter is second on the team with 4.06 kills per game and leads the team in digs with 3.77 per game. At the front of the net, senior Erin Baker, a 6-1 middle blocker, is hitting .437 while blocking 1.02 shots per game. Setting up most all of the Buckeyes’ scoring opportunities has been 5-9 setter Katie Virtue, who is averaging 13.32 assists per game.
One factor that was not present in the last meeting will be OSU senior Anne Botica. Botica, a 6-1 outside hitter, sat out in OSU’s Oct. 6 loss at Wisconsin due to an injury. Now back in full swing, Botica leads the team with 4.28 kills per game.
Saturday night, the Badgers will face off with the No. 13 Nittany Lions (14-4, 7-3 Big Ten). PSU, which was the preseason favorite to take the Big Ten, has fallen to third in the conference after losing to OSU, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Pacing Penn State is sophomore Cara Smith. The 6-foot-1 middle blocker leads the team with 1.44 blocks per game while hitting .402.
Offensively, senior outside hitter Kate Schumacher leads the team with 4.62 kills per game while junior outside hitter Mishka Levy is right behind Schumacher with 3.04 kills per game. From behind the serving line, sophomore Jess Hayden is averaging 0.47 aces per game while assisting in 11.66 of the Lion’s scores per game.
This trip will mark the 12th time that the Badgers have headed to University Park. The previous 11 tries all resulted in losses for UW.
At the helm of the Badgers’ charge for a second-straight Big Ten title is senior middle blocker Sherisa Livingston. Livingston, who broke the UW kills record last week against Minnesota, is leading the team with 5.31 kills per game and with a .456 hitting percentage thus far this year.
Setting up most of Livingston’s kills is senior all-American Lizzy Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is currently second in the Big Ten with 13.31 assists per game. Offensively, junior Lori Rittenhouse is averaging .69 aces per game, which is tied for best in the Big Ten. Defensively, Rittenhouse once again leads the team with 2.75 digs per game.
Even if the Badgers lose to PSU, if they beat Ohio State they will still have sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. The road to the top will only be uphill after that.
