With the Big Ten volleyball season exactly halfway over, there continue to be a wealth of teams that can score the big wins on any given night.
Minnesota has now taken control of the conference with a 9-1 record, as Penn. State, now 8-2, was defeated in five games to Wisconsin.
There are currently four teams tied for third place with 6-4 records, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern.
Nipping at their heals is Indiana at 5-5, and a game behind them is Ohio State at 4-6 which has recently regained many of its players that were out for much of the Big Ten season due to injuries.
With 10 games to go in the season there is no guarantee that the Gophers and Nittany Lions can hold on to win a Big Ten Championship.
Minnesota’s only loss has come against Illinois, which is 3-7 in the conference, but the Gophers have been taken to five games by Wisconsin and Ohio State. The team has also shown vulnerability to teams like Iowa and Indiana.
Penn State has been beaten by Minnesota and Wisconsin and has demonstrated some shaky play as of late.
“Everybody is proving they can be at the top, but they are also proving they can take some loses,” Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said.
This season, like many recent seasons, will most likely come down to the last few weeks of play as long as a few more teams can give Minnesota some key losses.
Wisconsin wins at Penn State
This past weekend was the first time in school history UW has ever won a match on Penn State’s court.
“It’s a huge win for our program,” Waite said. “The way we’ve been playing this year has been a little erratic, and to come here and to get the first win at Penn State is great.”
The Badgers took the Nittany Lions to five games at the intimidating Rec Hall 23-30, 32-30, 21-30, 30-28, 15-10 and were able to come back to Madison with the team’s first upset of a higher-ranked team this season.
“We hope this is the one that is going to send us on the right path now,” Waite said. “They have the confidence in themselves that they can walk out and play this level of ball against anybody in the Big Ten. We have to make sure we don’t overlook anybody and respect all the teams the same way.”
Byrd earns first Player of Week
Last week Erin Byrd, along with breaking Wisconsin school records, was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week with Minnesota’s sophomore setter Lindsay Vander Well.
“It is well deserved; she has put her heart and soul into volleyball throughout the years,” tri-captain and teammate Lori Rittenhouse said. “She constantly works hard and plays through pain and does a great job out there for us.”
Byrd, the first UW player to receive this honor this season, earned the award after her career-best 29 kills against then-No. 23 Michigan State.
“That is an awesome honor for her,” Waite said. “Just for her to be the fourth player to get 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills just says a lot for her talent and that is a very difficult thing to do.”
“She came in as a freshman and really was touted for her defense and then really became a good blocker and . . . also in the past two years a great hitter. She is pretty much feared around the league just because she is so tough to stop now. She has her game going in all aspects, and she is a great weapon for us.”
