Wisconsin athletics has had good fortunes against the best teams in the country over the years, most recently beating No. 1 Ohio State in football and basketball.
The Wisconsin women’s volleyball team will look for a similar story Friday night as top-ranked Penn State comes to town.
Last weekend, the Badgers opened up Big Ten play by defeating Northwestern on the road 3-1. The Badgers weekend ended with a split Saturday, as they fell to No. 20 Illinois 3-2. Down two sets to one, the Badgers mounted a huge comeback to force a decisive fifth set but lost the final set and the match. Despite the loss, senior middle blocker Mary Ording said a split last weekend isn’t necessarily a disappointment.
“The Big Ten is always going to be good,” Ording said. “Yeah, we might’ve been able to beat them [Illinois], and come home with two. A split in the Big Ten is OK. We’ll take that. It’s the first weekend of the Big Ten.”
The Badgers rank third in the conference in blocks per set at 2.77 and third in digs per set at 16.02. Wisconsin also ranks fourth in opponent hitting percentage at .158, fifth in hitting percentage at .264 and fifth in kills per set at 14.13.
“Northwestern on the road was a big win,” Wisconsin coach Pete Waite said of last weekend. “At Illinois in the fourth [set], we were nearly down and out and we came back and battled back to the fifth. That’s what we have to learn, to be more consistent in our serve receive, tougher in our serving throughout the game and we will give some other teams fits when we do that.”
Penn State comes to UW having won its last six matches, including victories over No. 3 Nebraska and Iowa last weekend. Penn State is one of only three Big Ten teams that are 2-0 after the first weekend of conference play. In all matches this season, the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage at .132 and rank second in the conference in blocks per set at 2.93.
Sophomore setter Micha Hancock averages 11.49 assists per set and also has a team-best 27 service aces on the season. Sophomore libero Dominique Gonzalez leads Penn State with 3.16 digs per set. Junior outside hitter Ariel Scott leads the team with 3.71 kills per set. Junior Katie Slay, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker, has recorded 2.45 kills per set while leading the team in hitting percentage at .457 and blocks per set at 1.40.
“Penn State is a more mature team,” Waite said. “They were young and we were young last year. Last year they were a team that made more errors than they had in the past [because] they lost some great All-Americans that controlled the ball, so now their players are maturing more and doing similar things.”
Penn State leads the all time series against Wisconsin 38-7, including a 15-6 mark in Madison. Penn State beat Wisconsin 3-0 in State College last season, but the Badgers returned the favor in a 3-2 upset of Penn State in Madison.
Waite said last year’s victory over Penn State will help them against the Nittany Lions this year.
“It’s a confidence thing,” Waite said. “You know you’ve done it. You walk on the court and go after it again. It doesn’t matter what a team’s ranking is. If anything, the target is on their back. It’s always easier chasing a team than being chased.”
Badgers welcome No. 22 Buckeyes to Field House
Ohio State comes in ranked 22nd in the country with a 10-4 overall record. However, the Buckeyes have lost three of their last five matches, all to ranked opponents. Ohio State is 1-1 in Big Ten play, beating Iowa in straight sets and then losing to No. 3 Nebraska 3-1.
Senior outside hitter Mari Hole leads Ohio State with 3.94 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Mariah Booth leads the team in hitting percentage at .349 and also adds 2.19 kills per set. Senior setter Amanda Peterson averages 8.71 assists per set, while junior libero Davionna DiSalvatore leads the team with 3.58 digs per set. Thomas said it will be important for the Badgers to put the Nittany Lions game behind them, win or lose, to be prepared for Ohio State.
“It’s something that every other team has to do,” Thomas said. “You play two teams in a weekend. You play one match, you sleep on it, you wake up and the next day is a new day and you have someone else you have to play and work hard for. No matter if we win or lose [Friday]; the next day is just as important as that first day.”
Waite said the Big Ten home opener will be a factor for the weekend’s matches.
“[The players] will be excited,” Waite said. “I don’t need to do any sort of pep talk, because when these teams come to town they know it’s go time, and they [need] to be ready to go. So, I think the environment creates that high-level of play right away.”
