The Wisconsin volleyball team (6-0 Big Ten, 14-1 overall) takes to the road this weekend with trips to No. 11 Minnesota and Iowa for two Big Ten tests.
The Badgers are slated to take on Minnesota (5-1, 12-4) on Friday night, who currently sits alone in third place in the Big Ten. The Gophers are coming off their first conference loss, suffered last weekend at No. 3 Penn State. The loss snapped an eight-game Big Ten win streak dating back to last season.
The Badgers will face a combined defense that ranks higher than theirs for the first time all season. Minnesota currently puts up almost 3.5 stuffs and digs over 16 balls per game while holding its opponents to only .134 hitting.
“They’re a good enough team where you can’t really key on people you just have to slow them down,” head coach Pete Waite said.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year frontrunner Brook Dieter has stepped in big for the Gophers and leads the team in kills with 4.02 a game. Junior outside hitter Kayla Roehrig adds 3.81 kills per game and brings incredible size to the block. Senior middle hitter Jessy Jones leads the league in blocks per game with 1.73 and also adds 2.76 kills to the potent Minnesota offense.
“We’re definitely focused,” Wisconsin senior setter Jackie Simpson said. “Just like any team in the Big Ten, they are the next game and we want to keep our [undefeated] streak going.”
The Badgers will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, Saturday night to take on the Hawkeyes. Iowa (1-5, 9-8) is currently in the basement of the league standings, but its single Big Ten victory was over No. 15 Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“Iowa is the kind of team that some people might overlook but we respect because they’ve got some nice players on the floor,” Waite said. “The players know win or lose on Friday night that they’ve got to get out there and play a great match on Saturday.”
Iowa is led by sophomore Megan Shipper, who averages 3.18 kills per game. Sophomore setter Kiley Fister runs the offense and averages 7.25 assists per game for the Hawkeyes.
Wisconsin has dominated the series against Iowa, winning the last 24 meetings.
The Badgers are riding high off their first two home Big Ten victories in as many tries over Purdue and Indiana last weekend. Wisconsin remains tied for first place in the Big Ten with perennial powerhouse No. 3 Penn State.
Six Wisconsin players average more than two kills per game. Sophomore outside hitter Brittney Dolgner leads Wisconsin in kills per game, boosting her average to 4.59 after last weekend’s wins. Senior Jackie Simpson runs the Wisconsin offense and tallies just under 13 assists each game—ranking second in the Big Ten.
As if the Badger-Gopher rivalry wasn’t enough, Friday’s game at the U of M Sports Pavilion offers the first 20 points available in the TDS Border Battle Cup, awarded annually to the school who wins the most head-to-head matches.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 34-25, including both of last year’s matchups. The Badgers have not won in Minneapolis since the 2001 season.
Game times for both road matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
