Five teams in the top 25. Three teams in the top 10. No team with a losing record. The Big Ten has become a menace to volleyball society this season and some shuffling will certainly take place at the top this weekend as the cream of the crop face off. Coming to the Field House in an attempt to dislodge No. 8 Wisconsin (4-0 Big Ten, 12-1 overall) from first place will be No. 18 Ohio State (2-2, 9-4) and No. 4 Penn State (4-0, 13-2).
\All of them (matches) are big in the Big Ten,"" said head coach Pete Waite. ""It's tough when you've got great teams coming in every day, [but] the ones at home you've really got to take care of.""
After two important road wins last weekend, including an emotional nail-biter against No. 22 Purdue, the Badgers have quite a bit of momentum to carry into this home stand. UW revealed a new aspect of their game versus Illinois, as they put on a serving display, tallying 11 service aces. They also showed their constant knack for being able to stage comebacks at Purdue, being down late in games one and two (winning them both) as well as winning game five after being crushed in game four.
""It shows a lot of character that even though they outdo us in every category, we still have the determination to come back and win,"" said sophomore Jocelyn Wack (22 digs in the match).
""One thing I love about our team is that we're never out of a game, no matter what,"" added senior co-captain Aubrey Meierotto, who had a team-high 19 kills.
This weekend should look hauntingly familiar to the Badgers as their current 15-match home winning streak began after losses to then-No. 20 Ohio State and then-No. 4 Penn State on the weekend of Sept.. 24-26 last season. The Buckeyes are a little worse for the wear compared to last year, at least lately, as they have lost three out of their last five matches. The attack is where OSU wins games, as they lead the conference with 16.84 kills per game. Sophomore Danielle Meyer is the focal point, as she has a team-best 5.18 kills per game. The Buckeyes possess a quirky defense, as their best diggers are their outside hitters, sophomore Ann Stevens and junior Ashley Kiel. Junior Marisa Main sets up the offense with 12.39 assists per game.
""They're both really good teams, we're definitely going have to work on a lot of passing and defense,"" said Meierotto.
""They both have tremendous setters, they have quick offenses,"" Wack added.
Following a couple of early season losses (including one to No. 1 Nebraska), Penn State has won seven straight matches en route to their current No. 4 ranking. While the Lions play a great all-around game, their biggest strength lies in their attack, owning the best hitting percentage in the Big Ten at .283. Contributing most to that percentage is sophomore Melissa Walbridge, who hits at .375 and averages 2.62 kills per game. The biggest threat to the Badger defense is towering 6'4' freshman Nicole Fawcett, who puts down 4.50 kills a game. The senior leadership comes from Sam Tortorello setting up the offense and Kaleena Walters on the defense.
Come see UW take on OSU Friday at 7:00 p.m. and PSU Saturday at 7:00 p.m. because, as Coach Waite says, ""the fans can really elevate our team's play.\
