The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team (8-2 Big Ten, 16-3 overall) faces off against the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions in an attempt to gain some ground in the Big Ten. With Penn State only having a two-match lead over the Badgers, this Friday's game will have huge Big Ten title implications.
UW will look for revenge after having their 15-match home winning streak snapped by Penn State in early October. The Badgers were defeated 30-21, 30-25, 30-22 in front of the third-largest UW crowd ever.
The Badgers are coming off a 3-2 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor, their first to the Wolverines since 1996, a span of 17 straight games. UW had four players in double-figure digs to finish with 70 in the match. Sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Wack upped her double-figure streak to 50 matches with 18 digs, while junior libero Amanda Berkley dug up 11 attacks. Junior middle blocker Maria Carlini and sophomore libero Megan Mills both had 10 digs each. Carlini also lead the team with 29 kills, with senior middle blocker Sheila Shaw and freshman outside hitter Audra Jeffers having 15 and 14 each. UW will look to rebound against Penn State, a team coming in with a perfect Big Ten record of 10-0.
Penn State is coming off of a 3-0 win against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, and will look to continue their success against the Badgers. Senior libero Kaleena Walters lead the team with 18 digs, and freshman outside hitter Nicole Fawcett added in 11 kills. The Nittany Lions have swept their last eight opponents, including the Badgers, and will look to continue their dominance over the Big Ten.
Fawcett also leads the squad with 4.46 kills per game, and freshman middle hitter Christa Harmotto adds 3.03 kills per game with three other players averaging more than 2.00 per game. Senior setter Sam Tortorello dishes out a league-leading 13.36 assists per game and Walters provides a team-high 4.71 digs per game. Harmotto and sophomore middle hitter Melissa Walbridge top the squad with 1.51 and 1.24 blocks per game, respectively, and junior middle hitter Cassy Salyer chips in 0.96 blocks per game. As a team, Penn State is hitting .301 with 16.36 kills per game, 1.23 service aces per game, 15.51 digs per game and 3.41 blocks per game.
Statistically the Badgers rank right up at the top with the Nittany Lions. Wack leads the team with 4.55 digs per game, with Carlini adding in 2.58 digs per game. Carlini also leads the team in kills per game, with 3.45. Senior outside hitter Aubrey Meierotto, whom the Badgers were without at Ann Arbor, is a close second with 3.36 kills per game. Sophomore setter Jackie Simpson posts an average of 11.38 assists per game. Senior middle hitter Sheila Shaw tops the squad in blocking with 1.69 blocks per game as sophomore middle blocker Taylor Reineke posts 1.66 blocks per game. As a team, Wisconsin is hitting .271 with 16.12 kills per game, 1.37 service aces per game, 16.15 digs per game and 3.64 blocks per game.
Whoever wins this weekend's match will have the momentum and confidence on their side as both teams head into the home stretch of their Big Ten schedules. With the Nittany Lions only two matches ahead, this would be a prime time for the Badgers to pull off an upset. However, if Penn State cruises through this match like they have their last eight, then the Big Ten might have its champion already.
'??uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
