The Badgers volleybla team (11-0) open their Big Ten conference play Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 25 Ohio State (12-1) and continue Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against No. 2 Penn State (10-1) at the UW Fieldhouse. The Badgers are one of the two Big Ten teams that are still undefeated, and hope to carry their momentum forward into this weekend's matches. Their confidence and level of intensity should help them match-up well with these tough opponents.
The impressive 1.78 aces per set and balanced offensive scoring attack the Badgers have put forth so far in their season gives them the confidence they need for this weekend's matchups.
""We've raised our level of play in almost every category,"" head coach Pete Waite said when comparing the team from last year. Looking at the statistics from a year ago to the start of this season, Wisconsin has averaged more kills, assists, serving aces, digs and blocks per set.
The Badgers' defense has been led by Senior libero Kim Kuzma, who leads the team with 4.63 digs per set and has a stellar .987 reception percentage. The Wisconsin offense is led by senior outside hitter Allison Wack, who averages 3.00 kills per set and leads the team with 18 aces on the season. junior setter Janelle Gabrielson has been a key to success as her improved play of 11.31 assists per set starts out the offensive attack on the right foot. Freshman outside hitter Elise Walch leads the team with 3.23 kills per set.
The Ohio State Buckeyes completed their non-conference schedule by winning the Kennesaw State Owl Invitational last weekend. They are led by seniors Katie Dull and Anna Szerszen. Both outside hitters are averaging 3.57 and 2.37 kills per set, respectively.
While the team must play well as a whole, Wack said, two main aspects of success are that the ""block and defense have to be going.""
The Penn State Nittany Lions had their 137-match winning streak halted on Sept. 11 against No. 1 Stanford. The Nittany Lions will be behind the offensive dominance of freshman outside hitter Deja McClendon and senior outside hitter Blair Brown. The blocking force of senior middle blockers Fatima Balza and Arielle Wilson has been a strong part of Penn State's defense.
""We plan on going high off their hands and using their block,"" Wack said when asked how to get around the blocking defense.
Friday night's game is T-shirt night for UW Students, as the first 250 students will receive a free t-shirt.
""We love having a big crowd,"" sophomore middle blocker Alexis Mitchell said, ""and it's hard for other teams to come in and play when you have the student section filled all the way to the top,""
