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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Monday, March 18, 2024

Badgers look to keep up momentum with matches against OSU and Maryland

After beating No. 12 Purdue and Indiana last weekend, the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (11-5 Big Ten, 18-6 overall) jumped up a spot in the national polls. With a road trip east to face Ohio State and Maryland this weekend, the Badgers have a chance to keep the positive momentum rolling as the regular season winds down.

Wisconsin heads first to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-13, 12-16) in a matchup that heavily favors the Badgers. Wisconsin’s middle blockers, senior Tionna Williams and sophomore Dana Rettke, should have the edge over a much shorter Buckeyes roster that features just one player — Vanja Bukilic — over 6 feet, 4 inches.

The two clubs faced off earlier this season at the UW Field House with UW taking all three sets by a score of 25-19, 25-17, 25-15. Ohio State has struggled mightily with strong opponents this season; they’re 1-7 against teams currently ranked in the top 25, the lone win coming at home over No. 7 Penn State. The Buckeyes enter Friday night’s matchup riding an eight-game losing streak.

The Badgers face a quick turnaround Saturday morning as they head further east to College Park to face the Maryland Terrapins (8-8, 17-11) for the first time this season. Maryland has managed to stay afloat in the arduous Big Ten this season. The Terrapins are coming off a strong weekend where they swept both then-No. 14 Michigan and Ohio State on the road. However, Maryland is yet to defeat a ranked team at home this season.

Wisconsin currently sits in a tie with Nebraska for fourth place in the Big Ten. While No. 3 Minnesota has all but wrapped up a conference championship with a 16-0 record, sole possession of third place is still a realistic finish for the Badgers.

As Wisconsin faces a light schedule to finish the season, the Badgers will want to focus on winning one match at a time to try to overcome Penn State and Nebraska in the final standings. 

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