The No. 23-ranked Badger volleyball team entered the Field House contending for a piece of first place in a Big Ten conference where a half-game lead divided the top four teams. Taking a 3-2 hard-fought win over conference leader No. 15 Penn State Friday night and dissembling Saturday opponent Ohio State in four games (30-15, 26-30, 30-20, 30-22), the Badgers emerged from the weekend sharing the Big Ten lead with Minnesota and Illinois.
The Badgers won the first two games against Penn State, leading throughout a 30-26 first match and shutting down a 27-28 Nittany Lions lead in the second game by taking the decisive next three points.
Penn State went on to dominate the next two games, maintaining the lead from 13 and 4 points out, respectively, a change Wisconsin senior outside hitter Lisa Zukowski credited to a change in serving style targeting the Badgers' shoulders.
With the fifth game, the Badgers changed up the offense, subbing Zukowski for senior Jill Maier at libero and moving junior Marian Weidner to the front. The result was not immediately apparent, with Penn State going on an 8-1 run for a 10-5 lead. The game's momentum seemed with PSU when a particularly lengthy volley left Wisconsin and Penn State fans alike agape at its dramatic saves. The ralley fell to the Lions, but a comeback was in the works.
\That was a message to Penn State,"" Zukowski said. ""They might have gotten the point, but we're not giving up.""
The tide shifted with a solo block by sophomore outside hitter Audrey Meierotto for a 6-10 score and, following a kill by Penn State junior outside hitter Ashley Pederson, Wisconsin went on a 7-1 run, to which Meierotto contributed 3 kills. Weidner delivered the game point, taking the fifth game 16-14.
Head Coach Pete Waite said the team had noticeably improved its game five performance over past series and praised the shift in lineup for keeping the Badgers in the game.
""We talked in the beginning of this year that the chemistry of this year's team is better and hoped it would start showing up in important situations and it did tonight,"" Waite said. ""We've tried some different lineups, and they've been really open about just going with whatever we give them.""
The fans and players' excitement for the win was palpable throughout the Field House.
""Talk about emotions,"" said senior setter Morgan Shields after the game. ""You're up, you're down. You're happy, you're pissed.""
Against Ohio State, the Badgers managed to keep down standout junior outside hitter Stacey Gordon, who averaged 1.5 kills per game fewer against Wisconsin than her average.
""She was phenomenal,"" Waite said of Gordon. ""Fun to watch, hard to stop.""
""We definitely key on her,"" senior outside hitter Jill Odenthal added. Odenthal herself turned in a 19-kill performance in the four-game match, leading a Wisconsin offense that notched 68 kills and hit for .331 percent, the fifth-highest hitting percentage for a four-game match in UW history.
""I'm rather pleased with this win, after such an emotional match last night,"" Waite said.
