The Wisconsin volleyball team returns home this weekend, facing Indiana (2-4 Big Ten, 14-4 overall) and Purdue (4-2 Big Ten, 13-4 overall) at the UW-Fieldhouse. The Badgers play the Hoosiers on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Boilermakers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Both of these opponents are coming off two big wins against Ohio State and former No. 4 Penn State last weekend. The Badgers, meanwhile, are still searching for their first Big Ten Conference win.
The Badgers tried a different offense, reverting to a 6-2 set-up against Michigan State in the third set last week, finding success. Senior setter Jessa Benson set out of the back row opposite of junior setter Janelle Gabrielsen, who stayed in the front row to hit.
""We are really trying to keep the other defense guessing,"" Gabrielsen said, commenting on how she believes the team can overcome early obstacles this season and get a Big Ten win under their belts.
Gabrielsen has been a big contributor to the Badgers offense, as she averages over 10 assists per set and has a hitting percentage of .361. She had 10 kills in the match against MSU, which came from her strategic dumps.
When Gabrielsen switches styles in the game, opposing blockers on the other side are forced to guess what her next move is, which gives her the advantage.
Freshman outside hitter/ defensive specialist Annemarie Hickey had a breakout performance against the Spartans last weekend, grabbing her first career double-double of 15 kills and 10 digs. Hickey has mostly been playing as a defensive specialist for the Badgers, but it seems that she will be getting some more action in the front row with her performance last weekend.
""The freshmen definitely stepped it up this year,"" Gabrielsen said. Freshman outside hitter Elise Walch has contributed big numbers to the team this year, as she currently leads the team with 3.18 kills per set.
Additionally, senior libero Kim Kuzma has been racking up the digs, as she just became the fourth UW-Madison player to record more than 1,300 career digs with her match play on Saturday. She just needs 83 more digs to move into third all time, which definitely seems manageable with Kuzma averaging 4.69 digs per set.
The Badgers are going to have tough competition against Indiana who are led by senior middle blocker Ashley Benson and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Haverly.
The Hoosiers beat both Ohio State and Penn State by 3-1 scores last weekend, but before those matches, they had lost four straight in conference play.
Meanwhile, the Boilermakers are led by sophomore outside hitter Ariel Turner, who ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.39 kills per set.
Students can catch a deal for Sunday's match against Purdue— $1 admission— by bringing their ticket stub from the weekend's football game against Ohio State.
