During the Wisconsin volleyball team’s recent home stand the Badgers beat two top-10 teams in a row for the first time in program history, knocking down then-No. 5 Michigan State Sunday and No. 7 Minnesota Wednesday. While their match against Illinois (4-5 Big Ten, 8-11 overall) won’t feature another top foe, the Badgers still look to play at a high level.
While the Illini’s record may not seem frightening, they have stunned top ranked opponents both at home and on the road, including No 14 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State
If the Badgers (6-3, 17-4) can’t execute on a high level defensively, Illinois offensive standout sophomore Jocelynn Birks will make them pay. Birks ranks sixth in the Big Ten in both kills and points.
However, if UW plays on the same level that they did against Michigan State and Minnesota, they should be able to handle the Illini’s underwhelming team performance. Against Minnesota the Badgers had four players in double digits for kills, as well as three players with more than 15 digs.
Some Badgers to watch for in Sunday’s matchup are the freshman duo of setter Lauren Carlini and middle blocker Haleigh Nelson. Carlini notched 49 assists against Minnesota, one shy of her season high. Nelson hit for an incredible .500 hitting percentage against the Gophers, .164 higher than her season average. The setter/hitter combo had success against a daunting Minnesota defense, so they have the potential for even better match against the Illini defense.
Defensively, watch out for senior libero Annemarie Hickey, who had a team-record 27 digs against Michigan State. After being hampered by an ankle injury earlier in the season, Hickey has been getting back into form the last few matches.
