Coming off back-to-back wins at the field house this past weekend, No. 3 Wisconsin (10-2 Big Ten, 18-3 overall) will put its current three-match win streak on the line against a pair of Big Ten rivals this week.
The Badgers will begin play on the road as they travel to Columbus for a Wednesday night matchup with No. 22 Ohio State (5-7, 15-9). Then, after a quick turnaround, the team will return home to host Purdue (4-8, 14-9) this Saturday.
After effectively containing star blocker Haleigh Washington in the victory over Penn State, Wisconsin will be charged with a very similar task in defending Taylor Sandbothe of Ohio State. A senior middle blocker, Sandbothe boasts an impressive array of skills which can impact all facets of the game. With a team-high 337 kills to her name this season, Sandbothe has asserted herself as a dominant offensive force and prolific scorer. In addition to her prodigious point production, Sandbothe also offers an imposing defensive presence, averaging a team-high 1.10 blocks per set to go along with 26 service aces.
To complement Sandbothe, the Buckeyes feature a bevy of weapons, including sophomore setter Taylor Hughes as well as sophomore outside hitter Audra Appold. As a team, OSU is second in the conference in both hitting percentage and digs, while it holds the top spot in assists.
Although it is less talented than the Badgers for the most part, Ohio State should by no means be taken lightly. The Buckeyes certainly have considerable talent and, as the school responsible for handing top-ranked Nebraska its only loss, they do not back down from the big stage.
The Purdue Boilermakers, who will visit the UW Field House Saturday night, have had an up and down season, with most of their downs coming in conference play. Purdue started its season strong, playing well through most of the non-conference schedule, even earning a spot the top 15 in the college volleyball rankings early in the year. Soon after Big Ten season got underway, the Boilermakers’ engine stalled, and things turned ugly in a hurry. Before picking up a win over Indiana a short time ago, Purdue had dropped four consecutive matches, falling out of Big Ten title contention completely.
Though they’ve fallen on hard times of late, the Boilermakers have shown some flashes on offense. Junior middle blocker Danielle Cuttino averages 4.00 kills per set, while redshirt senior middle blocker Faye Adelaja averages a .378 attack percentage, fifth-highest in the Big Ten.
Since offense will be the strong suit for both upcoming opponents, Wisconsin must stand tall defensively. Following a stretch of rather subpar defensive performances, that area of the game may be returning to form for the Badgers, who showed signs of the stalwart defense of earlier in the season. Despite holding both of the last two opponents to fairly low hitting percentages, the Badgers’ blocking continues to lag, as they have been out-blocked in five of their last six matches and out-dug in four of the previous six contests. If the Badgers can rectify themselves defensively, they can strip Purdue and Ohio State of their biggest strength.
First serve of the Ohio State match is set for this Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and will be televised on The Big Ten Network, and the Badgers will take on Purdue from the Field House at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
