Wednesday, November 18
Huff Hall, Champaign, Ill.
8 p.m.
Wisconsin Badgers
at
#18 Illinois
Photo by: Greg Anderson
This week in Badger Volleyball
November 17, 2015 | Volleyball
Wisconsin faces two top-20 teams
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The No. 10 Badgers (20-6, 12-4 Big Ten) count down the Big Ten season with only four matches remaining in the regular season. Wisconsin plays two top-20 teams this week as it travels to No. 18 Illinois (18-9, 9-7) on Wednesday for a Big Ten Network match at 8 p.m., from Huff Hall in Champaign.
         UW returns home to host No. 16 Ohio State (21-7, 10-6) on Sunday at 1 p.m. from the UW Field House.
SUNDAY IS SENIOR DAY
Wisconsin celebrates Senior Day on Sunday, honoring senior Taylor Morey in post-match ceremonies. Stick around after the match to honor the Badgers' only senior!
MOREY FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Senior Taylor Morey was named a top-10 finalist for the Senior CLASS award on Friday. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
    To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Morey, a 5-6 libero, is the first Wisconsin volleyball player recognized since the award was begun in 2010 and the only Big Ten player in the top 10. VOTE for Taylor daily until Dec. 7
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NEAR SWEEP OF B1G AWARDS FOR BADGERS
It was a near sweep as the Badgers claimed three of the four Big Ten Player of the Week awards. Sophomore Kelli Bates was named the co-player of the week, junior Lauren Carlini was honored as the setter of the week, and Tionna Williams was named freshman of the week.
   Bates picks up her first Big Ten Player of the Week award after putting together two of her best back-to-back matches. The 5-11 outside hitter had a match-high 14 kills at Michigan while hitting .400. She also tied her career best with five blocks against the Wolverines. Bates had a match-high 13 kills vs. Iowa, hitting .500. On the week, Bates averaged 4.5 kills per set while hitting .442. She also added 1.17 blocks, 2.00 digs, 0.17 aces and 0.33 assists per set.
   Carlini picks up her third setter of the week award of the season and seventh of her career. The 6-1 junior put up 36 assists in both matches, averaging 12.0 assists per set. She earned her team-best 11th double-double of the season at Michigan, leading the team with 14 digs. On the week, Carlini added 3.0 digs and 0.67 blocks per set.
   Williams earns her second freshman of the week honor after averaging 2.67 kills and 1.17 blocks per set while hitting .609 on the week. The 6-2 middle blocker had seven kills and five blocks at Michigan and hitting a career-best .818 (9 kills – 0 errors – 11 attempts) vs. Iowa on Saturday.
WIN STREAK AT EIGHT
Wisconsin extended its winning streak to eight matches with a 3-0 sweep of Iowa on Saturday. It ties the longest winning streak of the year. Â
   The Badgers have also won their last 17 sets, dating back to the Purdue match on Oct. 30. Wisconsin won 26 straight sets during the 2014 Big Ten season while the school record is 33 consecutive set wins in 2000.
   UW is now 15-1 in three-set matches this year.
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The Badgers moved up one spot to 10th AVCA Coaches Top-25 poll released Nov. 16.
   There was a shake up among the top-five teams as former No. 1 Penn State was swept at Minnesota. USC (27-1) moves up one spot to first while Washington (24-2) moves up to second. Minnesota (23-3) jumps up two spots to third while Penn State (24-3) falls to fourth. Texas (22-2) rounds out the top five. Â
   Nebraska (22-4) takes a two-spot jump to sixth with the Badgers being the next Big Ten team. Purdue (20-7) moves up two spots to 15th while Ohio State (21-7) falls two places to 16th. Illinois (18-9) also drops two places to 18th. Michigan receives votes. Complete poll
WISCONSIN MOVES UP TO SEVENTH IN NCAA RPI
The Badgers moved up two spots to seventh in the NCAA RPI, released Nov. 16. The RPI is one of the tools used by the NCAA committee to select teams to the post-season tournament.
   Minnesota (23-3) remains first for the second straight week while Texas (22-2) moves up to second. USC (27-1) falls to third with Florida (20-5) remaining fourth. Kansas (23-2) rounds out the top five.
   Wisconsin is the next Big Ten team while Penn State (24-3) falls to eighth. Nebraska (22-4) and Ohio State (21-7) round out the top-10, respectively. Illinois (18-9) falls to 22nd as the only other conference team in the top 30. NCAA RPI
RACE FOR BIG TEN TITLE
The Big Ten may be the toughest it has ever been with every team having at least one conference loss. With only four matches remaining, Minnesota leads the league at 15-1 while Penn State and Nebraska are two games behind at 13-3. Wisconsin is fourth at 12-4. Seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches poll, the most teams from any one conference. 2015 Big Ten Standings
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| MINN | PSU | NEB | WIS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 18 | MD | at MINN | IND | at ILL |
| Nov. 21/22 | at PUR | MD | at MICH | OSU |
| Nov. 25 | OSU | NU | ILL | RU |
| Nov. 28 | at IND | at NEB | PSU | at PUR |
THE MONSTER IN THE MIDDLE
Junior Haleigh Nelson has been on fire with her hitting the last six matches. The 6-4 middle blocker is hitting .505 percent over the stretch, averaging 3.26 kills and 1.37 blocks per set.
   Nelson's great attacking has moved her into the lead in Big Ten-only matches, hitting .414. In all matches, she ranks second in the Big Ten with a hitting percentage of .409. She has hit better than .500 in 10 matches this season and better than .400 in 15 matches.
HITTING GOES UP
Behind Nelson, the Badgers are hitting .334 over the last six matches. Wisconsin hit a season-best .424 against Iowa on Saturday, which ranks fourth on the UW single match record list under 25-point rally scoring. The Badgers have hit better than or near .300 the last four matches. 2015 UW Statistics
   UW hit .365 against Michigan State on Nov. 8; .311 against Michigan on Nov. 6; .295 at Michigan on Nov. 11 and .424 vs. Iowa on Saturday.
   On the season, the Badgers rank third in the Big Ten at .264. That figure goes up to .274 in conference-only matches, which ranks second.Â
BADGER BLOCK
UW outblocked Michigan 13-7 on Nov. 11, tying a season high for stuffs in a three-set match, averaging 4.3 blocks per set. The Badgers also had 13 blocks in three sets at Creighton on Sept. 19.
   Junior Haleigh Nelson had a season-high eight blocks, including two solos. Sophomore Kelli Bates tied her career best with five stops.
   Wisconsin also outblocked Iowa 8-2 on Saturday and has outblocked 17 opponents this season and is 15-2 when recording more blocks.
   The Badgers rank third in the Big Ten this year with 2.77 blocks per set.
CONTROLLING THE BALL
One area that the Badgers have improved upon is their ball control. Over the eight-match winning streak, Wisconsin is outdigging its opponents 15.00–12.46.
   UW has outdug 22 of 26 foes this season, including the last 11 in a row. Wisconsin averages 15.45 digs per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten. Â
OPPONENT HITTING GOES DOWN
As the Badgers blocking and defense has gone up, opponent hitting has gone down the last five matches. Opponents are hitting just .087 the last five matches with no foe hitting better than .138.
   Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in conference-only matches with an opponent hitting percentage of .163. In all matches, UW ranks second at .157.
   Only seven opponents, including five Big Ten foes, have hit better than .200 against the Badgers this season. Â
BADGER BLOCKING DUO
Wisconsin has the best middle blocking pair in the Big Ten. Freshman Tionna Williams ranks third in the conference with 1.33 blocks per set while junior Haleigh Nelson is fifth with 1.26 blocks per set.
   Williams is the top freshman in the conference in blocks per set (1.33) and hitting percentage (.317). She also ranks fifth in kills per set (2.17) among rookies.
HITTING DUO
Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two Big Ten schools that have two hitters who rank in the top 15 in the conference in kills per set.
   Sophomore Kelli Bates ranks 12th in the league with 3.21 kills per set while sophomore Lauryn Gillis ranks 13th with 3.16 kills per set. Only four total kills separates the duo on the season, 292 - 288.
CARLINI COUNTING DOWN TO 1,000 DIGS
Junior Lauren Carlini needs just 28 digs for 1,000 in her career. The 6-1 setter will become the 16th Badger to earn a grand saves.
   On the UW career record list, Carlini already ranks fifth in assists per set (11.36), sixth in total assists (3,838) and tied for eighth in digs per set (2.88).
   She would be the third UW setter to record more than 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs, following Laura Abbinante (5,833 assists/1,246 digs) and Janelle Gabrielsen (3,426/1,118).
SEASON RECORDS COULD FALL
Juniors Lauren Carlini and Haleigh Nelson are on track to break their own UW season records under 25-point rally scoring for assists per set and hitting percentage, respectively.
   Carlini is averaging 11.80 assists per set while Nelson is hitting .409. Freshman Tionna Williams is also leading the season list with 1.33 blocks per set.
   As a team, Wisconsin is on track to break its season record for assists per set (13.55) and blocks per set (2.77).
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| Â UW Season Records-Individual | |||
| Hitting % (400 att. min.) | |||
| 1. | Â Haleigh Nelson | Â .409 (230-39-467)Â Â | Â 2015 |
| 2. | Â Haleigh Nelson | Â .359 (260-62-551) | Â 2014 |
| Â Assists per set | |||
| Â 1. | Â Lauren Carlini | Â 11.80 (1174 in 91) | Â 2015 |
| Â 2. | Â Lauren Carlini | Â 11.23 (1292 in 115) | Â 2014 |
| Â Blocks per set | |||
| Â 1. | Â Tionna Williams | Â 1.33 (116 in 87) | Â 2015 |
| Â Haleigh Nelson | Â 1.33 | Â 2014 | |
| Â 3. | Â Haleigh Nelson | Â 1.26 | Â 2015 |
| Â UW Season Records-Team | ||
| Â Assists per set | ||
| Â 1. | Â 13.55 (1233 in 91) | Â 2015 |
| Â 2. | Â 13.37 (1551 in 116)Â | Â 2014 |
| Â Blocks per set | ||
| Â 1. | Â 2.77 (252.5 in 91) | Â 2015 |
| Â 2. | Â 2.61 (303.0 in 116) | Â 2014 |
BADGERS ON TRACK FOR SEASON-BEST ATTENDANCE
Wisconsin has four sell outs of 6,012 this season and has drawn more than 4,000 fans in 11 of 13 homes matches this year.
   The Badgers rank third nationally with 4,960 fans per match, which would rank second all time at UW. The average goes up to 5,472 for Big Ten matches, which would also rank second all time.
   Wisconsin sold out its 2015 reserved seats in the UW Field House. For the year, 2,651 season tickets were sold, an increase of nearly 1,000 tickets from 2014. The Badgers sold 1,667 season tickets in 2014.
WISCONSIN IN THE NATIONAL STATS
Wisconsin ranks 14th nationally with 13.55 assists per set, according to the NCAA stats released Nov. 16. UW is also 18th in blocks per set (2.77), 18th in kills per set (14.26), 18th in opponent hitting percentage (.158), 21st in hitting percentage (.268), and 36th in W/L percentage (.769). The Badgers rank in the top 50 in every categories except service aces and digs per set.
   Individually, Lauren Carlini is seventh nationally with 11.80 assists per set. Haleigh Nelson is 17th in hitting percentage (.409) and 43rd in blocks per set (1.26). Tionna Williams is 29th in blocks per set (1.33). Taylor Morey ranks 89th in digs per set (4.52). National Statistics
CARLINI, BADGERS LEAD BIG TEN
Junior Lauren Carlini leads the Big Ten with 11.80 assists per set while the Badgers lead the league with 13.55 assists per set this season. Wisconsin also took over the top spot in kills per set with 14.26.
   In Big Ten-only matches, UW leads the conference in kills per set (14.02), assists per set (13.39) and opponent hitting percentage (.163). Carlini also leads the league with 11.82 assists in conference play while junior Haleigh Nelson has the top hitting percentage at .414. 2015 Big Ten Statistics
COUNTING DOWN
Four Badgers are counting down to career milestones.
- Junior Lauren Carlini is 13 aces away from 100 scores and 28 digs away from 1,000 saves.
- Sophomore Lauryn Gillis needs 12 kills for 300 putaways at UW. She is also 11 digs away from 200 saves at Wisconsin.
- Senior Taylor Morey will reach 1,400 digs as a Badger with eight saves.
- Freshman Tionna Williams needs 11 kills for 200 scores as a Badger.
I GOT THAT!
Two Badgers passed career milestones last week against Michigan and Michigan State.
- Junior Lauren Carlini needs one kill for 300 career putaways.
- Sophomore Kelli Bates hit career kill No. 600 at Michigan on Wednesday. Â
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Illinois
The No. 18 Illini (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten) have won five of their last six matches with their only loss coming at No. 14 Ohio State 3-1 last Wednesday. Illinois got back on the winning track with a 3-0 home win over Rutgers on Saturday.
   Senior Jocelynn Birks, a 6-2 outside hitter, leads the team with 4.02 kills per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten. Junior Michelle Strizak, a 6-1 outside, adds 3.23 kills per set. Junior Katie Stadick, a 6-3 middle blocker, chips in 2.61 kills per set while leading the team with .314 hitting percentage. Stadick also ranks second on the team with 1.15 blocks per set, ranking only behind freshamn Ali Bastianelli, a 6-3 middle blocker, who has a team-best 1.28 blocks per set. Junior Katie Roustio, a 6-2 outside hitter, adds 2.44 kills per set.
   Freshman Jordyn Poulter, a 6-2 setter, puts up 10.52 assists per set while adding 2.30 digs per set. Senior Ali Stark, a 6-1 opposite hitter, has a team-best 22 service aces or 0.23/set.
   Sophomore Brandi Donnelly, a 5-8 libero, has a team-best 4.41 digs per set while adding 14 service aces (0.14/set).
vs. Illinois
Illinois leads 47-34-1
In Champaign: Illinois leads 22-13
In 2015: The Badgers downed the Illini 3-1 in Madison on Sept. 30.
The Streak: Wisconsin looks to sweep Illinois for the second straight year after winning both matches in 2014. UW has won four of the last five matches.
Ohio State
The No. 16 Buckeyes (21-7, 10-6) have dropped five of thier last seven matches, including fall to Michigan 3-0 last Saturday. Ohio State had won two straight, including a win over No. 16 Illinois on Nov. 11.
    Senior Elizabeth Campbell, a 6-2 outside hitter, leads the team with 3.67 kills per set. Junior Taylor Sandbothe, a 6-2 middle blocker, adds 2.93 kills per set while leading the team with 1.23 blocks per set and a .375 hitting percentage. Freshman Audra Appold, a 6-1 outside hitter, adds 2.66 kills per set.
   The Buckeyes run a 6-2 offense with Taylor Hughes, a 6-1 freshman, and Emily Reutter, a 5-11 senior, sharing setter duties. Hughes averages 8.75 assists per set while Ruetter puts up 5.34 assists per set.
   Junior Valeria Leon, a 5-6 libero, leads the Buckeyes with 4.35 digs per set.
vs. Ohio State
Ohio State leads 37-35
In Madison: Ohio State leads 18-16
In 2015: The Buckeyes edged the Badgers, 3-2, in Columbus on Sept. 27.
The Streak: OSU's win in September ended a five-match winning streak by Wisconsin.
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