Five things to know: No. 7 Illinois

Wednesday, October 3

Urbana-Champaign, IL

8 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

#7 Illinois

Madison Duello goes up for a kill against Rutgers

Photo by: Chad Mosley

Five things to know: No. 7 Illinois

October 02, 2018 | Volleyball

Badgers play third straight ranked opponent

Wisconsin

10-2, 3-1

Illinois

14-1, 3-1

Game Coverage

Wednesday, Oct. 3 | Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill.

MADISON, Wis. – The sixth-ranked Badgers (10-2, 3-1 B1G) continue their four-match Big Ten road swing, playing their third straight ranked team and their ninth road match of the season. Wisconsin travels to No. 7 Illinois (14-1, 3-1) on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. match from Huff Hall in Champaign, Illinois. The match airs live on the Big Ten Network.

1. BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK: After snapping its five-match winning streak with a 3-0 loss at No. 6 Minnesota on Sept. 26, its first shutout loss of the season, Wisconsin rebounded with a 3-0 sweep at No. 16 Purdue on Saturday. Minnesota was the first team to record a higher hitting percentage than the Badgers this season. The Golden Gophers hit an opponent season high .386 while Wisconsin hit a season-low .232. Purdue became the first team to out block the Badgers, finishing with a 9-6 edge at the net.

2. AMONG THE BEST IN RPI: Wisconsin is ranked ninth in the first NCAA RPI of the season, released Monday. Stanford (12-1), BYU (15-0), Illinois (14-1), USC (11-4) and Texas (8-3), respectively, make up the top five. Wisconsin is the third Big Ten team in the ranking behind Illinois and eighth-ranked Nebraska (13-1).

3. LINE UP, LINE UP; WHO'S GOT THE LINE UP?: The Badgers used their fourth different starting lineup of the 2018 season against the Boilermakers on Saturday. Wisconsin's biggest change was at libero where junior M.E. Dodge earned her first start since the 2017 non-conference season. Dodge finished with nine digs and just the fourth service ace of her career against the Boilermakers. Redshirt freshman Danielle Hart earned her fourth career start at middle blocker while senior Tionna Williams moved to right-side hitter and redshirt junior Madison Duello moved to the left side. Only sophomores Molly Haggerty, Sydney Hilley, and Dana Rettke have started all 12 matches this season.

4. LEADING THE BIG TEN: Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in blocks by opponent, allowing just 1.45 blocks per set in all matches and 1.50 blocks per set in conference-only matches. The Badgers also lead the league with 2.33 service aces per set in Big Ten-only matches. Redshirt sophomore Molly Haggerty leads the Big Ten in conference-only matches with 0.67 per set.

5. SCOUTING ILLINOIS: The Illini (14-1, 3-1) lost their first match of the season on Saturday, falling at home to No. 3 Nebraska, 3-1. Senior Jordyn Poulter leads the Big Ten with 11.62 assists per set while junior Jacqueline Quade leads the team with 4.16 kills per set. Senior Ali Bastianelli ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 1.49 blocks per set while sophomore Morgan O'Brien averages 4.16 digs per set at libero.