Serving Up Six: Top 10 battle up next

#2 Wisconsin vs. #8 Kentucky	#2 Wisconsin at Marquette
Friday, Sept. 9 \| 8 p.m.	Sunday, Sept. 11 \| 4:30 p.m.
Watch on B ig Ten Network	Watch on FS1
Listen on U100.9FM	Listen on U100.9 FM
Live Stats	Live Stats
Follow on Twitter	Follow on Twitter

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin (4-0) wraps up its five-match, season-opening home stretch, hosting No. 8 Kentucky (5-1) on Friday. First serve is at 8 p.m. from the UW Field House, live on the Big Ten Network.

The Badgers take to the road for the first time this season on Sunday when they travel to in-state rival Marquette (6-0). Wisconsin and the Golden Eagles serve off at 4:30 p.m. from Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, live on FS1.

1. CLOSING IN ON A RECORD: The Badgers have won 24 straight home matches, dating back to Sept. 19, 2019, when UW fell to Washington, 3-0. The school record is 25 straight matches won from 1999-2001.

2. THERE'S NO WINNING WITHOUT "WI": UW is 4-0 to start the season, marking the fourth time in the last five years that the Badgers have opened the season with at least four wins. In 2020, Wisconsin went 16-0 before falling to Texas in the national semifinals.

3. NATION'S BEST: The Badgers lead the nation in hitting percentage at .363, hitting better than .325 in all four matches this season. Graduate student Dana Rettke leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally with a .544 hitting percentage. Redshirt senior Danielle Hart ranks second in the Big Ten fifth nationally at .527.

4. SERVING SUCCESS: Wisconsin has given up only three service aces this season, outscoring opponents 25-3 from the service line. The Badgers lead the Big Ten, allowing only 0.23 service aces per set while ranking third with 1.92 aces per set. Junior Joslyn Boyer leads the team and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 0.54 service aces per set.

5. THE GREAT WALL OF RETTKE: Dana Rettke has 596 blocks in her career and will become only the fourth Badger to record 600 blocks in a career. The Wisconsin record for career blocks is 682 set by Heather Dodaro from 1994-97. Only 15 Big Ten athletes have hit the 600-block mark in their careers.

6. SCOUTING THE TEAMS: Kentucky started the season 5-1. The Wildcats swept Texas State, Dayton, USC and Northern Iowa, but fell 3-0 to Creighton. The reigning national champions were 24-1 in 2020-21 lost four seniors during the offseason including the AVCA National Player of the Year in setter Madison Lilley. Sophomore Madi Skinner leads the team with 3.67 kills per set, followed by senior Alli Stumler with 3.39. Azhani Tealer, a junior middle blocker, has a team-best 1.56 blocks per set while sophomore Riah Walker leads the Wildcats with 4.06 digs per set.

Marquette is undefeated on the season with a 6-0 record and has only dropped four sets. The Golden Eagles return all six starters plus their libero from a team that went 10-4 in 2020-21 and were runner-ups in the Big East Conference championships . Graduate student Savannah Rennie leads the team in kills and blocks, with 2.91 kills per set and 1.55 blocks per set. Katie Schoessow, a junior defensive specialist, and Taylor Wolf, a graduate student setter, both lead the team with 2.68 digs per set

Serving Up Six: Top 10 battle up next

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Players Mentioned

Joslyn Boyer

Danielle Hart

Dana Rettke

University of Wisconsin Athletics