MADISON, Wis. -- Fifth-ranked Wisconsin (11-3, 4-1 B1G) wraps up a three-match road swing with a contest at Iowa (7-10, 1-5) on Friday. First serve is at 6 p.m. from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The match will be streamed live on B1G+. The Badgers return home to host No. 24 Michigan (12-4, 3-3) on Sunday from the UW Field House. The match starts at noon live on ESPN.
1. FOUR IN A ROW: Wisconsin extended its winning streak to four matches with a win at No. 5 Purdue on Saturday. The Badgers improve to 4-3 against ranked teams this season as the Boilermakers were the highest ranked team UW has defeated this season. Â
2. SHE CAN PLAY! Graduate
Shanel Bramschreiber will be eligible to play in her first match as a Badger at Iowa on Friday. The 5-foot-8 libero/defensive specialist transferred to Wisconsin from Baylor where she was a two-year starter at libero.
3. AWARDS FOR GG: Freshman Gülce Güçtekin was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week on Monday. The 5-foot-5 libero recorded a match-high 22 digs, just one off her career high, at No. 5 Purdue on Saturday and also scored the match-winning service ace. At Indiana on Oct. 5, Güçtekin had 10 digs. On the week, she averaged 4.57 digs, 1.71 assists and 0.57 service aces per set.
4. CAREER MATCH FOR JULIA: Sophomore
Julia Orzol had a career-match at Purdue on Saturday, tying her career high of 19 kills and adding 10 digs for her eighth career double-double. The 6-foot outside hitter has 10-or-more digs in the last three matches, averaging 3.08 digs per set over the stretch. She has also turned up her blocking over the last three matches, averaging 1.00 blocks per set.
5. STOPPING OPPONENTS: Wisconsin has been able to stop opponents' offense this season as foes hit just .145 this season, which ranks sixth nationally and second in the Big Ten. Four opponents have hit less than .100 this season and 10 have hit less than .200 this year, including five of six Big Ten foes.
6. WISCONSIN IN THE POLLS: Wisconsin moved up two places to fifth in the
AVCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll released Monday. The Big Ten leads the poll with seven teams in the top 25 and one team receiving votes. Wisconsin has been ranked in the AVCA national poll for 143 consecutive polls, including the last 46 straight polls in the top 10. UW also moved up four places to eighth in the second
NCAA RPI of the season, released Oct. 10. The Badgers are the fourth Big Ten team in the RPI, which features seven conference teams in the top 23.
