Serving up six: Big Ten play underway

Friday, September 22

Evanston, IL

7:00 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Northwestern

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Devyn Robinson celebrates after winning a point

Photo by: Darren Lee

Serving up six: Big Ten play underway

September 20, 2023 | Volleyball

No. 1 Wisconsin travels to Northwestern; hosts Indiana

By: Ellie Culver

Venue	Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill \| UW Field House, Madison, Wis.
TV	B1G+
Radio	FoxSports 1070
Team Information	Wisconsin \| Northwestern \| Indiana
Live Stats	Northwestern \| Indiana
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram
Tickets	Northwestern Ticket Office \| Wisconsin Ticket Office

MADISON, Wis. -- No. 1 Wisconsin (9-0, 0-0) opens Big Ten Conference play with a split week of action. The Badgers travel to Evanston, Illinois, on Friday to take on Northwestern (6-4, 0-0). First serve is at 7 p.m. from Welsh-Ryan Arena. On Sunday, UW returns home to host Indiana (10-3, 0-0) in the 33rd-annual Steve Lowe match. The Badgers and Hoosiers serve off at 1 p.m. from the UW Field House. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+ ($).

1. WIN STREAK: UW is on an 18-match Big Ten winning streak dating back to the 2022 season, including a 14-match conference winning streak in the Field House. Wisconsin is the four-time reigning Big Ten champion and is picked to win its fifth-straight conference title in a preseason vote by league coaches.

2. STILL PERFECT: Wisconsin wrapped up its non-conference season with a perfect 9-0 record, and is the best start since the 2020-21 season when it started 16-0. Wisconsin is one of only six teams that remain undefeated this year.

3. COMEBACK KIDS: The Badgers' reverse sweep at No. 3 Florida on Sept. 17 is not the only time this season that UW has come back from trailing in a match or set. At Arkansas on Aug. 30, Wisconsin trailed 19-24 in the third set but came back to win the period 26-24 to lead the match 2-1. The Badgers also trailed 12-13 in the fifth set but rallied to win the set 15-13 to take the match. Against Marquette on Sept. 13, UW trailed 21-24 in the third set before going on a 5-0 run to win the set 26-24 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

4. UW ON TOP: Entering Big Ten play, the Badgers lead the conference in kills per set (13.77), assists per set (12.89) and blocks allowed (1.49). Nationally, UW ranks 23rd in assists per set, 26th in kills per set, and 27th in blocks per set (2.66).

5. SMREK TIME!: Junior Anna Smrek had an impressive week of play, averaging a team-best 3.44 kills per set while hitting .349. The 6-foot-9 right-side hitter also added 0.89 blocks and 0.78 digs per set. Smrek had a match-high 16 kills at Florida and shared team-high honors with 15 kills against Marquette. She also tied her career high with five digs.

6. BREAKING ATTENDANCE RECORDS: In addition to ranking second nationally with an average home attendance of 7,181 fans per match, the Badgers have also been a part of three record attendances on the road this season. Arkansas drew a school-record 4,299 fans to the UW match on Aug. 30. The Wisconsin vs. Marquette game at the Fiserv Forum drew 17,037 people on Sept. 13. Florida set a school record of 10,323 at the Badger match on Sept. 17. On the season, UW has been a part of two of the top-four single-match attendances this season.