The upcoming showdown between Wisconsin Badgers volleyball and the Tennessee Volunteers marks a rare meeting. You have to go back to 1981 to find when they last faced each other. The Vols come in ranked No. 24 in the latest AVCA rankings after starting the season 3-0 in the opening weekend. They’ve since improved to 5-0, though none of those matches came against ranked teams.
The Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a stellar opening road trip after improving to 4-0 with their sweep of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday.
Signing off for the night! 🫡 heading home with a sweep pic.twitter.com/habwKxt2NP
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 1, 2023
The History Between Teams
With Tennessee holding the all-time series lead at 2-1, this game holds a special place in the teams’ histories. UT’s foray into Wisconsin Badger territory becomes a bigger test for the Vols, given that the Badgers hold the crown of being the top-ranked team in the nation. This battle takes the Vols back to the days of 2017 when they last faced a No. 1-ranked team, a match that ended in a loss against Florida.
The Lady Vols have met the No. 1 squad in the nation on seven previous occasions, and in hopes of seizing their first upset victory.
Clash of Undefeated Teams
As previously mentioned, the Badgers volleyball is coming off of an impressive weekend after defeating Baylor, TCU, and Arkansas. Arkansas and Baylor both were ranked teams, and the Badgers were able to take all three of the matches between them. This matchup against No. 24 Tennessee adds another ranked team for Badgers volleyball to continue their dominance and show why they are the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
Home Cooking for Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball
The Badgers are headed home after their road start to the season. Badgers volleyball will be unveiling a banner before the match in honor of their 2022 Big Ten Championship season.
Badgers At a Glance
A defining feature of Wisconsin’s gameplay has been their precision in hitting. Their .327 hitting percentage is ranked No. 14 in the nation, but still slightly behind the Vols at .335. Carter Booth’s .543 and Anna Smrek’s .417 are the two stand out performers for the Badgers, as they look to climb the ranks during this match.
Ranking second in the Big Ten and 24th in Division I Volleyball with 14.53 kills per set, they prove their offense is formidable with every spike. The tandem of Sarah Franklin and Devyn Robinson, sitting at seventh and eighth respectively in the conference for kills per set, spearheads their offensive prowess. Robinson is coming off a career-high 48 swings against the Razorbacks.
Grad student Izzy Ashburn continues her charge toward the ace queen crown. She owns 163 service aces and needs just three aces needed to share the throne with Margie Kaminski.
The first serve of the game is scheduled for 1 PM on Sunday.
