Wisconsin volleyball No. 1 in NCAA RPI

Wisconsin had a pair of tough matchups this week, going on the road at then-No. 22 Ohio State on Wednesday and hosting a gritty Purdue team that has been ranked much of the year in Madison on Saturday.

The Badgers survived both tests and were voted No. 3 in the AVCA Top 25 poll released Monday. A bigger reward came later in the day in the form of the No. 1 spot in the NCAA RPI.

In individual accolades, freshman Molly Haggerty was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week for her epic 24-kill performance against Purdue on Saturday.

With just six Big Ten matches left, the Badgers still have hope for a Big Ten championship sitting a match behind Nebraska and two behind league leader Minnesota, with a date against the No. 2 Gophers in Minneapolis on Nov. 26.

Wednesday at Ohio State

The Badgers swept through the Buckeyes on Wednesday in Columbus, knocking off Ohio State 3-0. The Badgers outhit OSU .307 to .200, including .379 to .174 in the first set and .314 to .167 in the third. Junior outside hitter Lauryn Gillis continued her return to form after missing several weeks mid-season with injury, contributing 14 kills. Senior setter Lauren Carlini added 37 assists and 11 digs.

Saturday vs. Purdue

Wisconsin sold out the Field House once again on Saturday as the Badgers knocked off the Boilermakers in a hard-fought match 3-2 (through the start of play last week, the Badgers ranked third in the nation in attendance at just under 6,000 attendees per match). Wisconsin ran out to a 2-0 match lead before the Boilermakers made it interesting. The visitors took the third and fourth sets before the Badgers finally closed them out.

Purdue fought tough, outblocking the Badgers 16-10, but Wisconsin prevailed on the back of a total team effort including Molly Haggerty’s astounding 24 kills, Lauren Carlini’s 57 assists and good nights from Kelli Bates (18 digs), Romana Kriskova (12 kills), Tionna Williams (five blocks) and Haleigh Nelson (11 kills and five blocks).

Around the (Ranked) Big Ten

• No. 1 Nebraska: Defeated Penn State 3-2 at University Park; defeated Rutgers 3-0 in Piscataway. Senior middle blocker Amber Rolfzen was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Junior Kelly Hunter was named Big Ten Setter of the Week.
• No. 2 Minnesota: Defeated Indiana 3-0 in Minneapolis; defeated Maryland 3-0 in College Park.
• No. 10 Penn State: Lost to Nebraska 3-2 in University Park; defeated Iowa 3-0 in University Park.
• No. 15 Michigan State: Defeated Northwestern 3-0 in East Lansing; defeated Illinois 3-0 in East Lansing. Junior outside hitter Autumn Bailey was named Big Ten Player of the Week. Junior middle blocker was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
• No. 17 Michigan: Defeated Illinois 3-1 in Ann Arbor; defeated Northwestern 3-1 in Ann Arbor. Setter MacKenzi Welsh was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week.

Ohio State dropped out of the rankings.

UW Athletic Communications