INSIDE
VOLLEYBALL
BY DIANE NORDSTROM
@BADGERVBALL
SCHEDULE (13-1, 2-0)
LAST FIVE
Sept. 20-21
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Oct. 2
at NC State Invitational
vs. NC State
W, 3-1
vs. VCU
W, 3-2
vs. Colgate
W, 3-0
#20 PURDUE
W, 3-0
INDIANA
W, 3-1
at Iowa
COMING UP
Saturday at #10 Nebraska
7 p.m.
Oct. 11
at #12 Ohio State 6 p.m.
Oct. 12
at #5 Penn State 7:30 p.m.
Haleigh Nelson was
named the Big Ten
Freshman of the Week
Badgers face tough stretch
against ranked opponents
Wisconsin faces six straight top-25 teams
here is a reason the Big
Ten is considered the
toughest volleyball conference in the country. Eight
teams are ranked in the top 25
of the national coaches poll,
including No. 23 Wisconsin.
"That's one of the great
things about this conference
is you don't have the luxury of
looking ahead," explained head
coach Kelly Sheffield. "You look
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VARSITY October 3, 2013
ahead and you find yourself in
a five-match losing streak."
UW kicks off a stretch of
six straight matches against
top-25 teams when it travels
to No. 10 Nebraska this Saturday. The Badgers then travel to
Ohio State (No. 12) and Penn
State (No. 5) before returning
home to face Michigan (No.
14), Michigan State (No. 9)
and Minnesota (No. 8).
GREAT START
● Freshman Haleigh Nelson was named
the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on
Monday, UW's first newcomer honoree since 2010. The 6-foot-4 middle
blocker had a big blocking weekend
for the Badgers, averaging 1.86 blocks
per set. She had a career-high seven
stuffs against No. 20 Purdue and added six blocks vs. Indiana.
Against the Hoosiers, Nelson had
three blocks at the end of set three,
keying the win. She also opened the
fourth set with three straight kills,
leading the team to a 3-0 start.
Nelson hit a team-best .417 on the
weekend and added 2.43 kills per set.
WINNING WAYS
● Wisconsin is on a seven-match winning streak, its longest of the season.
The streak includes opening the Big
Ten season 2-0 for the first time since
2007.
The Badgers are 2-0 against ranked
opponents this season with both wins
being 3-0 sweeps. Wisconsin downed
No. 17 Louisville on Sept. 7 and No. 20
Purdue on Sept. 27. It is the first time
since 2007 that UW has swept two
ranked foes.
