MADISON — No. 1 Wisconsin (4-0) wraps up a busy week, playing its third ranked team in as many matches. Wisconsin opens its home season on Sunday against No. 24 Tennessee (4-0). First serve is at 1 p.m. from the UW Field House. The Badgers celebrate their 2022 Big Ten Championship with a banner drop in pre-match ceremonies. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 12:45 p.m.
1. AT THE TOP: The Badgers moved up to first in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches poll released Aug. 28. Wisconsin has been ranked first in the national poll 14 times, most recently after winning the 2021 NCAA Championship.
2. UNBEATEN: Wisconsin opens the season 4-0 for the eighth time in 11 years under head coach Kelly Sheffield. The Badgers are 3-0 against top-25 ranked teams and are one of five Big Ten teams still undefeated this season.
3. HAMMER TIME: UW has hit better than .300 in three of four matches this season, ranking second in the Big Ten and 14th nationally at .327. Wisconsin hit .295 (70-18-176) against the Razorbacks on Wednesday, which ranks third on the UW five-set single-match record list. Individually, Carter Booth leads the Big Ten at .543 while Anna Smrek ranks ninth at .417. Devyn Robinson also hits better than .400 at .413.
4. KILLS UPON KILLS: The Badgers also rank second in the Big Ten with 14.53 kills per set. Sarah Franklin ranks seventh in the conference with 3.69 kills per set while Devyn Robinson sits eighth se 3.67 kills per set. Robinson took a career-high 48 swings against the Razorbacks on Wednesday, tying her career-high with 21 kills.
5. ACE QUEEN: Grad student Izzy Ashburn picked up two service aces in matches at Arkansas to bring her career total to 163. She needs three aces to move into a tie for first, a position currently held by Margie Kaminski (1984-87) with 166 service aces.
6. BIG D: UW turned up its back-row defense at Arkansas, averaging 18.00 digs per set over two matches. Gulce Guctekin recorded 4.13 digs per set over the span while Izzy Ashburn and Julia Orzol both added 3.25 digs per set.
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