MADISON, Wis. — Sixth-ranked Wisconsin (1-1) opens its home season by hosting No. 24 Marquette (2-0) and High Point (3-0) in the UW Field House this weekend. The Badgers host in-state rival Marquette on Friday at 8 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. UW will present NCAA Championship rings and drop the banner for the 2021 season at 7:35 p.m. On Sunday, Wisconsin takes on High Point at 1 p.m., streamed on B1G+.
1. BANNER DROP: Fans will want to arrive early to the Field House so they don’t miss the ring presentation and banner drop for the 2021 NCAA Championship at 7:35 p.m. Several former Badgers will return for the presentation.
2. OPENING THE SEASON 1-1: Wisconsin opened the season with a 1-1 record at the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, last weekend. The Badgers swept TCU before falling to No. 16 Baylor, 3-2, in a very tight match that featured 46 ties and 21 lead changes. The Badgers landed three players on the Big 12/Big Ten All-Tournament team. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Franklin led the Badgers in kills in both matches, averaging 4.25 kills per set while hitting .395. Sophomore Julia Orzol added 2.63 kills per set while hitting .321. Sophomore Anna Smrek has a team-best 12 blocks on the weekend, averaging 1.50 blocks per set.
3. HOME WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE: UW is 36-10-2 all-time in home openers, having won its last two home openings. The Badgers put their eight-match home winning streak on the line this weekend. Wisconsin wrapped up the 2021 season by winning its last eight home matches, including four NCAA tournament matches.
4. IMPRESSIVE STATS: UW gave up only four service aces on the weekend to lead the Big Ten with 0.50 opponent service aces per set. Wisconsin is also averaging an impressive 3.25 blocks per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten. The Badgers have four players averaging 1.0-or-more blocks per set.
5. BADGERS DROP TO NO. 6: Wisconsin dropped three spots to No. 6 in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll released Monday. Texas (2-0) takes over the top spot in the poll while former-No. 1 Nebraska (3-0) falls to second. Louisville (3-0) moves up one place to third while Minnesota (2-0) jumps up to fourth. The Big Ten leads the poll with seven teams in the top 25. Wisconsin has been ranked in the AVCA national poll for 137 consecutive polls, including the last 40…
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