Serving up six: Badgers prepare for Buckeyes

MADISON, Wis. — No. 1 Wisconsin (17-0, 8-0 B1G) wraps up the first half of Big Ten play with one home match and one road contest. The Badgers take on Ohio State (7-10, 4-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. UW then takes to the road on Saturday, playing at No. 2 Nebraska (17-0, 8-0) at 7 p.m. Both matches will air live on Big Ten Network.

1. WIN, WIN, WIN: UW is on a school-record 26-match Big Ten winning streak, dating back to the 2022 season, including a 18-match conference winning streak in the Field House. The Badgers are also on a 27-set winning stretch, which is the longest set-winning streak in the nation this year.

2. B1G TIME PLAYER: Senior Sarah Franklin was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 5.67 kills per set last week while hitting .321. The 6-foot-4 outside hitter had 16 kills vs. Rutgers and 18 kills against Maryland. She had a season-high four service aces vs. the Scarlet Knights and added one ace against the Terrapins for 0.83 aces per set. Franklin also turned up her defense, adding 3.00 digs and 0.33 blocks per set. For her performances on the weekend, Franklin earned Big Ten Player of the Week.

3. GETTING BETTER EVERYDAY: UW hit .410 against Rutgers last Friday and .311 against Maryland on Sunday, continuing their dominating season hitting. Wisconsin has hit better than .300 in 13 matches, including two matches over .400. The Badgers rank third nationally and lead the Big Ten with a .317 hitting percentage.

4. ALL-AROUND WEAPONS: In Big Ten-only matches, Wisconsin leads the conference with 2.50 aces per set. Wisconsin has four of the top servers in the league. Junior Julia Orzoł ranks third with 0.54 aces per set while sophomore Gulce Guctekin ties for fourth with 0.50 aces per set. CC Crawford and Sarah Franklin tie for seventh with 0.42 aces per set.



5. BY THE NUMBERS: ​​UW has the nation’s longest set winning streak this season.

1. Wisconsin 27 (9/17-present)

2. Arizona State: 24 (9/3-9/21)

3. Dayton: 19 (9/22 – present)

4. Tennessee: 18 (9/8-9/29)

5. Nebraska: 17 (8/25-9/6)

The Badgers record for longest set winning streak is 33 from Sept. 6, 2000—Sept. 29, 2000. Wisconsin has won 24 straight sets in Big Ten play, just two short of the record. UW won 26-straight Big Ten sets from Sept. 22, 2002—Oct. 26, 2002 and Oct. 4, 2014—Nov. 7, 2014.

6. CHASING…