MADISON, Wis. — No. 2 Wisconsin (21-1, 12-1 B1G) wraps up a three-match home stand, as UW looks for the season sweep of Illinois (13-10, 8-5) when the Fighting Illini come to Madison on Saturday. First serve is at 7 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. The Badgers downed Illinois, 3-0, in Champaign on Oct. 7.
1. I’M THE PROBLEM IT’S ME: Senior Sarah Franklin was named the Big Ten Player of the week on Monday after a big offensive week, averaging 6.33 kills per set while hitting .474. The 6-foot-4 outside hitter had 17 kills
at MSU while hitting .500 (17-1-32) and added 21 kills against Minnesota, hitting .455 (21-1-44). Franklin also added three service aces (0.50/set), nine digs (1.50/set) and five blocks (0.83/set) on the week.
2. THE MAN: Head coach Kelly Sheffield needs only two wins to become Wisconsin’s all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play. His 169 conference wins trails only Pete Waite (1999-2012), who had 170 wins.
3. DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS: The Badgers rank among the nation’s top-15 teams in five statistical categories. UW ranks third in winning percentage (.955), third in hitting percentage (.310), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.142), fifth
in blocks per set (2.87) and 14th in assists per set (12.95).
4. HITS DIFFERENT: UW has hit better than .300 in 17 of 22 matches this season, leading the Big Ten and ranking third nationally at .310. Pittsburgh leads the nation at .315 while Stanford is second at .314
5. ALL TOO WELL: On the season, the Badgers are one of the nation’s top blocking teams, averaging 2.87 blocks per set, which ranks fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has nearly doubled up its foes in total blocks this season—221-116.
6. 22: Junior Julia Orzol has recorded 10-plus digs in 19 of 22 matches this season, leading the Badgers with 3.53 digs per set. The libero also leads the team with 32 service aces and 0.42 aces per set, ranking third the Big Ten.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Wisconsin Badgers…