Setting the stage: Badgers split Big Ten play

MADISON, Wis. — The No. 9 Wisconsin volleyball team welcomes No. 11 Oregon to the UW Field House on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Badgers will then travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. The match vs the Ducks will be streamed on B1G+, while the Michigan match will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.

Before the match begins, here are six things to know: 

1. LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers (11-4, 5-1 B1G) earned two more Big Ten sweeps over the weekend, taking care of Maryland on Friday night and Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. UW totaled 26 blocks over the weekend. CC Crawford recorded 17 of them, and she averaged 2.83 blocks per set. In the match vs Northwestern, Wisconsin hit .433, marking the fourth time this season the Badgers have hit .400 or better this season.

2. MOVING IN SILENCE: Since its loss to Minnesota to open Big Ten play, Wisconsin have won five-straight matches and currently on a 15-set win streak. As a team, the Badgers are hitting .407 in the last five committing just 40 errors on 413 swings. Wisconsin has averaged 3.53 blocks per set, while holding its opponent to just a 0.87 block per set. The Badgers have tallied 39 service aces compared to its opponents 12 in the last five matches.

3. HOLDING STEADY: Wisconsin has been ranked in the AVCA national poll for 173 consecutive polls, including the last 76-straight polls in the top 10.The Badgers checked in at No. 9 again this week for the third week in a row. Pitt still remains No. 1 after falling to SMU in five sets for their first loss of the season. SMU has now beaten No. 1 Pitt and No. 2 Nebraska, as the Mustangs check in at No. 12.



4. ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After four matches at home, the Badgers will prepare for another three-match road stint. After Michigan on Sunday, the Badgers will travel to Indiana to play the Hoosiers on Thursday night and Purdue on Saturday afternoon. The match vs the Boilermakers will be aired on NBC for the second women’s volleyball match ever aired on NBC. Wisconsin will return to the UW Field House on Nov. 1 for the highly anticipated match vs No. 2 Nebraska.

5. SCOUTING THE DUCKS: No. 11 Oregon (13-2, 5-1 B1G)  is coming off a five-set win against Washington. Wisconsin and Oregon have only met three times, with the first meeting coming in 1984. The two other meetings were…