The Penn State women’s volleyball team suffered a shocking defeat recently. Sitting pretty in the number 3 position, the Nittany Lions were stunned by the firm and gritty display of the Wisconsin Badgers. Till now, the Penn State girls were looking as dominant as ever, claiming the top position in the Big Ten. Boasting an unbeaten winning streak of 15 matches, it took only 90 minutes for the Badgers to crush the records. 

Sweeping the game 3-0, the Badgers won 25-23, 25-12, 25-13 to knock them out of the top spot. Interestingly, this loss will make things a tad bit easier for Nebraska. This is because they are currently the only team to remain unbeaten in the Big Ten. Along with it, the loss of the Lions will also provide significant breathing space for Nebraska to push for the championship. The Badgers also benefited largely from the victory as they managed to keep themselves in the hunt, closing the gap with the top two.

Coming back to the game, the Badgers were led by their senior duo of Anna Smrek and Sarah Franklin. Both had 13 kills each, hitting .462 and .419 respectively. To add to their elation, Julia Orzol too chipped in with a .526 hitting percentage while boasting 11 kills. Apart from the trio, the Badgers were ably supported by the rest of their team. At least six of the athletes recorded a hitting percentage of.375 while contributing with multiple kills. 

Surprisingly, the dominant display of the Badgers also saw a rare feat being achieved. They did not have a single shot blocked, despite Penn State having an average of 2.5 blocks per set before entering the match. On the contrary, Penn State encountered what was the best defensive performance of the Badgers. After the conclusion of the game, Penn State could manage a meager .117 hitting percentage while having 11 of their shots blocked. 

This was quite the opposite of the reputation of the Nittany Lions. The team looked confident while boasting an average hitting percentage of .295. Another letdown for the Lions was their star player, All-American Jess Mruzik. While the fans had high expectations, Mruzik finished with 0.075 hitting with a moderate 9 kills. Meanwhile, this might look like an upset, but there’s a daunting myth surrounding the Badgers and the UW Field House. 

Wisconsin Badgers are an invincible home-side

The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the most daunting home sides in the league. Protecting their home turf, the Badgers boast of some of the most daunting records. For example, the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, have failed to beat the Badgers on their home turf for the last 11 years! And there’s more. In the past 5 seasons, the Badgers have recorded an impressive 91% win percentage. 

Stepping up on the gas, the Wisconsin female athletes have further recorded 25 home victories. Unfortunately, the Badgers have failed to replicate their home performance outside. As a result, Wisconsin finds themselves in a spot of bother, most likely to be missing out on winning the Big Ten championship. Thus, with a mixed season so far, it now remains to be seen if the Badgers can pull off some more upsets and inch forward to the title.