The heavily anticipated Wisconsin vs. Nebraska volleyball match arrives tomorrow, and it's going national with the match on Fox. It's a time to see if the 16-0 Nebraska Cornhuskers are as legit as they look. A team that looks like it can't even lose a set, much less a full match. Pitt had a similar reputation last week until SMU pulled them off the pedestal. Can Wisconsin do the same?
There are four reasons to believe that Wisconsin has a shot to stun Nebraska and a couple of reasons to laugh off the idea of an upset. Let's dive right in.
4 Reasons Wisconsin can pose a real upset problem for Nebraska
1. Wisconsin's attack is hitting it's stride at a perfect time
The young hitters for the Badgers seem like they are finally hitting their stride. Wisconsin has won seven straight matches and five straight ranked Big Ten matches. That's an impressive run, and it seems that each week the young hitters are getting better and better. Against Illinois, Wisconsin hit a .361 clip, and it's the seventh match in a row in which the Badgers were over .300.
Charlie Fuerbringer has also gotten very comfortable setting everyone. She's getting the middles, the pins, and even the back row all involved. To beat Nebraska, it's an all-hands-on-deck situation. If there's optimism for beating Nebraska, it's that the hitters are really starting to hit their stride.
2. Wisconsin has the blocking ability to disrupt Nebraska
Wisconsin has to find a way to get Nebraska out of system. They have to challenge the Nebraska attack at the net and find ways to keep the Cornhuskers on their toes. The 12.5 blocks that Wisconsin had against Minnesota are a great example of what needs to happen to disrupt Nebraska.
Lynney Tarnow, Jaela Auguste, and Decelise Champion are all going to be a huge key to getting the block going and forcing the Nebraska hitters into awkward positions. If Wisconsin wants to win, they have to be the best blocking team in the gym.
3. Wisconsin is riding some serious momentum with battle scars
Wisconsin, with seven straight wins and five of them against ranked opponents, is about as battle-tested as you can get heading into Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have played a total of eight ranked opponents over the course of the season. The Badgers are already at 12. While that isn't a slam on Nebraska, it's more to say that Wisconsin won't be intimidated. They've seen everyone.
They aren't riding momentum from playing bottom-tier teams but from the cream of the crop in college volleyball.
4. Wisconsin has the serving attack to cause problems
We aren't looking for aces, but disruption. The Badgers have the ability to get Nebraska out of system even from the serving line. If Wisconsin can disrupt Nebraska's first contact without giving away too many points themselves, they can create a lot more opportunities for points.
The goal will be to target Nebraska's passers strategically with the idea that nothing clean goes to Bergen Reilly. Wisconsin needs to be thinking about disruptive serves. Even a serve that doesn't produce an ace will help a ton, especially if it forces a poor pass, as it then gives Wisconsin's block a better chance for their own disruption.
2 Reasons Nebraska will walk away with the win
1. Nebraska's defense is playing at an insane level
Ok, let's share some bad news. Nebraska hasn't lost a set at all during Big Ten play and has only lost three total sets all season. That's insane. The Cornhuskers are doing it with defense that is borderline unstoppable. They are holding opposing teams to a .090 hitting percentage while hitting consistently over .300 themselves. Those numbers are impossible to beat.
There's no team better in the nation at digging balls and turning potential opponent kills into transition points. The Badgers will have their work cut out for them.
2. Beating Nebraska at home seems to be nearly impossible
The Cornhuskers simply don't lose at home. According to Nebraska's website, "Nebraska has won 57 regular-season home matches in a row at the Devaney Center, going back to the start of the 2023 campaign." They actually had a 63-game home streak before this 57-game streak.
Add us as a preferred source on Google