Dayton @ #2 Wisconsin: Thu 9/2, 6:30p & Fri 9/3, 7p - BTN+

[rainbowbadger]

#2 Wisconsin vs. Dayton
Thursday, September 2, 2021 - 6:30 PM | Friday, September 3, 2021 - 7 PM
UW Field House - Madison, Wisconsin

It's a double-dose of Flyers! The reigning Big 10 champs are hosting the reigning A10 champs this weekend. Dayton (2-1) comes to Madison after an opening weekend that featured wins over Cincinnati & Texas State, and a loss in straight sets to #3 Kentucky. Wisconsin (2-0) is coming off wins over TCU and then #10 Baylor, for which Dana Rettke was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Sydney Hilley was named Big Ten Setter of the Week.

As of right now, it looks like the weather will give us a break. We're expecting sun on Thursday and rain on Friday, but more importantly, forecasted highs are in the upper 70s, a welcome relief after last weekend.

For those who are wondering, this tournament is being played on Thursday & Friday because the Wisconsin football team plays at home on Saturday. The volleyball & football teams don't play home games on the same day due to shared facilities & personnel. Personally, I prefer not having to fight football fans for parking, anyway.

In Person

Tickets: Still available for both nights - Thursday / Friday

Parking

Carry-in & Fan Policies

Masks are required at the Field House.

Follow Along

Video: BTN+ ($) - Thursday / Friday

Audio: U 100.9 FM

Stats: Sidearm

Previews: Wisconsin | Dayton

Rosters: Wisconsin | Dayton

Likely Starters

Wisconsin

S: Hilley
OH: Loberg, Orzoł
MB: Rettke, Hart
RS: Robinson
L: Barnes
DS: Civita, Boyer
SS: Ashburn

Dayton

S: Nichols, Sandt
OH: Peterson, Almodovar
MB: Moore, Winner
RS: Swink, Yates
L: Collins
DS: House, Wuensch

The series

Wisconsin owns the series 4-0. The teams’ last matchup was on September 15, 2000, when Wisconsin swept Dayton in the Field House.

Many of the players who will be on the court for these games weren’t even born yet when that game was played.

Did you know...?

Badgers head coach Kelly Sheffield coached at Dayton before coming to Madison, as did both ACs Dildine & White. Badgers DOVO Jess Williams was the DOVO at Dayton, and before that she finished her collegiate volleyball career as an All-American setter at Dayton.

Flyers head coach Tim Horsmon coached at Dayton before Sheffield, who got hired when Horsmon left Dayton for Big Ten rival Maryland. After Sheffield came to Madison, Horsmon returned to Dayton for a second stint at head coach.

Flyers first assistant coach is none other than Volleytalk's favorite coaching MacGuffin, Penn State alum Alyssa D'Errico.

[andrewwmic]

Dayton

S: Nichols/Sandt :/
OH: Peterson, Almodovar
MB: Moore, Yates
RS: Swink
L: Collins
DS: House, Wuensch

[robtearle]

I dug up and watched video of the Dayton match vs Kentucky, here.



In the first set, they ran a 5-1 with 5'10" #22 Livie Sandt setting. In the second and third, they ran a 6-2 with 5' 10" #15 Brooke Nichols alternating with Sandt. Playing all sets were libero #2 Maura Collins, six-rotation left-sides OH 6'4" #10 Jamie Peterson and 5'8" (!) #4 Lexie Almodovar. In the first set 6'1" #9 Mahalia Swink was the opposite; in the second and third, she alternated with 6'6" #17 (listed as a middle) Alayna Yates. Middles 6'5" #6 Amelia Moore and 6'2" #20 Lindsey Winner played throughout. 

[rainbowbadger]

Thanks to andrewwmic & robtearle for help with Dayton's likely starters.

[automattic52]

Thanks for the Thread rainbowbadger!

Since, it is in progress I'll add that it is the Flyers first meeting against former Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (and Assistant Coaches Brittany Dildine, Gary White, and Jessica Yanz Williams). From a UD fan, congrats to those 4 on their rise to the top!

Dayton has played most Big Ten teams recently (have not played Iowa since 1996), but has not played Wisconsin since 2000. UD has finally got the exclusive invite to come back to Madison. Dayton lost to Wisconsin in 2000 and 1999 (per the Dayton record book). UD hasn't beat Wisconsin since 1981, in a 3 set match.

As a fan, I remember Coach Sheffield came over to a few of us students before a Saturday morning game against an opponent without a big name. He asked us what we thought of the opponent as they were going through their warm up drills. We told him, they were short, then he told us they would pass well, run a fast offense and try to beat our taller block. Sheffield never misses an opportunity to talk volleyball even if its with some students who don't know the intricate details of the game. His passion is contagious and he had us prepared for the strategy Samford was going to employ. I can say the same for Brittany too. Both shared their knowledge and time.

What I'm trying to say is, Wisconsin will be ready for Dayton. They will not overlook this team from the A-10 because they are very well coached. I hope for some high quality volleyball.

[Wiswell]

I have two tickets for both nights, reserved seats. pm if interested. electronic transfer

[rainbowbadger]

Game day bump! Here’s a Dennis preview: wisconsinstatejournal-wi-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=1fd03aed5_1345efa

[bprtbone]

The Flyers used 5 different players at setter last weekend, with the freshman Nichols getting most of the reps in a 5-1. Peterson struggled on serve receive; Dayton really needs her to be effective in the back row to be competitive. And don't scoff at their 5'8" OH, she has a quick arm and makes smart shots. Horsmon is still trying to figure this team out; I think they will be ready come tournament time but right now they are kind of a hot mess.

[robtearle]

Sept 2, 2021 6:52:23 GMT -5 bprtbone said:

The Flyers used 5 different players at setter last weekend, with the freshman Nichols getting most of the reps in a 5-1. Peterson struggled on serve receive; Dayton really needs her to be effective in the back row to be competitive. And don't scoff at their 5'8" OH, she has a quick arm and makes smart shots. Horsmon is still trying to figure this team out; I think they will be ready come tournament time but right now they are kind of a hot mess.

I don't know if "scoff" is the right word, but I noted it thinking more in terms of defense and matchups. If Sheffield can set the rotations right, you end up with 6' 0" Hilley across the net from 5' 8" Almodovar and 6'3" Robinson available to defend Peterson.

[badgerbreath]

Almodovar is pretty crafty, and Peterson is great on form. Five setters is a lot though. It may be hard to match up with them if they sub that much.

That badger lineup last weekend looked about as set as I can remember it this early on. Still, I have a feeling Sheffield will play around with it some, as his did second week in spring after a good starting weekend, just to see what other things work and to get some players used to being in front of a crowd. We may see Demps come in for Loberg at OH for one match. Maybe Jardine if he's not saving her for a redshirt. He may swap out some backrow players as well.

We're still in this pandemic and players could be lost to a positive test at any moment.

[baytree]

[badgerbreath]

Are male vball coaches fated to lose their hair and "become the ball." Feel like it's a trend.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Flyers in five!

Write it down, circle it, and underline it twice.

[wiscvball]

Sept 2, 2021 14:23:47 GMT -5 Brutus Buckeye said:

Flyers in five!

Write it down, circle it, and underline it twice.

Would be shocking... it's probably more likely Dayton doesn't hit 20 in any sets this weekend. It's odd, the Badgers haven't played a set closer than 25-18 in the 7 sets (6 won, 1 lost) they have played this year. Seeing a few close sets with some late game pressure could be good for the team before Kentucky, B1G play...

[badgerbreath]

That fact has me a bit worried. It's suggests that UW is still really dependent on in system attacking. A period of slightly wonky passing and the balance of play can shift markedly against the best competition. Their passing should be more resilient this year, but they still need to improve OOS options.