Wisconsin @ Purdue: Sat 10/8/22, 6p ET / 5p CT (BTN+)

[rainbowbadger]

Wisconsin @ Purdue

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 6 PM ET / 5 PM CT

Holloway Gymnasium West Lafayette, Indiana

9-3, 3-1 Big Ten		13-1, 4-0 Big Ten

Follow Along

🎟: StubHub

📺: B1G+ ($)

🎧: Fox Sports 1070 AM Madison
🎧: Purdue Sports Network

📊: StatBroadcast


Players to Watch

#13 - OH Sarah Franklin	#22 - OH Julia Orzoł	#18 - MB Danielle Hart	#10 - RS Devyn Robinson	#21 - L Gülce Güçtekin
#4 - S Grace Balensiefer	#17 - OH Eva Hudson	#7 - MB Raven Colvin	#12 - OH Emma Ellis	#10 - L Ali Hornung

History

Wisconsin leads 49-34
In Madison: Wisconsin leads 28-10
In West Lafayette: Purdue leads 20-19
Neutral: Purdue leads 4-2
The streak: Purdue won both meetings in 2021.
Last meeting: November 12, 2021 - Purdue beat Wisconsin in 4 sets in Madison.

Did you know…?

Both Wisconsin & Purdue are land grant universities, and both schools’ mascots are a nod to their heritage.

Purdue is well-known as an engineering school, and in the 1890s, it became a leader in the research of railway technology. For many years, the school’s engineering department kept several operational steam locomotives in a research lab. Its working-class approach earned its students monikers in the local press such as rail splitters, blacksmiths, foundry molders, and boiler makers. The latter name stuck. In 1939, the Boilermaker Special was adopted as the official mascot.



Ho-Chunk and other indigenous Wisconsinites mined the state’s lead for thousands of years before statehood. When white colonizers arrived, they claimed the territory, forced out the original residents, and took over the mines. Too poor to build homes, these new inhabitants chose instead to over-winter in their mines. They were derogatorily known as Badgers because they lived in underground burrows like animals. The university adopted the Badger mascot in 1889.

[Wiswell]

Outside of the service academies, Purdue has produced more astronauts than any other school.

[avid 2.0]

I’m just here for the fun facts.

[pull3]

Hoping Badgers will get a set.

[buckyupbuttercup]

Oct 3, 2022 6:01:09 GMT -5 pull3 said:

Hoping Badgers will get a set.

That's a loss.  I just don't think the badgers are a hoping for a loss kind of program at this point.

[ndodge]

If WI can somehow pull this one out right before Shanel becomes eligible they could propel themselves back into conversation of the upper half of the top ten. Both teams went five beating IL but WI did so at home, so the gap between the teams may be such that Purdue wins in 4. But WI relatively inexperienced setters won two matches last weekend and although setting will still be inconsistent I think both are gaining confidence.

[pull3]

Oct 3, 2022 7:30:55 GMT -5 buckyupbuttercup said:

Oct 3, 2022 6:01:09 GMT -5 pull3 said:

Hoping Badgers will get a set.

That's a loss.  I just don't think the badgers are a hoping for a loss kind of program at this point.

Let me put it in this way. I expect a sweep but I hope not.

Being realistic, I think Eva is gonna murder our right side without Smrek.

[Wiswell]

Oct 3, 2022 7:30:55 GMT -5 buckyupbuttercup said:

Oct 3, 2022 6:01:09 GMT -5 pull3 said:

Hoping Badgers will get a set.

That's a loss.  I just don't think the badgers are a hoping for a loss kind of program at this point.

This team has a lot in common with the 2017 team, who got destroyed in a sweep in West Lafayette. I actually traveled to that debacle.

Let's not forget they got beaten twice last year.

[robtearle]

Looking at some video of the Purdue-Illinois match, Purdue was using an unusual substitution pattern, a "5-2" offense; the two setters, Renner and Balensiefer subbing directly for one another (as opposed to the 6-2 that Wisconsin is running, where the setters sub with opposites).

At 6' 2", Megan Renner is the 'front row' setter, making those three rotations look like a 'classic' 5-1 offense when the setter is front row. 
At 5' 10", Grace Balensiefer is the 'back row' setter, while 6' 2" opposite Madeline Koch is playing across the front with DS Emily Brown subbing for her. 

So, it can look like the 'two players for two player' traffic jam at the sideline that Wisconsin fans have grown accustomed to. But with UW it is setter <--> opp and opp <--> setter, while with PU it is setter <--> setter and opp <--> DS.

In addition, while leftside Eva Hudson plays six rotation, the other leftside Emma Ellis (vs Illinois anyway) subs with DS Ava Torrance. And that means PU is making six substitutions per full rotation. Meaning in a back-and-forth sideout set, they can run out. In the match vs Illinois, they get to the limit in the 2nd and 4th sets, and when they did "Plan B" was to have 5' 10" Balensiefer stay in to play across the front (though both sets ended before that became any sort of issue).

In their sweep of Minnesota the week before, Balensiefer was the setter in a 'normal' 5-1 offense.

[badgerbreath]

I saw they were playing a 5-2 against Illinois. I'm not sure why they switched to the 5-2 since they seem to prefer Balensiefer as setter (she has been really good when I've watched them) and she handled a big Minnesota pretty team well in a 5-1. Wondering if it was looking forward to providing a big block against the 6-2 offenses that Nebraska and Wisconsin are employing.

[badgerbreath]

I expect Purdue will win this. They just look more coherent at this point. Smrek still a question mark.

But little has been very predictable this season.

[volleyaudience]

This should be a very interesting match up.

[spoilerboilermakers]

Oct 3, 2022 11:42:55 GMT -5 robtearle said:

Looking at some video of the Purdue-Illinois match, Purdue was using an unusual substitution pattern, a "5-2" offense; the two setters, Renner and Balensiefer subbing directly for one another (as opposed to the 6-2 that Wisconsin is running, where the setters sub with opposites).

At 6' 2", Megan Renner is the 'front row' setter, making those three rotations look like a 'classic' 5-1 offense when the setter is front row. 
At 5' 10", Grace Balensiefer is the 'back row' setter, while 6' 2" opposite Madeline Koch is playing across the front with DS Emily Brown subbing for her. 

So, it can look like the 'two players for two player' traffic jam at the sideline that Wisconsin fans have grown accustomed to. But with UW it is setter <--> opp and opp <--> setter, while with PU it is setter <--> setter and opp <--> DS.

In addition, while leftside Eva Hudson plays six rotation, the other leftside Emma Ellis (vs Illinois anyway) subs with DS Ava Torrance. And that means PU is making six substitutions per full rotation. Meaning in a back-and-forth sideout set, they can run out. In the match vs Illinois, they get to the limit in the 2nd and 4th sets, and when they did "Plan B" was to have 5' 10" Balensiefer stay in to play across the front (though both sets ended before that became any sort of issue).

In their sweep of Minnesota the week before, Balensiefer was the setter in a 'normal' 5-1 offense.

Thanks for this post. As a fan that doesn’t understand about all of the rules and stuff, I appreciate you explaining about the substitutions and how Purdue ran out of substitutions and were in a bind at the end of sets.

[savannahbadger]

Oct 3, 2022 11:42:55 GMT -5 robtearle said:

In their sweep of Minnesota the week before, Balensiefer was the setter in a 'normal' 5-1 offense.

I believe Renner was out with an injury at the time, hence Grace getting the nod. I don’t think she was expected to play very much this year, but she’s done well with the opportunity she’s been given. It sounds like they’re forcing the issue to get her done PT by going with a 5-2.

NGL, I kinda still hope that 5-2 idea clicks with Sheff by the end of the year, with MJ up front and Izzy across the back.

[tablealgebra]

Oct 3, 2022 8:35:59 GMT -5 pull3 said:

Oct 3, 2022 7:30:55 GMT -5 buckyupbuttercup said:

That's a loss.  I just don't think the badgers are a hoping for a loss kind of program at this point.

Let me put it in this way. I expect a sweep but I hope not.

Being realistic, I think Eva is gonna murder our right side without Smrek.

I don't think we're going to get Plummered or anything. Hudson is hitting hitting .331 but Purdue had a soft non-con schedule so racked up lots of kills against patsies. Then again, that's about all the bad things I can think of saying about the B10 2022 Freshman of the Year.

We have a good block without Smrek (in fact, I've expressed that I don't think she's nearly the best blocker on the team - people see her size and ignore the technique and moxie of our shorter players). I don't think Hudson will shred us. Purdue does have the advantage, but this match is winnable and I'll accordingly be disappointed with a loss.