#1 Wisconsin @ #3 Florida: Sun 9/17/23, 3 PM ET (ESPN)

[rainbowbadger]

#1 Wisconsin vs. #3 Florida

Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 3 PM Eastern / 2 PM Central

O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida

It's yet another battle of undefeated teams. Both are perennial title contenders for their respective conferences. Both have powerful hitters and formidable blocks. And both are coming off of in-state rivalry matches in which they struggled mightily on the road against their unranked opponents. Florida State gave Florida all they could handle on Tuesday night in Tallahassee - the Seminoles managed an impressive 303 hitting percentage, and the Gators squeaked out with a 16-14 fifth set win. Marquette put Wisconsin to the test on Wednesday night in Milwaukee in front of a record crowd at the Fiserv arena - the Badgers struggled through three very difficult sets, with their first two set wins requiring extra points, before remembering how to actually play volleyball in the fourth and final set. 

This match has the potential to shake up the AVCA poll. It will have significant RPI impact and could give the winner a leg up in securing a coveted top-four seed. And it will be on the national stage on ESPN, following the Lynx/Suns WNBA playoff game. Wisconsin only has one win ever over Florida. Can they start to shift the momentum? 

8-0, B1G		8-0, SEC

Follow Along

🎟: Ticketmaster

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🦡🎧: FoxSports 1070 AM Madison

🐊🎧: ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF Gainesville

📊: StatBroadcast


Players to Watch


Wisconsin

#13 - OH Sarah Franklin 6-4 R-JR		#9 - MB Caroline Crawford 6-3 SR		#10 - MB/RS Devyn Robinson 6-2 SR
#12 - OH Temi Thomas-Ailara 6-2 GR		#52 - MB Carter Booth 6-7 SO		#14 - MB/RS Anna Smrek 6-9 JR

Florida

#1 - OH AC Fitzpatrick 5-11 SR		#24 - MB Anna Dixon 6-3 GR		#18 - RS Kennedy Martin 6-6 FR
#4 - OH Sofia Victoria 6-1 SR		#10 - MB Gabbi Essix 6-3 JR		#5 - S Alexis Stucky 6-2 SO

History

The Series: Florida leads 6-1
In Madison: Florida leads 3-0
In Gainesville: Florida leads 1-0
Neutral: Florida leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Florida won a five-setter on 9/16/2022 at the Kohl Center in Madison.


Did you know…?

The University of Florida's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity is the largest collections-based research and education center in the world focused on butterflies and moths. Its taxonomically comprehensive collection contains more than 10 million specimens, which are used by students and scientists around the world. 



The crown jewel of the McGuire Center (at least so far as the public is concerned), is the Butterfly Rainforest, a 600 square meter outdoor exhibit containing native plants and birds alongside free-flying butterflies and moths. At any given time, the exhibit contains over 50 species of butterfly and moth species, totaling some 1,000 individuals. The butterflies are brought from around the world as chrysalises, nurtured in the center's Rearing Lab, and released into the exhibit after emerging as adults. The Rainforest has butterfly releases daily.



Alongside research and citizen science efforts, the McGuire Center's other focus is conservation. Its Daniels Lab is central in the effort to protect and restore populations of the Miami Blue, a small blue butterfly found only in Florida that is one of the most critically endangered butterflies in the United States. Today, the only known wild populations can be found in the Key West and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys. McGuire Center researchers are leading collaborative conservation and recovery efforts for Miami blue butterflies by monitoring wild populations, breeding the butterfly in the laboratory and closely studying its ecology to learn how to effectively re-establish it in the wild.

[SportyBucky]

Initial take...WI's serve isn't good enough to get FL out of system. We don't have an incredibly strong RS block, nor great floor defense. Temi isn't producing as she needs to and Devyn had her worst match of the season. I do not think WI takes a game and if they do, it will be by the skin of their teeth. I think our block can slow their OHs but that's not enough.

[mrshusker]

No real skin in the game for me but I have had to watch some "Meh" sets from both of these teams so I think they owe us an incredible 5 set match (where each set is won by only 2 points). The truth is I am just a greedy volleyball fan that really hopes this is a great match.

[pull3]

Sunday just can't come fast enough.

[knapplc]

Do it for the Big Ten, Badgers.

[rainbowbadger]

If the Badgers play like we played in set 4 against Marquette, we have a fighting chance. Otherwise, it'll be a short afternoon.

[ilikecorn]

Gator chomp!

[ilikecorn]

Sept 14, 2023 9:00:36 GMT -5 knapplc said:

Do it for the Big Ten, Badgers.

Umm, no

[badgerbadgerbadger]

I think for this match, we should be riding Smrek and DRob. ACF is 5'11" and Victoria is 6'1". I'd rather every OOS ball go to our right side for clean-up this match than to our lefts, who will be hitting against 6'6" Martin half the time. Florida also looked weak defending against the middle attack in the one game I saw of theirs against FSU, so we can get Smrek (and Booth) a bunch of swings in the middle too. That's even before mentioning Smrek is hitting a blistering .429 so far to start the season, and is coming off a great match, let's see if she and DRob can carry us.

[JB Southpaw]

Sept 14, 2023 9:38:14 GMT -5 badgerbadgerbadger said:

I think for this match, we should be riding Smrek and DRob. ACF is 5'11" and Victoria is 6'1". I'd rather every OOS ball go to our right side for clean-up this match than to our lefts, who will be hitting against 6'6" Martin half the time. Florida also looked weak defending against the middle attack in the one game I saw of theirs against FSU, so we can get Smrek (and Booth) a bunch of swings in the middle too. That's even before mentioning Smrek is hitting a blistering .429 so far to start the season, and is coming off a great match, let's see if she and DRob can carry us.

Kira Hutson could change that theory.

Has their been an update on her availablity?

[ndodge]

Does ACF struggle against WI big block or does she have a match like Gillen vs WI or herself vs Fl State ?

[Mark Richards]

I doubt both of these teams make the Final Four. Florida will be exposed here.

[bigfan]

Excellent game thread rainbowbadger

[25or624]

Sept 14, 2023 8:40:57 GMT -5 SportyBucky said:

Initial take...WI's serve isn't good enough to get FL out of system. We don't have an incredibly strong RS block, nor great floor defense. Temi isn't producing as she needs to and Devyn had her worst match of the season. I do not think WI takes a game and if they do, it will be by the skin of their teeth. I think our block can slow their OHs but that's not enough.

I agree that The Badgers' serving isn't what it has been in the relatively recent past. Julia and MJ are serving well. Izzy has a lot more errors than she used to and fewer aces. That started last year.

TTA is already deep into her head, not in a good way. CC throws in some good serves, but some bunnies as well. Sarah is just getting the ball in, but not enough.

FS1 had some great looks at Badger blocks from behind the play. The block is really ragged at times. Sarah is not a consistently good blocker; same for TTA. I think Carter is still learning to play with her new teammates; syncing and timing issues. It is hard to fathom how 6'7" + 6'9" get beat in tandem a fair amount on the right by much shorter hitters. Also, lots of blocks directed out of bounds.

I wish the setters would give up on the obligatory "go back to the hitter who was just blocked by a closed double block and give her another shot at the same blockers". Feed the middles and let's see what happens. Carter is an offensive beast when she gets a good set. CC had some strong kills last night, including from the right. 

Devyn is on every opponent's radar. Is she the new predictable set? The back-row attack isn't getting much play. Is that a trickle-down from the serving problems? 

OK, cathartic brain-dump concluded. Badgers are 8-0 and have a ton of talent. The future looks bright, but maybe not for the Florida match.       

 

[mnwis20]

Sept 14, 2023 10:16:44 GMT -5 25or624 said:

Sept 14, 2023 8:40:57 GMT -5 SportyBucky said:

Initial take...WI's serve isn't good enough to get FL out of system. We don't have an incredibly strong RS block, nor great floor defense. Temi isn't producing as she needs to and Devyn had her worst match of the season. I do not think WI takes a game and if they do, it will be by the skin of their teeth. I think our block can slow their OHs but that's not enough.

I wish the setters would give up on the obligatory "go back to the hitter who was just blocked by a closed double block and give her another shot at the same blockers". Feed the middles and let's see what happens. Carter is an offensive beast when she gets a good set. CC had some strong kills last night, including from the right. 

This to me, goes back to passing/back row defense. Look what happens when we get a pass in system: Booth or Smrek (before she transitions right) get a quick in the middle and they're basically impossible to stop. When athletic 6'7" and 6'9" come at you against one blocker, they're gonna score a majority of the time. But you gotta get in system to get that ball. Otherwise the setters basically have to go left or right when they're way off net on their set. 
 
It was nice seeing CC get a bit more involved offensively yesterday. I know it's hard to run slides in a 6-2 but I wonder if we can get some more of that out of her moving forward.