The Big Ten’s top two teams, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 6 Wisconsin, came through with statement wins on Thursday night – albeit in very different ways. Plus, a midseason trophy is on the line starting Saturday when the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge begins.
Badgers Go the Distance with Hoosiers
No. 15 Indiana gave No. 6 Wisconsin everything it had on Thursday night, but the Badgers came out on top in a five-set thriller, 25-19, 25-14, 22-25, 20-25, 15-8.
Wisconsin jumped out to a two-set lead, punctuated by a second set where the Badgers hit an astounding .586. But just when you thought a sweep was at hand, the Hoosiers stormed back. Teodora Krickovic led the charge for Indiana with a career-high 54 assists, setting up three teammates for 10+ kills on the night (Avry Tatum 16, Jaidyn Jager 16, and Sara Snowbarger 11).
The pure power of freshman Audrey Flanagan and crafty passing of Charlie Fuerbringer proved to be too much, however, as Wisconsin rallied to take the final frame. Flanagan led all players with 17 kills and Fuerbringer steadied her team through the storm with 47 assists and 11 digs. More from Madison.
Huskers Hit Milestones in Sweep of Penn State
No. 1 Nebraska played away from Lincoln for the first time in nearly a month on Thursday night, but the result was no different. The Huskers swept No. 16 Penn State 25-20, 25-17, 25-18 to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten play. The top-ranked team in the country hit .419, led by the duo of Harper Murray (13 kills, .400 hitting percentage) and Andi Jackson (11 kills, .625 hitting percentage).
Two Huskers reached individual milestones in the victory. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned her 250th career win in just her 295th match, making her the fourth-fastest coach to reach 250 Division I wins in women’s college volleyball history. Meanwhile, reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Bergen Reilly tallied 34 assists, surpassing assistant coach Kelly (Hunter) Natter for third all-time in program history with 4,145.
Nebraska now takes its 45-match regular-season win streak to College Park on Saturday night for a date with the Maryland Terrapins, who are coming off a five-set triumph over Iowa. More from the Huskers.
Ready for the Challenge
The Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge returns for a second year and begins this weekend with nine matches, headlined by two ranked showdowns taking place Sunday.
No. 22 Washington, in the top 25 this week for the first time since the 2024 season, will face its biggest test of the season thus far against No. 10 Purdue at 5 p.m. ET on B1G+. The Huskies have played strong defense this year, holding opponents to a .144 hitting percentage that ranks third in the Big Ten and fifth in the country. Their top priority will be containing Addy Tindall, Purdue’s redshirt freshman who ranks third in the conference in kills per set (4.16). The Boilermakers suffered a tough loss at home to No. 6 Wisconsin in straight sets last weekend. They will be looking to get back on the right track in the Pacific Northwest against No. 17 Oregon on Friday before this match on Sunday.
The second top-25 tilt on Sunday will take us to Minneapolis where No. 20 Minnesota will play host to No. 6 Wisconsin at 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. After a 0-2 start to conference play, the Gophers righted the ship with a convincing sweep of Northwestern on Thursday night. They’ll need another star effort from Mckenna Wucherer, who leads the Big Ten and is third in the country with 4.85 kills per set, to take down the Badgers. Wisconsin’s been on a roll of late, starting conference play with three-straight ranked wins over Oregon, Purdue and Indiana. Decelise Champion (back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree) and Flanagan have combined to make a formidable freshman hitting combination for Fuerbringer to set for – she’s second in the Big Ten and top 10 in the nation with 11.10 assists per set.
See the schedule and get more information on the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge.
Photo courtesy of @BadgerVB on X.