After beating the No. 20 Oregon Ducks 3-1 at home on Thursday, the Wisconsin Badgers went on the road and swept the No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers for one of their more impressive wins of the season.
In a battle of top-10 teams, it was pure domination from the Badgers, who won 25-18, 25-15, 25-21. The Badgers started hot with a 7-2 lead in the first set, and things never got competitive after that. The second set was a different story, as Purdue started well and the Badgers held only a 10-9 lead, reaching
the midway point of the set.
But Wisconsin won six points in a row and cruised to the end of the set, with a Charlie Fuerbringer service ace putting them up 2-0. The third set was the closest of them all, and Purdue took an early 6-4 lead, scoring five points in a row. Things remained competitive, with both sides going back and forth, as the Badgers led 18-17 late in the set. But a 3-0 run gave them some breathing room, and the Badgers were able to secure the win with kills from Jaela Auguste and Lynney Tarnow.
Purdue had 23 errors on the day, hitting just .113, while the Badgers hit .267 in the win. Decelise Champion led the Badgers with 11 kills, while also adding nine digs and five blocks. Champion ended up winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award for her performances against Oregon and Purdue, marking the second straight week she’s pulled off the feat.
The win was Wisconsin’s fifth in a row, improving their record to 8-4. They’ve faced quite a few ranked opponents so far: No. 3 Kentucky, No. 7 Louisville, No. 5 Stanford, No. 4 Pitt, No. 17 Florida, No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 9 Texas, No. 20 Oregon, and No. 10 Purdue. That’s nine ranked opponents in 12 matches, including six top-10 teams.
With a young team, the Badgers are hoping this early experience can help them down the stretch, but they’ve got another pair of ranked matchups this week. On Thursday, the No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers come to town, while the Badgers will face the No. 20 Minnesota Gophers on the road on Sunday.
