Members of the OSU women’s volleyball team huddle up before a match against Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 5 at St. John Arena. OSU won, 3-1.
Credit: Emily Yarcusko / For The Lantern
Coming off loss to a top-20 team, the Ohio State women’s volleyball is set to turnaround and face a top-five opponent.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to face No. 5 Wisconsin (9-2) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
After facing No. 17 Minnesota (11-0) on Wednesday, the Buckeyes (9-4) are looking to build on the limited success they had against the Golden Gophers in a five-set loss.
Senior defensive specialist Alyssa Winner said she expects the Badgers to be fully prepared for OSU after a successful 2013 season.
“Coming off them playing in the national championship last year, I think they’re going to be ready to go,” she said.
With the help of Badgers’ sophomore setter Lauren Carlini, who was named co-Big Ten setter of the week, the Badgers might have an upper hand against the Buckeyes.
But in the 11 games the Badgers have played this season, they swept five of their opponents, and have only allowed three opponents to win a set, on their way to losing just two games.
Combined, the Badgers are 1-2 against ranked competition, with their only loss coming to USC.
In games where the Badgers opponent has given up two sets, they’re 0-1. Additionally, the Badgers are coming off two straight losses, including being swept by the Nittany Lions at home.
Junior middle blocker Tyler Richardson said the Buckeyes’ ability to stop Wisconsin’s attack will be key after having a successful defensive night against Minnesota.
“Definitely defense (is the key),” Richardson said after the Minnesota game. “The blocking set-up was great tonight.”
She added “we all kept our heads up … (we wanted them to know) that we deserved to be here.”
The defense is something coach Geoff Carlston has talked about all season as the team has spent the majority of their time in practice tweaking.
Following their game against the Badgers, the Buckeyes are set for face a back-to-back matches next week as they travel to Iowa and No. 8 Nebraska. The Hawkeye match is scheduled for a 8 p.m. start Oct. 3, while the Cornhuskers match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start Oct. 4.
