Big Ten Notebook: Week of Oct. 1
Big Ten Notebook: Week of Oct. 1
Here’s what went down over the past seven days and what to look for in the coming week of Big Ten play.
With three weeks of conference play in the books, only two teams remain undefeated in Big Ten play and six are locked in a tie for fifth with 2-2 records.
Here’s what went down over the past seven days and what to look for in the coming week.
Penn State Back on Track
Penn State opened the Big Ten season with back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Ohio State, but last week, with senior outside hitter Nia Reed in the lineup once again after missing four matches due to injury, the Nittany Lions scored two sweeps.
First, against Michigan State, PSU won 25-11, 25-16, 26-24, holding the Spartans under a .050 hitting clip in the first two sets and below .100 for the match. In her return, Reed posted seven kills, two digs, and two blocks, but it was freshman Kaitlyn Hord who led the attack with nine kills and zero errors to hit .818.
On Sunday, Penn State hit .248 to Michigan’s .150 as the Nittany Lions dismantled the Wolverines 25-17, 25-21, 25-23. Hord once again led with 10 kills, but her fellow freshmen Jonni Parker and Serena Gray each added nine, while outsides Reed and Taylor Leath had seven apiece.
Illinois Suffers First Loss
Illinois had won 14 in a row heading into Saturday’s matchup with defending national champion Nebraska, but with a 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-17, 25-19) decision, the Huskers put an end to the Fighting Illini’s win streak.
In the match, Nebraska’s senior outside Mikaela Foecke had 13 kills, but Illinois’ Jacqueline Quade led the match with 22 kills, her second consecutive match with more than 20 kills. Both teams saw excellent performances from their setters, with Illinois’ Jordyn Poulter collecting four kills, 42 assists, 13 digs, and four blocks, and Nebraska’s Nicklin Hames recording two kills, 42 assists, six digs, and three blocks.
Rankings Roundup
Seven Big Ten teams appeared in this week’s AVCA Poll.
Biggest Upset
If we’re going by rankings, Minnesota, last week’s No. 6 sweeping previous No. 5 Wisconsin 25-17, 25-21, 25-15 would be the the biggest upset. Gopher outside hitter Alexis Hart’s .609 hitting percentage (14 kills, 0 errors, 23 attempts) marked a new career high, as did Stephanie Samedy’s .545 clip (14 kills, 2 errors, 22 attempts).
As a team, the Gophers out-hit the Badgers .386 to .232, and Minnesota has now won seven straight matches against Wisconsin, with the streak dating back to 2014.
You could also tap Indiana’s four-setter over Ohio State (25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 25-8) as the week’s biggest surprise. The Buckeyes were fresh off beating then-No. 4 Penn State and received votes in last week’s AVCA poll, but they only managed to string together a .121 hitting percentage against Indiana as they committed 28 hitting errors.
Indiana freshman Breana Edwards tallied 10 digs and 10 kills to collect her 10th consecutive double-double.
In the fifth set, Indiana made zero hitting errors to hit .520 and hold Ohio State under 10 points. The Hoosiers had not beaten Ohio State in Columbus since 2008.
"I'm proud of our kids for fighting and playing hard,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said. “OSU had an off night but we were ready for that window. We have a lot of things we need to work on and improve, but we will take it, get back in the gym and get back to work.”
Ohio State then suffered another disappointment Saturday as it lost in five sets to Maryland.
Top Performer
Minnesota’s Taylor Morgan has not made a hitting error in more than a week. In the Gophers’ match against Wisconsin, the redshirt junior middle blocker contributed six kills, with zero errors of course, on 17 swings to hit .353. Versus Indiana, she took 13 swings and all but one found the floor. Once again, no errors. Allow us to do the math for you, that’s a .923 clip.
On both nights, Morgan also contributed defensively, adding a block versus Wisconsin and two in the Indiana match.
For the season, the native of Blaine, Minnesota, leads the team with a .406 percentage.
Biggest Upcoming Matches
Wisconsin @ Illinois | Wednesday, October 3, 8 PM CT
The Badgers and the Fighting Illini both have something to prove after losing tough matches last week. Keep an eye out for some skillful setting from Poulter and Wisconsin sophomore Sydney Hilley and big blocks from Dana Rettke and Ali Bastianelli.
Purdue @ Michigan | Friday, October 5, 8 PM CT
With identical 2-2 records, Michigan and Purdue will be after a win over a ranked team to help elevate them in the Big Ten standings, the national rankings, and the RPI.
Ohio State @ Penn State | Saturday, October 6, 6 PM CT
Less than two weeks after being upset by Ohio State, Penn State gets a chance at redemption. Penn State enters this week’s action on a two match win streak, while Ohio State has had the opposite results in recent play.
Minnesota @ Nebraska | Saturday, October 6, 7 PM CT
No one in the Big Ten has been able to push Nebraska past four sets, let alone score a victory. Minnesota, the only other team unbeaten in Big Ten play, will try to topple the reigning national champs on Saturday.