No. 9 Purdue volleyball upsets No. 4 Wisconsin for second time this season

Purdue jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set before the Badgers snapped out of it. Dana Rettke hammered one down off the slide and then was apart of two back-to-back blocks to take a 6-5 lead. The two teams alternated points with neither team taking more than a one-point lead at a time. The Badgers lead 12-10 in this must-win set. 

They are sticking to the same theme of low hitting all match long, with both teams still hitting under .200 in the fourth set. 

The Boilermakers won a pivotal third set 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead on the match. Wisconsin will now need to win the fourth set to force a fifth and avoid the season sweep against the Boilermakers. Plus, stay on top of the Big Ten. 

After the Wisconsin timeout with Purdue up 13-8, the Boilermakers got two more to make it a 7-0 run before Jade Demps finally stopped the run for the Badgers, but it was not without some damage. The Badgers needed some momentum and they needed it fast — they responded with a 5-0 run to get within two points, trailing 16-14. A giant Wisconsin block on the right side got the Badgers within one, but the Boilermakers would not stop there. This was clearly going to be a battle, and they never let Wisconsin take the lead the rest of the way. 

They ultimately won the set 25-22, and now the Badgers face a win-it or go home fourth set. Caitlyn Newton is up to 13 kills for the Boilermakers on .242 hitting, and Grace Cleveland is up to eight kills. The Boilermakers again out-hit and out-blocked the Badgers in the third set. Grace Loberg turned it on for Wisconsin, up to seven kills, and Anna Smrek has been great out of the middle when she gets her chances. But, they are still not looking like the complete Wisconsin team that we have seen this season. They are missing Rettke as their main contributor — she has five kills and is hitting under .100, extremely uncharacteristic for the All-American middle. 

Purdue had an answer for Rettke in their win in October, and they have an answer for her now. They have 12.5 blocks on the match so far, and it is working. Lets see how Wisconsin responds in the fourth. 

Fueled up. ⛽️@Caitlyn_Newton x Taylor Trammell pic.twitter.com/kq2jwHwlTm

— Purdue Volleyball (@PurdueVB) November 13, 2021

The Badgers even up the score with a 25-19 win in set two. Neither team hit well, but the Badgers ultimately outhit the Boilermakers .100 to .059. The Boilermakers dug themselves into a hole early with attacking errors and were unable to make their way back. 

Despite trailing by eight points, they were able to cut the deficit to just three, but the Badgers were the first to 20. Grace Loberg sent the winning dagger across the net and the Badgers took the second set on their home court. Devyn Robinson and Julia Orzol are still leading the charge for the Badgers without Rettke as a major contributor. Rettke still has just two kills on the match. 

Once the Boilermakers clean up their mistakes, the Badgers will need to get their middles involved. One really sweet note though for the Badgers — Lauren Barnes has a career high of four service aces so far on the match. They have five total. 

Guess who has a new career-high? 🤔@laurenbarnes_2 does!

4 aces already this match! pic.twitter.com/CSPkm94nKW

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) November 13, 2021

This set looks a different Wisconsin team. For one, they are hitting .500 so far and have held the Boilermakers to a .200 clip. On top of that, they registered two service aces. This Wisconsin team will NEEd to get Purdue off the net and out of system if they want to win this match. The Boilermakers are also registering a lot of errors in this set, which is not helping their case.

But, just like in the first matchup between Purdue and Wisconsin, the Boilermakers are doing a good job of keeping Dana Rettke quiet. She has just two kills on four swings so far, so it is a good sign that they are leading in the second set even without her dominance. But, they will need her to get involved. The Badgers lead 15-7 in set one. 

She was aiming for the net 😉@laurenbarnes_2 starting off the 2nd set with an ace! pic.twitter.com/sKNJ26lwNa

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) November 13, 2021

The Badgers and Boilermakers meet for the second time this season when the two battle Friday night. Here's how you can watch:

• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Date: Friday, Nov. 12
• Watch: Big Ten+
• Live stats: Click or tap here

For another look at this weekend's top matches to watch, click or tap here.

Who doesn't love a good old-fashioned rematch? Wisconsin and Purdue will face off for the second time this season after the Boilermakers upset the Badgers in four sets on Oct. 31. It was Wisconsin's second loss of the season. This game has more implications though than just the Badgers getting redemption. Wisconsin currently sits on top of the Big Ten standings at 12-2 with just one less loss than Nebraska and Minnesota. So, another loss would give up their solo first place spot here. Purdue is fourth, but they are also sitting right on the verge of the top 10 and are fighting for a favorable position in the eyes of the NCAA volleyball committee. Selections for the tournament are just a few weeks away on Nov. 28, so this will be an important battle for them. Two wins over Wisconsin, a team that the committee ranked in the top three, would be really impressive for Purdue. 

In their four-set win over the Badgers in October, the Boilermakers outblocked Wisconsin 16 to 7 and put up four aces in the win. Those two stat lines were most likely extremely vital. Caitlyn Newton and Grace Cleveland led offensively with 17 and 15 kills respectively, but Raven Colvin secured a career-setting performance, with 11 total stuffs. Among them were 10 block assists, which not only are a career-best, but the third-most by a Boilermaker in a four-set match in Purdue history. 

Wisconsin has long been known as a powerful blocking team, especially with Dana Rettke at the net for the past few years. But they were outblocked in the loss and Purdue currently ranks second in the nation with 2.89 blocks per set. So one of the best blocking teams in the NCAA, despite their four losses in the Big Ten. 

You can expect Wisconsin to come out strong. The loss to Purdue was an off-day for the Badgers. They struggled offensively and their typical aggressive service pressure was pretty much non-existent. If they play even remotely close to their normal performances, this will be a tough team for Purdue to handle. They are the No. 4 team in the nation for a reason, and when all of their components are on, it is a pretty scary sight for their opponents. 

Either way, a great matchup with some big-time implications.

Both Wisconsin and Purdue are ranked in the top 10, two of six Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA.

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