This week’s latest AVCA polls have been released and the Wisconsin Badgers have suffered yet another slump, falling two spots to No. 8 after a 2-1 week that included a loss to No. 4 Louisville and wins over No. 18 Baylor and No. 25 TCU.
The Badgers started the season slowly and faced difficult opponents like Stanford, Louisville and Texas, all of which are currently ranked among the top six teams in the country.
But this weekend, they managed to gain momentum in five-set thrillers against Baylor and TCU in Big 10/Big 12 competition and score their first two wins of the season.
It’s been a transitional period for a young Badgers team that’s just introducing some new players and new formations, so it’s understandable that Wisconsin overall has had its fair share of ups and downs.
However, this weekend’s two wins showed that Wisconsin can overcome adversity even in difficult times. The Badgers were able to overcome a 2-1 deficit in Friday’s win over TCU by winning the final two sets 25-16 and 15-11. Then against Baylor, the Badgers started strong with a 2-0 lead, dropped two sets and came back to win the final set 16-14 in a thrilling match.
Wisconsin is still finding its stride early in the season, but last week showed promise for the young Badgers squad. They return to the UW Field House on Tuesday to face Milwaukee before heading to the Kohl Center next week to face No. 24 Marquette.
