The Wisconsin Badgers kept rolling on the road, and this one was as convincing as the ranking suggested. One night after knocking off No.
20 Oregon 3-1 at home, Wisconsin went into Purdue and swept the No. 10 Boilermakers 25-18, 25-15, 25-21.
It was a clean, forceful win from start to finish. Wisconsin jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set and never let Purdue settle in.
The second set tightened early, with the Badgers holding just a 10-9 edge at the midpoint, but that was the last real opening Purdue got. Wisconsin ripped off six straight points, then closed the set with a Charlie Fuerbringer service ace to move in front 2-0.
The third set was the closest stretch of the match. Purdue grabbed an early 6-4 lead after scoring five points in a row, and the two teams traded points from there.
Wisconsin still had only a 18-17 lead late, but a 3-0 burst created enough separation to finish the job. Jaela Auguste and Lynney Tarnow delivered the final kills that sealed it.
Purdue never found its rhythm, finishing with 23 errors and a .113 hitting percentage. Wisconsin was much sharper, hitting .267 in the win.
Decelise Champion led the Badgers with 11 kills and added nine digs and five blocks. Her week earned more than just a big win, too. Champion was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her performances against Oregon and Purdue, giving her the award for the second straight week.
The victory was Wisconsin’s fifth in a row and pushed the Badgers to 8-4. Their schedule has been packed with elite competition: 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.
Now Wisconsin turns to another loaded week, with No. 15 Indiana coming to town on Thursday before a road trip to face No. 20 Minnesota on Sunday.
In Other News...
Johnny Davis Is Giving Wisconsin Fans Reason To Believe Again
Johnny Davis is back in the kind of form that once made Wisconsin fans believe he could be a future pro star. The former top-10 NBA draft pick has opened his run with Korfez Basket in the Turkish Basketball Super League by turning in strong performances, including a 31-point, 12-rebound game, and the early numbers point to a player looking much more comfortable on the floor.
Over a three-game sample, his shooting efficiency has improved, his assist-to-turnover ratio looks better and his defensive activity has picked up as well. It is a promising stretch for a player whose path to this point has been bumpy, and it gives Badgers fans a reason to keep an eye on what comes next, even if the bigger question of whether this becomes an NBA return is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Earned A Huge Road Win And Got No Respect After
Wisconsin left Beaver Stadium with a road win that should have carried real weight, especially against a Penn State team playing in front of its home crowd. The Badgers did enough to leave with the result, and in a game like that, the opponent usually has no choice but to acknowledge what happened on the other sideline.
Instead, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell spent his postgame news conference dwelling almost entirely on his own teams mistakes. He pointed to missed chances, a touchdown given up after a player slipped, and a long list of opportunities Penn State failed to convert, while Wisconsins performance barely got a mention. For the Badgers, it was a reminder that a hard-earned win does not always come with the respect it deserves. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Already Have Its Most Reliable Weapon Off The Bench
Through four games, Darrion Dupree has gone from a depth option to one of Wisconsin footballs most dependable answers on offense. He has already led the team in rushing yards in a recent game and has chipped in as a receiver, showing the kind of versatility that can change how the Badgers structure their snaps. Even with a dropped pass in one outing, he kept producing, and his ability to force missed tackles has made him look like more than just a change-of-pace runner.
That matters for a Wisconsin offense still sorting through other moving parts, with Abu Sama dealing with injuries and Malachi Coleman searching for steadier production. In that kind of mix, Duprees emergence gives the Badgers a back who can stay on the field and handle different jobs without much drop-off. For a team looking for reliable offense, the bench may already be hiding one of its most useful weapons. [Read more 🡒]