Women's volleyball teams in the Big Ten have brought new meaning to the saying "Home, sweet home."
Home-court advantage has been extremely significant in the conference this season. Four teams are undefeated at their home courts, two others have just one loss, and only Indiana, Purdue and Iowa, the three teams at the bottom of the conference, are under .500. On the opposite side of the coin, only Wisconsin and Ohio State, the first and second place teams in the conference respectively, have road records over .500.
The trend continued this week, as home teams were 7-4 in conference matches with Purdue and Indiana each suffering two home defeats.
"I think the rally score effects everything," Minnesota coach Mike Hebert said. "In the old system you would have time to settle in on the road. You could go down 9-4 but start getting some side outs and you'd be right back in it. With this score, games are over so fast. I have a lot of players tell me the game is ending just when they're starting to warm up."
With five Big Ten teams in the top 20 in attendance, the environment of games is also a factor.
"A lot of teams in the conference have great home environments," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "I don't think other teams are intimidated, but I think teams just play a lot better at home."
Illinois moves up in standings
Michigan and Michigan State both found their trips to Champaign, Ill., to be unpleasant this past weekend.
The Fighting Illini had few problems with either one of the teams from the Great Lakes State, finishing off the Wolverines in four games and the Spartans in three.
The two victories created a logjam in the middle of the standings. Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern and Minnesota are all tied for fifth with 4-4 conference records.
The Illini impressed both opposing coaches. Their fourth conference win against Michigan State equaled their total in last year's injury-riddled 4-16 season.
"They looked a lot better this year," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "They were making a lot fewer mistakes, they controlled the ball well. They've got a lot more depth and balance and they've got tough middle blockers."
Haddad named Player of the Week
Illini outside hitter Shadia Haddad was named Big Ten player of the week for her efforts in Illinois' weekend victories.
She had 18 kills against DePaul Tuesday, 22 against the Wolverines Friday, and nine with 15 digs against the Spartans Saturday.
Livingston going for all-time record
Wisconsin middle blocker Sherisa Livingston needs just 10 kills in Friday's game at Minnesota to pass Wisconsin administrative assistant Amy Lee's mark of 1,661 kills to become the Badgers' all-time leader
"She's been a huge impact," Wisconsin coach Pete Waite said. "When she came to this school was when the Badgers started to surge. This will be a huge accomplishment for her."
This week's schedule
The first half of the Big Ten schedule ends this week.
The match between No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 21 Minnesota, who finished first and second respectively in the conference last season, will be the marquee matchup.
On Saturday, the Badgers travel to Iowa, and the Golden Gophers host Northwestern. No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Ohio State will make their trips to Michigan.
The Nittany Lions will play Michigan State Friday while the Buckeyes are in Ann Arbor.
The two teams switch places on Saturday. Purdue will host Illinois Friday and Indiana Saturday.
