The Badgers now have just a one game advantage over second place Ohio State, though they have handed the No. 10 Buckeyes both of their losses.

Although they got the roughest part of their second half schedule out of the way this weekend, there are still a few dangerous matches including tomorrow's game at Madison against surging Illinois and a weekend trip to Michigan and Michigan State on tap for next weekend.

Though his team's victory gave it new life in the hunt for the title, Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose knows it will take a lot more for Wisconsin to topple from the top and for his team to make a run.

"We beat them last year and they still finished second in the country," Rose said. "It was the culmination of a great day in Penn State sports, and we had all of those factors going our way.

"I think our players know that to be a great team, you have to be able to perform that well when you don't have all of those factors on your side. I don't think we've achieved that level yet."

Levy named player of the week

Not surprisingly, the Big Ten honored a member of the team that handed Wisconsin their first conference loss. Nittany Lion junior outside hitter Mishka Levy garnered Player of the Week honors thanks to her 21 kills against Northwestern, and 18 more with 15 digs in the Lion's shocking upset victory Sunday over the Badgers.

Levy, who had suffered with injuries in a season that has not been near equal to her 2000 campaign that earned her second team All-American honors, also stepped up her defense with 15 digs against Wisconsin and six blocks over the weekend.

Illinois and Minnesota moving in opposite directions

Illinois upped its winning streak to seven with two 3-0 sweeps over No. 24 Minnesota and Iowa this week.

They moved to 8-4 in the conference and 15-5 overall, taking over the fourth spot in the conference standings. The Fighting Illini have been rolling since dropping four of their first six Big Ten matches, including one to the Golden Gophers.

"Illinois played us very well," Minnesota coach Mike Hebert said. "They're definitely not the same team we saw at the beginning of the season."

The wins vaulted the No. 25 Illini into the Top 25 for the first time since the last week of October in 1999.

Though Hebert's Golden Gophers are still ranked one spot above the Illini, they are not experiencing as much recent success.

Though the Gophers came back after their loss Saturday with a 3-2 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers, they had lost four of their previous five games.

The inexperienced squad took another hit this weekend when senior setter Lindsey Berg left the Illinois match and missed the Indiana match with a sprained ankle. Her injuries are considered a day-to-day concern for Minnesota.

"We've been a Jekyll and Hyde team," Hebert said.

"We've got a lot of youth and inexperience. You need at least three players who have been around, who have played in every arena, and been around the Big Ten, and we don't have that right now."

This Week's Schedule

Illinois will test their validity as a Big Ten power when they travel to Madison to play the Badgers tomorrow night before facing intrastate foe Northwestern Saturday. Minnesota will hope the comforts of Minneapolis will help them exact vengeance on Michigan and Michigan State tomorrow and Saturday respectively.

Those teams also have a trip to Iowa in their weekend plans. Penn State and Ohio State will take on Purdue on tomorrow and Saturday night respectively, and Indiana will be visit Madison Saturday.