What to know about Wisconsin volleyball vs. Purdue at Mackey Arena

MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team is no stranger to games played in large arenas in front of huge crowds.

What the Badgers experience Saturday at Mackey Arena is expected to be one of the greatest.

Mackey Arena seats nearly 15,000 for volleyball. Purdue typically plays its home games in the 2,288-seat Holloway Gymnasium. This season, for the first time since 2016, the Boilermakers scheduled two games in Mackey, home of the school's men's and women's basketball teams.

The Purdue-Indiana game played there on October 19 drew 14,876 fans. A similar show on Saturday would give UW the largest attended Big Ten game in program history.

Here's what you need to know about the game.

When does the Wisconsin volleyball team face Purdue on Saturday?

The Badgers (14-4, 8-1 Big Ten) play the Boilermakers (16-4, 7-2) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC.

What are the largest crowds to see a Wisconsin volleyball game?

1. 19,598 vs. No. 5 Texas in the Final Four, December 14, 2023

2. 17,037 vs. Marquette at Fiserv Forum, September 13, 2023

3. 16,833 vs. No. 16 Florida at Kohl Center, September 16, 2022

4. 15,084 vs. Marquette at Kohl Center, September 17, 2024

5. 14,036 vs. No. 1 Texas at Fiserv Forum, September 1, 2024.

6, 10,935 vs. Illinois in the NCAA Tournament, November 30, 1990.

7. 10,326 vs. No. 2 Penn State, October 21, 2007

8. 9,280 vs. No. 6 Louisville at KFC Yum! Center, August 27, 2024

What will the Wisconsin-Purdue volleyball game mean for the Big Ten race?

The Badgers need a win to maintain third place in the conference behind leaders Penn State and Nebraska. Purdue's league loss came to Penn State in straight sets at home on September 25th and to Nebraska on the road in five sets on October 11th. This will be the only meeting between Wisconsin and Purdue in the regular season.

Where are Wisconsin volleyball and Purdue volleyball ranked?

The Badgers climbed one spot to No. 8 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Purdue holds the No. 10 spot.

Who are Purdue's top players?

The Boilermakers returned two All-Americans from last season and both set the tone for the team this year.

Junior Eva Hudson, a 6-foot-1 outside attacker who played on the national team with UW's Sarah Franklin last summer, is averaging a team-high 4.4 kills per set and hitting .282. Chloe Chicoine, a 5-10 sophomore outside hitter, is second on the team with 3.3 kills per set and second with 2.6 digs per set.

Who's hot for the Wisconsin volleyball team?

* Senior Caroline Crawford had one of her better all-around games Thursday at Indiana: nine kills, a .412 hitting percentage and eight blocks. She recorded her 600th^Th block during the game.

* Met Sarah Franklin. 314 on Thursday (15 kills, four errors, 35 attacks), bringing her batting average in Big Ten play to .343.

* The Badgers lead the Big Ten in blocks with 3.58 per set, an aspect of the game that could be crucial against the best hitting team they have faced in league play so far.

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