MILWAUKEE — The stage is set for what’s expected to be a historical Wednesday night inside Fiserv Forum.
While the Milwaukee Bucks' arena is preparing to host its first-ever volleyball match between No. 1 Wisconsin and Marquette University, it's also anticipated that a new record will be set for the most-attended women's sporting event in state history.
The Badgers currently hold the record after last year's match against the University of Florida, which drew 16,833 fans to Kohl Center on Sept. 16.
A Marquette University official shared with TMJ4 Sports that Wednesday's match is sold out inside Fiserv Forum, an arena that has a seating capacity surpassing 17,000.
Women's volleyball has seen an upward growth in support over the last decade, making Wednesday's match that much more special for Marquette right-side hitter Ella Foti.
"As a young girl I couldn’t have imagined, and the fact that it’s becoming a reality is pretty awesome," the junior smiled. "I feel like it’s something for young girls to look up to and that we do matter as women athletes.”
Looking ahead to Wednesday's match-up, both teams seem to be headed in opposite directions as they enter the last week of non-conference play.
While Wisconsin continues to hold its reign as the top team in the nation sporting a perfect 7-0 record, Marquette (2-5) has since dropped out of the polls after losing four straight matches to ranked opponents.
The Golden Eagles started the preseason ranked No. 12.
"(Wisconsin is the) largest team I’ve ever seen in 25 years of college volleyball, so finding kills is extremely difficult," Golden Eagles head coach Ryan Theis explained. "Getting stops is extremely difficult, so really a lot of the attention is on our side of the ball.”
No. 1 Wisconsin versus Marquette kicks off at 7 p.m. CT on FS1.
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