Devyn Robinson, Gulce Guctekin highlight our mid-week look at the Wisconsin volleyball team

A weekly update on the University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team.

BADGERS 2-0 LAST WEEK

Wisconsin opened the week 3-1 and is ranked sixth in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the second straight week. The Badgers went 2-0 in the last week with a 3-1 win over Marquette on Friday and a 3-0 victory over High Point on Saturday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Devyn Robinson helps save banner night and earns player of the week distinction

The junior middle blocker/right-side hitter claimed our player of the week distinction by hitting .511 against Marquette and High Point with 26 kills and just three errors in 45 attempts.

She was rock solid Friday when the team fought off an upset bid that would have put a damper on UW’s national championship celebration. She finished that night with a team-high 15 kills (.464) that included four in the closing set plus three digs and three blocks. She followed that with a season-high hitting percentage .588 against High Point.

“Dev really showed her talent,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “I don’t think people know, she’s bouncing back and forth from the middle and the right side. She’s hitting quicks and she’s hitting first tempo, second tempo and third tempo. There are just not many players in the country who can do that and she doesn’t complain about things. It’s, 'Here, let’s go.'”

NOTES

Gulce Guctekin displays promise at service line

As the freshman libero makes the transition to college ball, Guctekin has been surprisingly strong at serving. She is second on the team in aces behind senior Izzy Ashburn with six, three coming over High Point, and Guctekin also had runs of nine and six straight points Saturday.

The native of Turkey never served in matches as the she came up the ranks playing for her national team or club.

“To get out there and put in good ball after good ball after good ball, she makes it look a lot easier than maybe it would be," Sheffield said. "I see a server who is serving with a lot of confidence.”

Badgers wear black in support of Rachel Richardson

Wisconsin wore its black warmups before its match with Marquette, a gesture done in support of the united stance against racism in the wake of an allegation that a Black Duke player was subjected to racial slurs during a match Aug. 26 at BYU.

More: Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson says BYU, officials were slow to react to racial slurs

“On the bus right after we heard about the situation we all decided we’re going to have a voice in this,” Robinson said. “We’re going to have a voice in this. We’re going to support, post on Instagram, let the world know that this not OK and that we stand with her."

BY THE NUMBERS

.545 Single match career-high hitting percentage for Sarah Franklin vs. High Point.

5 Consecutive sets UW has hit .300 or better.

0.60 Average aces allowed per set by UW, the best rate in the Big Ten.

KENTUCKY, CAMPBELL NEXT OPPONENTS

At No. 14 Kentucky, 6 p.m. Friday (ESPNU) The matchup pits the past two national champions. The Wildcats have wins over Ohio, Northern Iowa, Creighton and Southern California since a season-opening loss to Marquette.

Vs. Campbell, 1 p.m. Saturday in Lexington, Ky (ESPN+): The Fighting Camels are off to a 2-4 start but are picked to finish second in the Big South behind High Point.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball report: Player of the week, a look ahead, notes