Still riding high on the momentum of its five-game upset win over No. 16 Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus, the Illinois volleyball team returns to action this weekend hosting Big Ten rivals Northwestern and No. 8 Wisconsin.

The Wildcats will visit Huff Hall on Friday and the Badgers will be in on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.

While both teams are expected to challenge the Illini, head coach Don Hardin thinks Wisconsin (10-1, 2-0 in the Big Ten) is the better team.

Hardin said he voted Wisconsin as the top team in the conference during the preseason, even ahead of No. 4 Penn State – who beat the Illini (10-3, 1-1) in three sets last Friday in Happy Valley.

“I think they’re the team to beat in our league,” Hardin said. “They’re very balanced, and they block and serve very well.”

Hardin added that while Northwestern (9-3, 0-2) is led by sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Anderson, Wisconsin has several talented starters, making it even harder to key on stopping just one.

“Wisconsin is one of the hottest teams in the country,” he said. “If we’re going to go 2-0, we have to beat Northwestern and then see what happens. And with the games going on in the conference this weekend, I don’t see a lot of teams going 2-0.”

Senior Rachel VanMeter – currently second in the nation in kills at 5.96 per game – said despite Wisconsin’s talent, if Illinois is on top of its game they should win the match.

“We need to focus ourselves on playing well and playing within our system,” she said.

Both matches will feature a new-look Illini roster, as senior Rasa Virsilaite will return to the starting lineup. Virsilaite, who broke her right pinky finger two weeks ago in a home match against Eastern Illinois, will play strictly back row until she has completely rehabbed her injury, Hardin said.

Virsilaite is just glad to be playing again.

“It’s been tough to sit out, but this weekend I’m going to get back out there and see what happens,” she said.

With the added home-court advantage, Virsilaite and VanMeter expect the Illini to come out pumped up.

“It really helps a lot when the crowd is behind you,” VanMeter said. “Most people don’t understand how much the crowd can affect you in a match. Hopefully, playing at home, we can use that to our advantage.”