Northwestern sophomore Christie Gardner will be returning to her old stomping grounds tonight when the NU volleyball team (9-4, 0-1 Big Ten) travels to Madison, Wis., to square up against the No. 23 Badgers (8-3, 0-0).

Gardner, who grew about an hour from the volleyball mecca, said she’s eager to return and looks forward to the rabid Badger fans.

“I’m expecting my friends that go Wisconsin to be rooting a little for me,” she said. “But I like playing away games. I like it when people are cheering against me.”

It’s too early to tell if the Wildcats will be able to live up to the high ambitions that it has for this season.

Wednesday’s loss to Indiana was a step in the wrong direction for NU, which has made it clear that its ultimate goal for this season is to win the Big Ten title.

But one thing is for certain: There will be plenty of people cheering against Gardner and the Cats tonight.

Wisconsin is third in the country in attendance this season, drawing an average of 3,583 fans for each of its first five games. It drew its biggest crowd this season on Sept. 13 when the Badgers hosted Duke, but NU can expect an even more electric atmosphere in Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener.

Volleyball is very serious in the Big Ten and the people of Wisconsin are very serious about volleyball. Gardner won three conference championships in high school competing in the Little Ten conference, and has three sisters that played collegiate volleyball — two at Wisconsin and one at Indiana.

Gardner racked up 11 kills and seven digs against Illinois, but made a few costly mistakes at key points in an all-around sloppy performance from the Cats.

“We just didn’t play Northwestern volleyball,” she said after the game. “When we’re on, we’re unstoppable. But no matter what, I feel confident that I can get the ball and make plays.”