(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball outperformed Iowa in all areas in a 25-15, 25-17, 25-13 sweep of Iowa on Friday evening at the UW Field House.
Sarah Franklin put up a match-high 15 kills as the Badgers hit .394 (42 kills – 5 errors – 94 attempts) on the night. Anna Smrek added 10 to round out double-digit kills for UW.
UW held the Hawkeyes to just .087 (35 – 25 – 115) with outside Malu Garcia leading the team tallying 12 kills.
An early 4-0 run pushed the Badgers to a 7-2 lead to start the first set. Iowa responded with a kill and back-to-back blocks to bring it back with two (7-5). The Badgers went on a 6-2 run with a block from Franklin and Devyn Robinson to top it off and force a Hawkeye timeout as they trailed 6-13. From there, the Badgers rolled to a 25-15 set one victory.
Set two brought a much more evenly matched game. Neither team led by more than two points until the Badgers went on a 3-0 run with two kills from Franklin and an attack error from Iowa to give UW a 10-6 edge. The Badgers extended their lead to 13-9. The Hawkeyes tallied three kills in a row to tie it up at 14-all, but a six-serve run from Julia Orzol put the match out of reach for the Hawkeyes as the Badgers rallied off Franklin’s seven-kill second set to take it 25-17.
Once again, Iowa kept it close for the start of the third set but then the Badgers pulled away. A 5-0 run fueled by an ace from Charlie Fuerbringer and two kills and a solo block from Franklin pushed Wisconsin ahead 13-8. Iowa sided out but the Badgers came right back with a 6-1 run to prompt a Hawkeye timeout in hopes of slowing down the Badgers, as they led 19-10. But the deficit was too great, as Wisconsin took the third and final set 25-13.
Fuerbringer put up 32 assists to go along with her 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, the freshman also added 3 kills.
Lola Schumacher led the team with 14 digs. The Badgers outblocked the Hawkeyes 10.0-5.0, with Smrek putting down six.
Wisconsin recorded six service aces compared to Iowa’s one. Franklin finished with two, while Schumacher, Fuerbringer, Orzol and Carly Anderson each tallying one of their own.
Straight from the court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
On the serving tonight: “We put some pressure on them and that’s what we wanted to do. They’re in the top third of passing in the conference. That’s something they do really well. I thought we came out and buried the planes of our serve which kept them off-balance. That was the goal going in.”
On Penn State: “They’re a good team, they’ve lost one match all year. They’re one of the best in the country, it’s an opportunity in front of us, and we’ve had some great battles over the years. It’ll be two competitive teams duking it out in a great environment on national television. It’s what competitors love to be apart of.”
Freshman Lola Schumacher
On tonight’s approach: “Taking every team, every film session, every practice the same as any team, treating it all as the same. So, that really leads us to coming into these matches on the same level and the same mindset.”
Middle blocker CC Crawford
On what went well: “I think every team we play in the Big Ten is tough and is always going to be challenging. I thought we did a really great job tonight with our serve-pass game. I feel like we varied the planes really well in our serve, which allowed us to set our block up. We were just gritty and we balled out, so I think that really contributed to tonight’s win.”
Notes to know
- Wisconsin held Iowa to a .087 hitting percentage, the eighth time this season where they held their opponent under .100 hitting percentage.
- Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer sixth double-double of the season with 23 assists and 14 digs. The 14 digs is also a career-high.
- In the second set alone, outside hitter Sarah Franklin tallied seven kills, and for the 20th time this season, Franklin reached double-figure kills.
- For the 13th time this season, Wisconsin hit .300 or better. The Badgers hit .394 (42 – 5 – 94).
- Wisconsin tallied 10.0 blocks, the 12th this season where the team recorded double-figure blocks.
Up next
The Badgers will be back in action tomorrow afternoon to take on No. 3 Penn State. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m.
Comments