Badgers volleyball sweep No. 18 Indiana

(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team dominated from the start against No. 18 Indiana, sweeping the Hoosiers (25-13, 25-14, 25-20) in straight sets to earn their second ranked win of the week. 

The Badgers (18-4, 11-3) began the match with the return of setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who missed the past nine battles due to injury. The sophomore guided UW to a .500 hitting percentage in the first set, highlighted by nine kills combined from outside hitter Mimi Colyer and middle blocker Carter Booth. 

Wisconsin jumped out to a 13-8 advantage with the help of a kill from Booth and an assist from Fuerbringer. After trading points with the Hoosiers (19-5, 10-4), right side Grace Egan enjoyed a 6-0 serving run—tallying her first of two service aces to expand the Badgers’ advantage to 22-12. 

A block from senior Alicia Andrew and freshman Addy Horner, followed by a Colyer kill wrapped up set one in a dominant fashion for the Badgers, who finished at 92% in sideout scoring. 

UW maintained the momentum in set two, continuing to thrive on the offensive end. The Badgers capitalized on multiple Indiana hitting errors to take a 16-7 lead, and never looked back. 

Defensively, Wisconsin held the Hoosiers to a negative hitting percentage in set two, as they finished with -.026. Libero Kristen Simon continued to be a steady presence in the back row, enjoying another strong showing with a team-high 15 digs. The freshman has now accumulated double-digit digs in 13 consecutive matches.

The Badgers cruised to a 25-14 set two victory, capped off by a block turned in by Booth and Colyer to conclude a long rally. 

Indiana provided a response in set three, but UW was able to string together a pair of 3-0 runs to create some separation and eventually earn the sweep—improving the Badgers’ record to 6-4 against ranked opponents on the season. 

Colyer finished the match with her 14th kill of the afternoon, putting together another double-digit effort en route to UW’s 11th conference victory. The senior added 10 digs to secure her sixth double-double of the season and the 42nd of her career.

Booth was close behind, turning in her top performance of the year with an 11-kill showing from the middle. The Denver, Colorado, native tallied double-digit kills for the first time this season, swinging .733 on the afternoon to power the Badgers to a win.

In her return, Fuerbringer finished with 28 assists, eight digs and a pair of kills—guiding the offense to a .351 hitting percentage (39 – 6 – 94), UW’s best mark against a ranked conference foe. 

In addition to Fuerbringer’s return, outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres made her first appearance of the season after coming off of injury—notching her first action since the Badgers played Troy on Sept. 20, 2024. 

Outside hitter Una Vajagic rounded out the top performers for Wisconsin, finishing with seven kills and eight digs.