(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON –
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball team fell to the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions in five sets (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 11-15) at the UW Field House Sunday afternoon, handing the Badgers their second loss at home this year.
Freshman Decelise Champion once again paced the Badger offense, providing 19 kills while contributing seven digs and three blocks. Senior Jaela Auguste contributed 12 kills on a .409 hitting percentage (7 – 2 – 20). Flanagan turned in nine kills of her own.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer racked up 46 assists and a match-high 18 digs, good for her 11th double-double this season.
The Badgers (17-7, 11-3) got off to a quick start in the first set, using an early 3-0 run behind a .400 hitting percentage to grab a four-point lead over Penn State (19-5, 11-3) heading into the media break.
A block from Fuerbringer and Auguste closed out the set in Wisconsin’s favor, 25-20. Auguste posted four kills with no hitting errors through that frame to lead the Badgers to the advantage heading into the next set.
Neither team found separation early in the second set, which featured 10 ties and three lead changes. The Nittany Lions were able to find some momentum, however, collecting five straight rallies into the media timeout.
Wardlow and Travis sparked a late 3-0 surge for Wisconsin, but Penn State was able to fight it off and claim the set, 25-18. Penn State’s presence at the net held the Badgers to a .091 hitting percentage (10 – 7 – 33) through that frame.
The back-and-forth tempo continued in the third set before the Badgers found narrow separation behind strong hitting from Champion. The freshman added four kills to combine for four straight Wisconsin points, giving Wisconsin a 13-9 edge.
Champion continued her strong hitting to close out the third frame, tallying back-to-back kills to help build a 7-2 run. The freshman chipped in 10 total kills throughout the set, including the final point to seal it in Wisconsin’s favor, 25-20.
The Badgers fell behind early in the fourth set as the Nittany Lions used a pair of 4-0 runs to grab a late lead. The Badgers provided a 4-0 run of their own to cut Penn State’s lead down 20-18, but it wasn’t enough as the Nittany Lions claimed the set behind a 6-1 run.
From there, Penn State used a trio of 3-0 runs in the fifth and final frame, including the final three rallies to grab the match win, 3-2, to hand the Badgers’ its second loss of the season at the Field House.
Notes:
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Wisconsin moves to 16-52 all-time against Penn State, and 13-20 when playing in Madison after Sunday’s 2-3 loss.
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Decelise Champion led the Badgers with 19 kills on 50 swing attempts. Champion added seven digs and three blocks.
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Jaela Auguste tallied her seventh match of the season with double-figure kills as she added 12 for the Badgers.
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Charlie Fuerbringer totaled her 11th double-double of the season, 30th of her career, with a 46 assist, 18 dig performance.
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Libero Anna Bardaro totaled her 18th match of the season with double-digit kills with 11 against the Nittany Lions.
Up Next: Wisconsin will hit the road to take on Rutgers on Thursday, Nov. 12. First serve is slated for 5 p.m.
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