(UW ATHLETICS) PITTSBURGH -The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team fell to No. 5 Stanford (25-15, 26-28, 20-25, 14-25) in four sets on the first night of competition at the Opening Spike Classic on Friday night.
Outside hitter Audrey Flanagan led the way with her first career double-double, tallying 17 kills and 12 digs on the night. The freshman also contributed five aces, with four coming in the first set alone. Right side Grace Egan also added a double-double of her own, notching 11 kills and 18 digs while also contributing two aces.
Charlie Fuerbringer dished out a season-best 49 assists to pair with her 11 digs, as libero Anna Bardaro contributed a career-best 19 digs.
The Badgers came out swinging in the opening frame, finding their footing with a 6-1 scoring run. Wisconsin continued to build momentum behind kills from Eva Travis, Flanagan and Egan, combining for a 3-0 run before taking a 15-9 advantage into the media timeout.
Flanagan took over from the service line late in the first set, recording back-to-back aces to force a Stanford timeout with Wisconsin leading, 23-15. Wisconsin closed out the first set, 25-15, on a 5-0 run capped off by another Flanagan ace.
Stanford answered in the second set despite the Badgers jumping to an early 5-1 lead. Wisconsin led 21-18 late, but the Cardinal fought back to a tie before closing the set out 28-26. Stanford forced the Badgers into 11 attack errors and a .146 hitting percentage in the second frame alone to knot it up at 1-1.
The third set remained a close battle as Wisconsin and Stanford traded points. Egan provided a spark early with a back-row attack to put Wisconsin ahead 6-4, but the Cardinal took the advantage heading into the media timeout before closing out the set, 25-20.
The Badgers continued to push in the fourth set, but Stanford’s offense provided a strong finish to the match, taking the 25-14 set win and securing the 3-1 victory.
Straight from the Court:
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on the schedule ahead):
“Our entire schedule will force us to learn. I know our team will respond to that, and there will be something else to learn because that’s how good the teams in front of us are, and most of these guys with how experienced they are. And so we’ll learn, we’ll get better and we’ll move forward.”
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on Audrey Flanagan’s presence on the court):
“Audrey’s carrying a big load for us, and she’s capable of carrying a big load for us and is doing a really nice job. She’s fearless, she works, she’s a highly skilled player.”
Notes:
-
With the loss, the Badgers move to 1-7 all-time against Stanford.
-
Wisconsin hit a season-low .164 (53-26-165) as a team hitting percentage.
-
The Badgers tied a season-best with eight service aces. Wisconsin matched the total against Kentucky on Aug. 21.
-
Freshman Audrey Flanagan tallied a career-best with 17 kills. She also totaled 12 digs for her first career double-double.
-
Freshman Kymora Scott saw time on the court in the fourth set as her collegiate debut.
-
Sophomore Natalie Wardlow tallied eight kills (8-1-14) for a new career-best.
-
Freshman libero Anna Bardaro recorded a career-best 19 digs.
-
Senior Grace Egan tallied her ninth career double-double, 11 kills and 18 digs. The 18 digs are also a new career-high.
Up Next: Wisconsin will take the floor against No. 4 Pitt for its second match of the Opening Spike Classic on Sunday, Aug. 30. The match is set to start at 11 a.m. and will be streamed on ESPN.
Comments