(UW ATHLETICS) LOS ANGELES –
The No. 8 Wisconsin volleyball team (15-6, 9-2) defeated the USC Trojans (9-12, 3-8) in four sets (25-17, 26-24, 22-25, 25-23) in Los Angeles on Friday night.
Freshman Decelise Champion once again paced the Badger offense, accumulating her third consecutive performance with 20 kills or more with a career-high 21 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Freshman Audrey Flanagan and senior Jaela Auguste each contributed 11 kills, with Eva Travis tallying seven.
Junior Charlie Fuerbringer continued to set the Badgers to success, tabbing her ninth double-double of the season off a 54-assist, 11-dig performance.
The Badgers came out firing right away, utilizing a .588 hitting percentage to claim the first set, 25-23. Wisconsin delivered 23 kills in that frame alone, with the Badger freshman trio of Champion, Flanagan and Lynney Tarnow combining for 17 of them.
Champion put together a strong showing, combining with Tarnow on a block to grab the match’s opening point, before delivering the Badgers final three kills to help UW to a 1-0 advantage heading into the second set.
The second frame opened in back-and-forth fashion, with the Trojans using three service aces to hold it level at 7-7 before grabbing a two-point lead heading into the media timeout.
Wisconsin used a 3-0 run behind a pair of points from Tarnow to even the score at 17-17, before an ace from defensive specialist Kristen Simon grabbed the lead for UW. The two teams continued to trade points heading down the stretch, but Wisconsin went on to claim four-straight rallies to grab the second set, 26-24.
The back-and-forth affair continued in set three, as UW and USC continued to trade points early. The Trojans once again used a 3-0 burst into the media timeout to build separation. The Badgers found a quick response with a 3-0 run of their own, which included a kill from Flanagan.
USC grabbed the third set, 25-22, behind a 6-2 run. The Trojans held the Badgers to a .133 hitting performance in that frame.
The Badgers used a 3-0 run early in the fourth frame to build separation with kills from Champion and Flanagan, before a kill from Auguste gave UW a narrow 15-14 lead into the media break. From there, Wisconsin used a 3-0 run to close out the match and seal the 3-1 victory on the road.
With the win, the Badgers move to 9-2 in conference play and 7-4 all-time against the Trojans. The Badgers remain undefeated against the Los Angeles team when playing on the road, sitting 2-0 overall.
If Wisconsin wins Sunday at UCLA, the Badgers would clinch a berth into the inaugural Big Ten Tournament.
Notes:
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Wisconsin moves to 7-4 all-time against USC with the 3-1 victory, and 2-0 when playing at Los Angeles.
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Wisconsin clipped a .363 hitting percentage (61-16-124) marking the 11th match this season of hitting .300 or better.
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Freshman Decelise Champion tallied her eighth match with double-figure kills, and third-straight match with 20 or more kills. The 21 kills also marks a new career-best. Champion led the team with 21 kills while also hitting .444, her fourth match of hitting .400 or better.
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Setter Charlie dished out 54 assists and added 11 digs for her 26th career double-double and ninth of the season.
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Libero Anna Bardaro tallied her 15th match of the season with double-figure digs. She totaled 10 against the Trojans.
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Audrey Flanagan and Jaela Auguste totaled 11 kills each for their 12th and fifth matches so far this season, respectively.
Up Next: Wisconsin continues its California stint against RV UCLA in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 1. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. with the match airing on Big Ten Network.
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