The No. 9 Wisconsin volleyball team (8-0 Big Ten, 16-1 overall) picked up its thirteenth straight victory Saturday, defeating Iowa (1-7 Big, 9-10 overall) 3-1 before a record crowd of 2,191 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Badgers struggled early, but eventually put away the Hawkeyes 30-28, 26-30, 30-27, 30-21.
“Iowa played well in the first two games,” head coach Pete Waite said. “Once we found our rhythm again we played at the level that we usually play with.”
Three Badgers had double-digit kill totals for the match, led by sophomore outside hitter Brittney Dolgner with 18. Junior Audra Jeffers and senior Taylor Reineke, Wisconsin’s starting middle hitters, added 14 and 13 kills respectively. Junior opposite hitter Morgan Salow also came off the bench strongly and had an errorless seven kills on 18 attempts for a .389 hitting percentage.
“Morgan Salow had a great night and saved us in the third game,” said Waite. “Kim Kuzma also played solid and there was a good team effort in tonight’s match.”
Senior libero Jocelyn Wack came within two digs of the all-time Wisconsin record with 17 against the Hawkeyes. Dolgner dug 15, completing her fourth double-double of the season. Freshman defensive specialist Kim Kuzma also compiled 14 digs in her first substantial Big Ten court time.
Reineke led the Badger block with six, including three solo stuffs. Jeffers added five block assists and Dolgner added four on the night. Iowa won the blocking battle 14 to11.5; the second consecutive match that Wisconsin was out-blocked.
Wisconsin senior setter Jackie Simpson dished 57 assists on the night. The Iowa team had 53.
“This was an easy win but a good win for us as we are coming off an emotional win last night in Minnesota,” said Coach Pete Waite. “This was a great weekend for our fans.”
The victories over Iowa and No. 11 Minnesota last weekend keep Wisconsin tied atop the Big Ten Conference with an undefeated record. The 16-1 overall record is the best start in school history.
A tough weekend lies ahead for the Badgers as Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State come to the Field House with conference implications at hand. Penn State has yet to lose a game in the Big Ten, sweeping each of its first eight opponents.
“This is where we want to be,” said Waite. “This week in practice, we will work on getting stronger to prepare for next weekend’s matches. It will be another great weekend series for our fans.”
uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
