In what was regarded as the most anticipated home weekend on the schedule this season, the No. 8 Wisconsin volleyball team (9-1 Big Ten, 17-2 overall) pulled away with a few records and one big heartbreak to round out the weekend.
The Badgers defeated Ohio State (3-7, 9-10) in a 30-17, 30-27, 30-21 sweep Friday night and fell to No. 2 Penn State (10-0, 18-2) by a score of 18-30, 30-24, 30-24, 27-30, 13-15 in front of 10,326 fans, the first-ever sold out volleyball contest at the UW Field House in Wisconsin history.
The match against Ohio State was dominated by the Badgers, whose defense amassed 14.5 blocks and held the Buckeyes to .098 hitting as a team. Wisconsin was led by junior middle blocker Audra Jeffers and senior setter Jackie Simpson, who each had six block assists and one solo apiece for the night. Ohio State outside hitter Danielle Meyer, who has been averaging 4.19 kills per game this year, was held to eight kills in three games and only managed to earn a .057 hitting percentage for the match. Jeffers also led the team in hitting percentage with .474 on 19 attempts.
There's a good match tonight for us,"" UW head coach Pete Waite said. ""I think the team looked like they were sharp on offense and defense. I think every category, statistically, they won tonight.""
During the course of Friday's match, senior libero Jocelyn Wack broke the UW record for most career digs, surpassing Susan Wohlford's record of 1,920 digs set in 1991. Wack had 16 digs on the night to finish with 1,935 total digs thus far in her career.
""First off, it's awesome to be a part of this program,"" Wack said. ""It says a lot about the program itself, it's not all me ... I've had some great coaches, I've played with a lot of great players who have helped me along the way and [setting the record was] even better at home in front of almost 7,000 fans. That was a great feeling.""
The Badgers returned to the court to battle the Nittany Lions Sunday, but a tooth-and-nail battle that came down to a questionable last play ultimately resulted in Wisconsin's first conference loss of the season. After giving up a forgettable first game in which the Badgers hit .135 as a team, Wisconsin rallied to win two straight games thanks to an improved passing game and an outstanding effort by senior middle blocker Taylor Reineke, who went 10 for 12 with only one error in games two and three. Tough hitting from the Penn State offense, including three players with over .500 hitting, led to another loss in the fourth round.
Game five started off with a 0-3 hole for the Badgers, but they battled back and earned a late lead at 11-10. The Badgers then gave up four straight points and faced a Penn State match point at 11-14. A kill by sophomore outside hitter Brittney Dolgner and another by Reineke got the Badgers to within one point of tying it up.
But on the next play, an attack by Penn State outside hitter Crista Harmotto that was blocked by Dolgner and Reieke was ruled out of bounds and resulted in a Penn State victory. Immediately following the play, the capacity crowd and the Badger bench clearly expressed its disagreement with the ruling, as the ball had apparently touched Harmotto on the way out of bounds, which would have given the Badgers the point and kept the game alive. However, the ruling on the court stood and Wisconsin accepted its first Big Ten loss.
Afterward, Penn State head coach Russ Rose agreed with what the Wisconsin fans and bench saw.
""What happened on the last play was Christa hit the ball, the blocker hit the ball, and it bounced off of Christa's head,"" Rose said. ""It was a lucky no-call for us.""
""[We're] obviously disappointed in the outcome,"" Waite said. ""It was a great battle between two very good teams, even to the last swing.""
The Badgers fall to second place in the conference, though are still up three games over third place Purdue (6-4, 13-8). Wisconsin will be back on the road next week to take on the Boilermakers Friday and Indiana Saturday.
