It was a bittersweet weekend for the Wisconsin volleyball team (5-13 Big Ten, 16-13 overall), losing to No. 19 Minnesota (12-6 Big Ten, 22-8 overall) and then beating Iowa (2-16 Big Ten, 7-20 overall) on Senior Night.
It was only fitting that senior outside hitter Allison Wack led the Badgers against Iowa on Saturday night, as she recorded 17 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. Senior libero Kim Kuzma also concluded her final home season in good fashion, as she extended her double-digit dig streak to 13 matches, with a match-high 16 digs.
In the border- battle Friday night, the Badgers couldn't quite get their passing on cue, as they fell to the Golden Gophers in three sets.
In the first set, the Badgers stayed with Minnesota to get the score to 11-11. After the Gophers went on two big runs, taking a relatively easy first set, 25-18.
Following a 25-11 second set defeat, Wisconsin stormed out in the third set, with Badgers taking a 9-5 lead. The match remained tight throughout, but in the end, the Gophers proved why they were the No. 19 squad in the country, pulling out the 25-22 win.
""I think that it was just that we were being passive and a little hesitant on our shots and not taking a smart shot like if we were out of system,"" Wack said.
Senior Night was a much better match for the Badgers, as they knocked off Iowa, 3-1. The key to Wisconsin's success was their passing, which allowed them to have a better offense.
""We talked about our blocking improving and hitting a goal of a certain number of blocks per set before the match, and we pretty much hit it head-on what we wanted to do,"" head coach Pete Waite said. ""And that makes a big difference.""
The first set was all Badgers, as an early 10-2 run set the team up for an easy 25-11 win.
In the second set, Wisconsin and Iowa began close, at 12-12, before a 5-1 run sparked the Badgers to a 25-20 win.
Iowa wasn't going down without a fight, as they came back in the third set to win 25-22. However, Wisconsin closed out senior night with an unbelievable 25-9 win.
Wisconsin wraps up their season on the road next weekend, playing Purdue Friday and Indiana Saturday.
