After a comeback victory over Indiana Friday, No. 15 Wisconsin lost to No. 16 Purdue 3-2 Saturday night in West Lafayette. The Badgers (18-6 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) battled the entire match, but ultimately lost 26-24, 21-25, 24-26, 33-31, and 15-17.
Wisconsin and Purdue remain tied for fourth in the conference, along with Michigan State.
The Badger’s attack percentage for the match was a blistering .228, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Boilermakers (16-7, 7-5), who out-blocked Wisconsin 13-8 and recorded a .246 attack percentage of their own.
Leading offensively for the Badgers was junior Ellen Chapman with 16 kills, juniors Courtney Thomas, Deme Morales and Dominique Thompson with 15, and freshman Haleigh Nelson with 11.
Freshman Lauren Carlini recorded a new career-high 62 assists for the Badgers, while senior Annemarie Hickey led Wisconsin’s defense with 19 digs.
Wisconsin took control in the first set, winning 26-24. After Purdue claimed the lead at 24-23, the Badgers had three straight kills to secure the set. The Boilermakers responded with a 5-0 run to tie the score in the second set, winning 25-21.
Four straight errors by the Badgers allowed Purdue to take the lead and win the third set 26-24. With the match victory at stake, the Badgers battled back to win the fourth set, which included 21 ties and 11 lead changes.
The Badgers were able to hold off two match points in the fifth set, but two straight kills from the Boilermakers gave Purdue the match win.
Wisconsin totaled 18 service errors in the match, four of which were in the fifth set. The Boilermakers also out-dug the Badgers 87-73.
Wisconsin returns home to the UW Fieldhouse next weekend to take on Nebraska Friday at 7 p.m. and Iowa Sunday at 1 p.m.
