The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team dropped a third conference game against Nebraska over Halloween weekend, losing in three sets, before bouncing back on Sunday to defeat Ohio State.
Nebraska
The Badgers fell to Nebraska in three sets (22-25, 19-25, 13-25). Wisconsin wasn’t able to create momentum through runs against Nebraska, while the Cornhuskers didn’t have any trouble scoring in a row. .
Wisconsin middle blocker Natalie Wardlow stood out in the first set with her skilled serving. The Badgers battled hard against Nebraska, as three service aces from Wardlow helped them keep up.
Other middle blockers used this time to create successful kills, including Una Vajagic, Grace Egan and Mimi Colyer. Together, this trio had 10 kills in the first set.
Wisconsin fell behind Nebraska in kills in each set of the night. They allowed the Cornhuskers to record a .349 hitting percentage, the highest of a Wisconsin opponent so far this season.
Sets two and three looked even worse for Wisconsin, as Nebraska continued to extend scoring runs into leads.
Wisconsin ended the night with a .175 hitting percentage, and the Badgers recorded 17 errors to the Cornhuskers’ 10.
This was Wisconsin’s fourth-straight loss to Nebraska dating back to 2024.
Ohio State
Coming off their loss to Nebraska, Wisconsin swept Ohio State for the Badgers’ ninth conference win of the season (25-14, 25-12, 25-14).
In set one against Ohio State, Wisconsin put together 7-0 and 5-0 scoring runs to gain the advantage and take the set.
Colyer led the Badgers with eight kills in the first set. Setter Addy Horner pitched in with one kill and multiple assists to Wisconsin’s hitters.
Ohio State managed to create a small run late into the first set, but Wisconsin ultimately won with a kill from Vajagic.
Wisconsin continued with strong offensive plays in set two. Kills all across the court and errors on the Ohio State side allowed the Badgers to pull ahead early, putting them up 12-4.
Booth closed this set with three kills in the final five points. She finished with the third-highest hitting percentage of the night (.500) behind Egan (.667) and Horner (.667).
In total, the Badgers concluded the game with a .458 hitting percentage, their highest of the season, with 44 kills and six errors.
In the third and final set, Wisconsin held the Buckeyes to just 14 points for the second time that day. Ohio State pulled ahead for a few plays before the Badgers pushed back, led by kills from Egan and Alicia Andrew.
Colyer had a trio of kills halfway through the third set which put the Badgers ahead 15-8. Wardlow again assisted the Badgers with a service ace, and Colyer helped close out the match with a kill.
The Badgers take on Minnesota Wednesday before facing Indiana on Sunday. Wisconsin is currently ranked above Minnesota in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin and Indiana are tied for third place. These next two games are crucial for positioning within a competitive Big Ten conference.
