The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team grabbed two Big Ten wins this past week in a border battle against No. 22 Minnesota on Nov. 5 and a three-set game against No. 18 Indiana on Nov. 9.
Minnesota
Wisconsin took down their fifth top-25 opponent this season, defeating border rival Minnesota while holding the lead most of the match.
Minnesota only caused lead changes seven times throughout the match, with three occurring in the fourth set. Wisconsin and Minnesota tied up the game 21 times.
Wisconsin stayed back-to-back with Minnesota for the majority of set one. Badger players around the court contributed to the kill total of 15.
The set was highlighted by two 3-0 runs late for Wisconsin, leading to their win.
Wisconsin ramped up their kill attempts taken in the second set. Although it was the Badgers’ second-lowest hitting percentage of the night, they netted 38 attempts against Minnesota and tallied another 15 points from kills.
Middle block Carter Booth and outside hitters Grace Egan, Mimi Colyer and Una Vajagic recorded 14 of these 15 points as Wisconsin’s main hitters of the night.
Set two ended with a closer score of 25-22, but the Badgers secured the win with a solid block from middle blocker Alicia Andrew and outside Madison Quest, alongside one serving error from Minnesota.
Wisconsin began the third set poorly. After winning the first point off of a kill by Colyer, the Badgers missed a return. After the missed opportunity, Wisconsin tallied multiple attack and service errors, allowing Minnesota to pull ahead throughout the set.
Set three ended with Wisconsin down 18-25, their worst difference of the game.
Vajagic kicked off the final set with two back-to-back kills. The outsider hitter recorded three more points in this set.
Colyer was another standout hitter. With a final hitting percentage of .326, she racked up six more points in this set and scored 24.5 points total for the Badgers.
The Badgers scored six of the final seven points of the set to win 25-16.
The strongest part of Wisconsin’s game was their consistent serving. Setter Addy Horner rotated in and tallied four service aces. She also recorded 41 assists and a hitting percentage of .286.
Wisconsin Head coach Kelly Sheffield recognized his players’ serving talents against Minnesota, where the Badgers totaled seven service aces.
“Our servers were hitting their spots, and when they’re doing that, then you know you’ve got some servers that are confident behind the service line,” Sheffield said after the game.
Indiana
Wisconsin defeated Indiana to secure their eleventh conference win of the season. A close Big Ten rival, the Hoosiers spent the last few weeks ranked close to Wisconsin in the conference standings.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer returned to the court for the first time in nine games after leaving against Michigan due to a shoulder injury. The setter had a fairly good returning game, recording 28 assists and a hitting percentage of .667.
Wisconsin pulled ahead early in the first set, crushing Indiana with kills and forced errors. The Badgers ended the night with 39 kills, 14 of which came in the first set.
6-0 and 3-0 runs respectively rounded out the set for Wisconsin, and they finished 25-13.
Wisconsin continued to find offensive opportunities in the second set. Andrew kicked off the set with a kill and Booth followed with two kills herself, assisted by Fuerbringer.
The Badgers didn’t create as many long runs in the second set, but Wisconsin still won 25-14, in part because of their ability to hold Indiana to a negative shooting percentage.
Wisconsin faced a bit more competition in set three, and Indiana was able to pace the Badgers until points eight and nine. The Badgers pulled away with a few short scoring runs, thanks to Colyer and Booth’s talent.
Colyer closed out the game for Wisconsin off the assist from Fuerbringer, who tallied four assists in the Badgers’ final six points of the night.
Fuerbringer’s return to play doesn’t mean Horner is out of the rotation. The setter has proven herself as a tool for Wisconsin, and Sheffield said he likes the growth he sees.
“When you’re working on things in the practice gym and watching film and you see it being applied in matches,” Sheffield said. “As a coach, it gets you really really excited.”
Booth is another player to continue watching. The senior middle blocker ended the game with a hitting percentage of .733, earning 11 kills on 15 attempts.
“I think I’m just going out there with the kill it mentality,” Booth said. “I have let go of whatever perceptions or expectations people have on me out there.”
Bench depth and confident leaders are Wisconsin’s key to success in the postseason.
Wisconsin will face Michigan State and Illinois in the coming week. Continuing to create momentum in different aspects of the game will help Wisconsin during this final conference push leading to the postseason.
