No. 3 seed Wisconsin volleyball swept Eastern Illinois and North Carolina in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday and Friday at The Field House, setting up a Dec. 12 date with No. 2 seed Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen.
Eastern Illinois
Wisconsin swept Eastern Illinois in three short sets Thursday night at the Field House. The Badgers held the Panthers to a .022 shooting percentage while Wisconsin raked in 47 kills on 85 attempts.
The Badgers found incredible momentum in set one, recording separate 4-0, 8-0 and 5-0 runs against the Panthers. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer recorded six kills in this set, two of which came in the final four points for the Badgers.
Wisconsin outside hitter Grace Egan ended the set with a kill of her own, capping off a commanding 25-11 victory.
Wisconsin pulled away from Eastern Illinois quickly into the second set as well. The Badgers recorded four service aces during this set, two coming from setter Charlie Fuerbringer late.
When the Badgers went up 19-6, they didn’t allow the Panthers to record another point. Set two ended 25-6 in favor of Wisconsin.
The third set was the most competitive of the night. Badgers tallied kills across the board, including ones from Colyer, Egan, Fuerbringer, outside hitter Una Vajagic and middle blocker Alicia Andrew.
Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield slowly worked his bench into the game as the set progressed. Sophomore libero Maile Chan and freshman outside hitter Madison Quest saw action halfway through set three.
Middle blocker Carter Booth recorded back-to-back kills that put the Badgers ahead 15-9. Andrew and Fuerbringer then made a pair of big-time blocks down the stretch before a kill from sophomore middle blocker Tosia Serafinowska gave Wisconsin the 25-19 win.
“You certainly don’t go into the match thinking you’ll empty the bench,” Sheffield said. “We have a lot of people who work hard and when an opportunity presents itself in the NCAA Tournament where you can add year played to their experience, especially in the Field House, that is pretty special.”
North Carolina
North Carolina defeated sixth-seeded UTEP in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before facing the Badgers.
Wisconsin welcomed North Carolina to Madison with a quick kill from Colyer to kick off the first set. The Badgers rattled off a 4-0 run after a block assist from Booth and Colyer, a kill from Colyer and two North Carolina errors.
The Badgers pulled ahead and maintained a steady lead the rest of the set. A 4-0 run at the end, with kills from Booth, Colyer and Fuerbringer, finalized the set for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s momentum picked up where it had left off, and the Badgers recorded another 4-0 run to start the second set strong. Colyer dominated this set with eight kills and one block.
Fuerbringer also played well in this set, tallying three kills and 16 assists. She ended the night with a .375 hitting percentage.
Wisconsin won set two 25-21 off a serve from Fuerbringer and a kill from Egan.
Egan got the third set going with a kill, starting a 4-0 run for Wisconsin. With the Badgers ahead 7-4, Vajagic recorded back-to-back kills.
North Carolina stayed close the rest of the set, at various times pulling ahead by a point. Andrew and Colyer teamed up on a block to tie the game 18-18.
The competition stayed tight down to the end of the set, with Wisconsin and North Carolina constantly exchanging the lead. Booth and Egan both recorded back-to-back kills in a row, bringing the Badgers ahead 23-22.
The game moved into extra points and Vajagic, Andrew and Colyer made the final three kills to push Wisconsin to the Sweet Sixteen.
Colyer and Egan both ended the night with double-doubles in kills and digs. Wisconsin recorded a hitting percentage of .365 off 60 kills and 126 attempts.
Sheffield applauded Wisconsin’s effort after the game. “It’s earned through work. Confidence is earned by the work you put in; it’s earned by how you talk to yourself,” Sheffield said.
The Badgers have now swept 20 of their 30 opponents this season. Wisconsin holds a season record of 26-4, needing to win four more games to win their second National Championship.
Their next game will be Dec. 12 at the [arena] in [city], Texas, where they will face the No. 2 seed Standford Cardinal at 1:30 p.m. CST.
