Wisconsin volleyball played in the 2026 Opening Spike Classic in Pittsburgh, hosted by No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 15 Kansas.
The Badgers faced Stanford on Friday and ended the night with a 3-1 loss. On Sunday, they took on Pittsburgh, losing in three straight sets
Wisconsin’s offense struggled throughout the weekend, ending the showcase with a .122 hitting percentage. With multiple key players out with injuries, the Badgers had a hard time filling in the missing pieces and adjusting while out of system.
Middle blocker Jaela Auguste, who contributed greatly to the Badger’s win against Louisville the previous weekend, was unable to play due to an abdominal strain and remained on the bench for the entirety of the weekend.
Senior outside hitter Grace Egan has also been out with an injury and did not step on the court against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Stanford takes game two
Wisconsin started off strong against Stanford in set one on Friday. A 3-0 run allowed the Badgers to gain momentum going into the second half of the set.
Freshman outside hitter Audrey Flanagan stepped up on the service line and recorded two aces to bring Wisconsin within two points of taking the set. Flanagan finished off set one for the Badgers with another ace, ending it 25-15. The freshman continued to perform throughout the match, leading the Badgers with 17 total kills and five aces.
Despite going on a 5-1 run to open set two, Wisconsin had a hard time carrying that energy throughout the remainder of the match. Stanford forced 11 errors from the Badgers and took set two 28-26.
The two teams fought back-and-forth throughout the third set, but Stanford went on a 5-0 run to pull away late in the set. An attack error from Flanagan allowed Stanford to take the set 25-20.
Stanford continued their strong offensive attack into the fourth set and held the Badgers to a .081 hitting percentage. Wisconsin could not fight back and lost set four 14-25, allowing Stanford to complete their win.
Shut out by Pittsburgh
The Badgers struggled to regain their offense rhythm in their match up against Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Panthers came in hot, going on a 12-3 run to open up set one.
With multiple key front row players missing, Wisconsin had a hard time responding. A kill from Ayanna Watson ended set one for Pittsburgh 25-14.
Wisconsin failed to recover offensively, accumulating a season-low .079 hitting percentage and racking up 24 errors during the match.
Pittsburgh completed the easy sweep and finished set two 25-21 and set three 25-16.
Wisconsin hopes to bounce back going into the regular season, with multiple players aiming to recover from their injuries in the near future.
The Badgers will host No. 17 Florida on Sept. 2 for their home opener, followed by Auburn on Sept. 3.
