The Badgers (8-4, 1-0) hosted their first Big Ten match of the 2026 season on Sept. 24, taking down the Oregon Ducks (9-2, 0-1) in four sets.
Coming off the exciting win, Wisconsin carried the high energy over to Indiana on Sept. 27 to take on the Purdue Boilermakers (8-3, 1-1). The Badgers dominated throughout the match, taking all three sets.
Badgers pull off an insane comeback
Wisconsin’s offense has been on the rise, tallying a season-high hitting record last weekend. That momentum carried over against Oregon on Thursday, marking 60 kills with a .382 hitting percentage.
Freshman outside hitter Audrey Flanagan led the Badgers offensively, recording career-high 19 kills on the night with a .425 hitting percentage.
Decelise Champion followed right behind her, landing 16 kills of her own with a .429 hitting percentage. The freshman outside hitter went on to record 10 digs, marking her second career double-double.
Though their offense stayed aggressive, Wisconsin struggled behind the service line and committed 14 service errors.
The first set started as a back-and-forth battle with both teams trading points. A 3-0 Oregon run late in the set allowed the Ducks to go up 19-17 and force a Wisconsin timeout.
The Badgers responded quickly with a 3-0 run of their own — highlighted by a pair of kills from Flanagan — to tie the score at 23.
The Ducks managed to finish it off, with a kill and an ace to end the first set 26-24.
Wisconsin came out swinging immediately in set two and went up 8-3 to open the set. The Badgers held onto the lead throughout the set and forced an Oregon time out following a 3-0 run to go up 21-13.
The Ducks continued to put up a fight and earned a 3-0 run of their own to get within five points. Junior setter Charlie Fuerbringer managed to close it out for Wisconsin with a kill to take set two 25-19.
Set three once again began with both teams trading points, before Oregon was able to create some distance on a 4-0 run to go up 11-5. Oregon kept pulling away, eventually creating a seven-point lead and being only three points away from taking the set.
Just as the set seemed to be slipping away, the Badgers refueled their spark. With the Field House erupting in cheers, Wisconsin was able to pull off an 11-2 run while forcing seven Oregon errors. The Badgers ended the set 26-24, to go up 2-1 and fuel up Badger fans.
Wisconsin kept their energy flowing throughout set four and took an early lead. Their offense continued to dominate, recording 16 kills and a match-high .625 hitting percentage in this set.
Oregon’s defense could not keep up, and a kill from Champion was able to close out set four 25-14 to complete the victory.
This game showed Wisconsin’s ability to perform in tough situations, which has been something the Badgers have struggled with throughout the start of the season.
“You’ve got to hang in there mentally and you’ve got to hang in there together to give yourself a chance,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said after the game. “We were able to hang together. We were able to kind of play clean when our backs were against the wall.”
Wisconsin brings out the brooms
Coming off of this intense match, Wisconsin used their momentum to start off strong in Sunday’s match against Purdue. The Badgers jumped to a 13-4 lead right away, highlighted by three kills from Champion. The freshman went on to lead the Badgers in kills for the night with 11.
The Boilermakers kept up a fight, chipping away and eventually coming within four points towards the end of the set.
Wisconsin kept igniting their offense, with kills from Fuerbringer, Champion and outside hitter Eva Travis helping close out set one 25-18.
Set two started as a close battle, with Wisconsin staying slightly ahead. The Badgers were eventually able to pull ahead with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Champion to go up 16-9.
Wisconsin stayed ahead for the remainder of the match, and a service ace from Fuerbringer sealed set two 25-15.
Purdue continued to put up a fight in the third set, with both teams trading points. The Boilermakers took a lead in the middle of the set, going up 15-14 after a service ace from defensive specialist MaryKate Scheumann.
The Badgers didn’t stay behind for long, going on a 7-2 run to create some separation. A pair of kills from middle blocker Jaela Auguste and Lynney Tarnow sealed the set 25-21, completing the sweep.
Though the Badgers have pulled off some great wins recently, they have not been as consistent throughout the entire season. With their offense continuing to show out, they will look to keep this consistency as conference play continues.
Wisconsin will return to Madison, hosting No. 15 Indiana at the UW Field House on Oct 1. The Hoosiers are currently 2-0 in conference play, defeating UCLA and Maryland.
