Nolan Kromke
- Box Score
NebraskaNebr27-1,18-1 Big Ten
NebraskaNebr
27-1,18-1 Big Ten
Final
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Nebr | 22 | 26 | 16 | (0) |
| Wisconsin Wisc | 25 | 28 | 25 | (3) |
Game Recap: Volleyball | | Ellie Culver
No. 5 Badgers hand No. 1 Nebraska its first loss
MADISON, Wis. -- After a heartbreaking five-set loss in Lincoln in late October, the No. 5 Wisconsin volleyball team got revenge against No. 1 Nebraska with a 25-22, 28-26, 25-16,sweepat the UW Field House on Friday afternoon.
After falling behind by as many as four points to start the match, the Badgers (25-3, 16-3) chipped away at the Cornhusker (27-1, 18-1), tying it up at 18 apiece. Nebraska regained the lead with a kill, but the Badgers responded with a side out and went on a 6-1 run to force a Nebraska timeout at 24-20. Nebraska held off two set points, which prompted a Wisconsin timeout. Out of the time out, Sarah Franklin terminated a kill and the Badgers took set one 25-22.
The second set brought 11 ties and six lead changes. Nebraska called an early timeout at 7-7 to halt a 3-0 Wisconsin run. The Cornhuskers then went on a 3-0 run of their own to take a 10-7 lead. After a kill from Andi Jackson put Nebraska up 17-15, the Badgers went on a 4-0 run to force Nebraska to use their final timeout at 19-17. Out of the timeout, the Cornhuskerswent on 5-0 run, to take a 22-19 lead. Despite being down three points, the Badgers put together a run fueled by a block from CC Crawford and Anna Smrek followed by back-to-back kills from Smrekto give UW a 23-22 lead. Nebraska sided out to tie the set again, but the Badgers got it right back with a kill from Franklin to give Wisconsin set point. Nebraska responded withtwo-straight points to give the Cornhuskers set point at 25-24. Smrek tallied another kill to hold off set point before Nebraska's Ally Batenhorst put down another kill to give the Huskers another set point at 26-25. Wisconsin rattled off three straight points with a kill from Franklin, a hitting error from Nebraska and a kill from Carter Booth put it away 28-26.
After a back-and-forth start to the thirdand final set, the Badgers broke a 7-7 tie with a 6-2 run to take a 13-9 lead. With MJ Hammill at the service line and UW up 16-12, Hammill scored an ace followed by back-to-back kills from Smrek and Temi Thomas-Ailara to give the Badgers a 21-12 lead. Nebraska scored just three more points as Smrek iced the match with her 18th kill of the match.
In just her second match back from injury, Smrek led the way with 18 kills. Franklin was not far behind with 16 kills. Wisconsin hit .357 (52 kills - 11 errors - 115 attempts). Nebraska's Harper Murray led the Cornhuskers with 15 kills as they finished the match hitting .243 (45 - 18 - 111).
Wisconsin doubled up Nebraska on blocks 6-3 with Crawford tallying four blocks and Smrek adding three.
Hammill racked up 25 assists as Izzy Ashburn added 17. Julia Orzol and Sarah Franklin both put up 12 digs, marking Franklin's seventh double-double of the season.
After recording zero service aces the first time they met in Lincoln, the Badgers tallied five service aces today as Hammill finished with two. Guctekin, Orzol and Crawford each added one service ace.
Straight from the court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
On playing well heading into the tournament:"This match, for us, wasn't about Nebraska. It really wasn't; when you've lost two out of your last three, it was about us playing well at the end, and it was essential for us to start playing well, no matter who we're playing. When you lose two out of your last three, and you've had a lot of pieces in and out of the lineup. We've got people together right now. It is our time to play well, and that's where the excitement was. It's not about ending somebody undefeated. None of us went into this year, saying here we play somebody that's undefeated. Let's go and bury them, or it's Nebraska, let's go. We wanted to play well headed into the tournament. When we're playing well, we're a handful. I know there are a lot of teams that can stress you in a lot of different ways. Indeed, that team has earned the right to say that they're the best team in the country over the course of the season. They've been playing really, really well. But today was our day."
Setter MJ Hammill
On Nebraska coming in unbeaten:"The Big Ten is a dog fight all the time, every single match, and that's a great team. I'm sure there will be a time when we see them again, and I think it just shows every night you have to be on in the Big Ten as a team."
Junior Anna Smrek
On comparing it to the 2021 National Championship match: "Honestly, it did in the sense that our team stuck together, and we looked to each other, and we're all on the same page about what we wanted to accomplish this afternoon. We all wanted it, we were hungry, and I would compare it to the National Championship game."
Noteable
- With the win over Nebraska, Wisconsin is 4-14 overall when facing the No. 1 ranked team.
- Head Coach Kelly Sheffield is 4-4 (.500) against a No. 1 ranked team in his career at Wisconsin.
- Senior Sarah Franklin recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 16 kills and 12 digs.
- The Badgers recorded the best opponent hitting percentage (.357, 52-11-115) against Nebraska this season. Penn State hit .298 against the Huskers back on Nov. 3.
- Junior Anna Smrek set season highs in both kills and attempts with a 18-4-37 performance.
- Wisconsin hit over .300 for the 20th time this season.
- The Badgers outblocked its opponent for the 26th (of 28 matches) time this season. Wisconsin totaled six blocks on the night while Nebraska collected three.
- Wisconsin has defeated Nebraska eight straight times in the UW Field House.
Up Next
Wisconsin wraps up the regular season on Saturday night against Iowa, followed by a Senior Night celebration after the match. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and will be aired on B1G+ ($).
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