The Wisconsin volleyball team (4-10 Big Ten, 15-10 overall) was able to get its first win over a ranked opponent this weekend, as they upset No. 24 Northwestern (7-7, 17-8) in an exciting five-set match.
Freshman right-side hitter Julie Mikaelsen led the offense for the Badgers once again, as she recorded a career-high 19 kills and posted a team-high .372 hitting percentage in the match. Senior outside hitter Allison Wack also stepped it up for the offense, finishing the night with 16 kills. Eight of the kills came in the fifth set, in which the Badgers came back from a 9-6 deficit.
Sophomore middle blocker Alexis Mitchell also recorded double digit kills, as she racked up 14 and was not far behind Mikaelsen with a .370 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Bailey Reshel added 11 kills to Wisconsin's total 69 kills. Junior setter Janelle Gabrielsen put up an impressive 58 assists and added two blocks to the Badgers' effort.
Defensively, senior libero Kim Kuzma had another outstanding performance, recording a match-high 28 digs.
Wisconsin started slow, dropping the first set to the Wildcats 25-16. The Badgers came back in the second set, overcoming 11 ties and competitive play to even the match. Gabrielsen put away the set with a kill and a 25-22 win.
The third set began again with two ties, but Mikaelsen took over the set and generated a 4-0 run to give the Badgers a 7-3 lead. The rest of the set was all Wisconsin, and they coasted to 25-17 win.
The Wildcats did not go down without a fight, as they came out in the fourth set and staked an early 9-2 advantage. Northwestern was able to stretch their lead to 14-4 before the Badgers started to rally back and pull within four points at 20-16. Despite a late run from Wisconsin, kills from graduate student middle blocker Sabel Moffett and red-shirt sophomore outside hitter Madalyn Shalter gave Northwestern the 25-21 win.
Moffett led the Wildcats, as she recorded a match-high 27 kills, five blocks and a stunning .524 hitting percentage.
The momentum from the fourth set pushed the Wildcats into the fifth with an early 9-6 lead. Mitchell sparked a 6-3 Wisconsin run with three kills and tied the set at 12-12. The last set had seven ties after the initial tie at 12. The Badgers served for their match point at 15-14, but the Wildcats came back to serve for their own match point twice. Wack was the determining factor in the fifth set, as she contributed three kills in the last four points to finish off the Badgers upset.
Wisconsin continues their season on the road this weekend, playing Penn State and Ohio State.
—uwbadgers.com contributed to this report
