Back from another weekend on the road, the Wisconsin volleyball team concluded its road trip with two losses against strong Big Ten opponents. On Friday night, the Badgers (4-12 Big Ten, 16-13 overall) were swept in three sets by Michigan (9-7, 21-9) and, just 24 hours later, were swept by Michigan State (9-7, 21-7) in East Lansing, Mich.
The two losses mark a five-match losing streak for the Badgers, their longest so far this season. The volleyball team was hoping to come away with at least one win this weekend, which would have ensured it a record above .500 and would have put it in a position to receive its first NCAA tournament bid since 2007.
However on Friday night, Wisconsin came out cold, an issue that has persisted all season long, against a hot Michigan team. The early deficit along with a remarkably low .048 hitting percentage, proved too much to overcome and the Wolverines won the first set comfortably, 25-17. During the second set, the Badgers proved tough and fought back from another early deficit to force a 20-20 tie, but a few late attacking errors by Wisconsin led to a 25-22 Michigan victory. While the Badgers played stronger in the third set, they were unable to close out their 23-21 lead and ended up losing 27-25 to conclude their match against a powerful Michigan team.
The Badgers could not seem to find their rhythm on Friday night as their hitting percentage, .193, fell below their season average of .201. However, a few positives from the night came from strong individual performances by sophomore setter Courtney Thomas, who received her 14th double-double of the season, and from senior hitter Bailey Reshel, who recorded 11 kills.
Saturday night did not prove much different from Friday, as the Badgers once again came out looking out of synch, giving up an early 6-1 lead to the Spartans in the first set. As the Badgers have often done this season, they fought back to take the lead, but would end up losing the set 25-19. Despite strong hitting from Wisconsin in the second set (.321), the Spartans’ impressive .448 hitting percentage proved too high to overcome and led to a 25-20 second-set victory.
The third set presented more of the same, an early lead by the Spartans with a strong comeback attempt by the Badgers, which ultimately proved to be too little, too late. Michigan State closed out Wisconsin with a 25-20 victory in third set, marking the second straight match that the Badgers have dropped to the Spartans this season.
Despite the loss, the Badgers showcased their potential with the help of strong individual play from junior right-side hitter Julie Mikaelsen, who led the team with 13 kills. Junior defensive specialist Annemarie Hickey also continued to shine as she led the team with 13 digs.
With only four Big Ten matches left, the Badgers will look to these players for strong, consistent play. Head coach Pete Waite emphasized the importance of the upcoming games as the Badgers come home this weekend to face Iowa (2-14, 10-19) Friday and Nebraska (12-4, 20-5) Sunday at the UW Field House.
