Sometimes, when the spotlight gets bright, and the stakes get high, we forget what sports are really about: having fun.
This weekend, the Badgers volleyball team didn’t seem to be caught up in the size of the moment, playing in the NCAA tournament. Staying loose on the court worked to Wisconsin's advantage in the end.
“You could tell that everyone was excited and feeding off each others’ energy,” senior libero Annemarie Hickey said. "Seeing all the fans and how well they supported us was really good."
The No. 12 Badgers (25-9) swept both of the first two rounds in the NCAA tournament, beating Milwaukee (18-11) Friday night and California (18-13) Saturday.
The Badgers and the Panthers played earlier in the year at the UW Field House, with Wisconsin winning 3-1. From the beginning of Friday’s match, you could tell this was a different Badger team.
In the first set Wisconsin grabbed a lead and didn’t look back, winning 25-11. UW had no receiving or attacking errors in the first set, compared to UWM’s combined 11, an obvious key point of the match.
Also important was freshman setter Lauren Carlini’s serving. Throughout the match she notched four service aces, three which were in the first set.
The second set was more of the same, with the Badgers winning 25-15.
The third set was another big Badger win, with them taking it 25-15.
Wisconsin hit .461 for the match, while holding the Panthers to a measly .137.
“We scouted Milwaukee a lot before the match, so we knew which hitters they wanted to go to,” freshman middle blocker Haleigh Nelson said.
The next night the Badgers came out with the same level of offense against Cal, again hitting over .400 (.404). However, this game was far closer than the sweep indicates.
The first set stayed close for a while, but Wisconsin had a couple big runs, ultimately winning the set 25-19.
In the second set the Badgers grabbed an early lead, but the Golden Bears cut it close and UW fought them off for a commanding 25-18 win.
Heading into the intermission the Badgers had all the momentum, but that didn’t stop Cal in the third set. UC started hot and the Badgers played from behind almost the entire set, finally grabbing the lead at 21-20. They capitalized on solid play from their junior hitters Deme Morales and Ellen Chapman to seal the deal 25-21.
Wisconsin lived up to their own expectations so far in the tournament, as well as impressing fans and opponents alike.
“They’re pretty hot right now, and if they play like that, they’ll keep winning,” Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said.
