When the Badgers took the court in Seattle to play with a national title on the line, they seemed like the team of destiny, having just rolled past No. 1-seeded Texas. However, No. 2-seeded Penn State (19-1 Big Ten, 34-2 overall) was once again too much for the Badgers (12-8, 28-10) to handle, taking the title, 3-1.
Many of the Wisconsin faithful were wary before the match even began. PSU swept the Badgers 3-0 in both of their matches this season.
The team did not seem phased as the match began, keeping within just a few points early in the first set. Penn State got hot and grabbed a 20-15 lead, and then outplayed the Badgers en route to a 25-19 set victory.
Penn State’s standout senior hitter Katie Slay notched six kills in the first set, propelling the Nittany Lions to the win.
Penn State started off hot in the second, grabbing an 8-3 lead due to errors by Wisconsin. UW freshman blocker Haleigh Nelson blocked a few PSU shots, and grabbed some momentum, with the Badgers tying the score, 14-14.
With the score then tied at 23, two UW service errors were very costly, and Penn State took the second set, 26-24.
After the intermission, Penn State continued their hot streak with a 5-1 lead. Wisconsin kept it close before winning eight straight points to take a 17-12 lead. They then powered through the rest of the set, winning 25-20. Nelson again took center stage, with three crucial kills late in the set.
The fourth set was closer than the third, each team staying within just two or fewer points until UW took a lead 22-19. Penn State then finished the match on a 6-1 run, winning 25-23.
Penn State’s redshirt senior rightside hitter Ariel Scott totaled 21 kills, followed by 14 by Slay to lead the team to the victory.
UW junior hitters Deme Morales and Dominique Thompson tallied 15 and 16 kills respectively in the defeat.
Both teams pride themselves on defense, and both teams played well defensively, with UW hitting .172 as a team, and PSU hitting .206 for the match. Wisconsin also blocked extremely well, out-blocking the Nittany Lions 28-10.
While the season ended one win short of the ultimate goal, it was a season to remember for Badger fans. In what looked to be a rebuilding season under new coach Kelly Sheffield, the Badgers made the tournament for the first time since 2007, and their second national title game in the team’s history, the first coming in 2000.
Standout freshman setter Lauren Carlini and the Badgers will return next season, with the team only losing senior libero Annemarie Hickey.
