The No. 4 Wisconsin volleyball team (8-0) continued the impressive start to their season by staying undefeated and winning the HotelRed Invitational at the UW Field House.
The Badgers defeated Miami (5-4) and Missouri State (6-5) before taking down head coach Kelly Sheffield’s alma mater Ball State (3-6) in the tournament’s final game.
Wisconsin came out strong in the tournament sweeping the Hurricanes in decisive fashion. Following a 4-0 start in set one of the match, the Badgers never lost the lead again, recording a .469 attacking percentage as they went on to win the first game 25-12.
Fortunately for the Badgers, the second and third set went just as the first one did resulting in a 25-15, 25-19 victory respectively.
The Missouri State Bears put up more of a fight than the Hurricanes, pushing the Badgers to four sets. Unfortunately for the Badgers, the Bears came out on top during a back-and-forth first set. The set saw two lead changes and 12 ties before Missouri State ultimately pulled it out.
The Badgers had three opportunities to win the first set but couldn’t close it out, resulting in Missouri State winning 29-27.
Fortunately for the Badgers, they figured out how to penetrate the Bear defense in the subsequent sets.
In the second set, the Badgers came out like a team on a mission by opening the set on a 10-5 run before the Bears scored two points. The Badgers then regained the momentum going on a 10-0 run and later winning the set 25-13.
The third set remained close the whole time before senior outside hitter Ellen Chapman registered a kill to give the Badgers a 23-21 lead. Wisconsin never gave up another point the rest of the set, taking it 25-21.
By the time the fourth set rolled around, Missouri State seemed to have nothing left in the tank. The Badgers came out hot, taking a 6-0 lead and ultimately running away with the set 25-9.
Ball State proved to be another challenger the Badgers could overwhelm as no set was closer than a five point difference.
The Badgers seemed to crush Ball State’s hopes after the first set. After Ball State scored the first point in the set, the Badgers countered with a 7-0 run. Ball State only scored 10 more points the entire set resulting in a 25-11 Badger win.
The second set proved to be a little more trying for the Badgers. Ball State came out fast taking a 7-4 lead before the Badgers were able to turn the tide and take a 19-15 lead. Once the Badgers gained the lead, they didn’t let Ball State get close and won the set 25-17.
The third and final set was the closest out of the three. The Badgers started off strong taking a 9-2 lead. Ball State never got much closer, as they dropped the set, and ultimately the match, 25-20.
Following this weekend’s tournament, the Badgers will face a pair of top teams in the Pac-12/Big Ten Showcase in Seattle, WA. Wisconsin will open up the tournament against No. 5 Washington (6-0) and No. 6 Southern California (6-0).
