No. 4 Wisconsin (14-1 Big Ten, 23-2 overall) dispatched pesky Michigan (6-9, 11-14) in three sets Wednesday at the UW Fieldhouse by the scores of 25-19, 26-24 and 25-18.
The two teams squared off for the second time in five days, after Wisconsin narrowly beat the Wolverines Saturday, surviving a five-set thriller in Ann Arbor.
While Michigan again made the Badgers work for a 14th straight victory, head coach Kelly Sheffield noticed improvement in an emotional match.
“This was a match where two teams were playing hard and getting after it,” Sheffield said. “Sweeping is better than winning in five [sets] and we got our middle blockers more involved, which is key.”
The Badgers’ defense excelled early, propelling them to a 25-19 victory in a first set marred by sloppy play from both sides. The two teams combined for seven service errors and neither side managed an attack percentage above .200.
The second set was even closer but timely kills from senior middle blocker Dominique Thompson and senior right setter Courtney Thomas proved crucial as Wisconsin snuck out a 26-24 victory.
The third set looked to be similarly tight, but the Badgers used a standout performance from sophomore middle blocker Haleigh Nelson to pull away, winning 25-18.
Five of six starters finished with more than five kills, with Thomas pacing the team with 11. Thompson chipped in nine kills and a .389 attacking percentage while sophomore setter Lauren Carlini had 37 assists. Abby Cole led the Wolverines with 12 kills before exiting toward the end of the third set with an apparent ankle injury.
Nelson, who finished with 10 kills and a .308 attacking percentage, said the team put in a more refined effort when compared with Saturday’s match.
“We knew we had a lot to work on before we played them again,” she said. “We had some defensive strategies we needed to make sure we stuck to and we cleaned up our blocking—the block and the backcourt worked well together tonight.”
Aside from maintaining their Big Ten leading pace, Carlini saw the win as a way to make a statement.
“This had to be a statement match,” Carlini said. “We didn’t do all that we could do [Saturday] and we needed to show people who the real Wisconsin Badgers are, that we’re a lot more feisty than that match showed. I think we killed it tonight and did really well.”
Despite extending their 14-match win streak, Nelson says the team remains focused on their upcoming matches.
“The streak is awesome, but we’re already focused on our next match,” she said.
Sheffield concurred, emphasizing the team’s consistency.
“It was a businesslike approach from our team, staying focused on the next match in front of us,” he said. “We’ve done a good job of being consistent and taking each match as it comes.”
The Badgers travel to Iowa next to take on the Hawkeyes (5-9, 13-12) Saturday.
