No. 8 Wisconsin (10-5 Big Ten, 17-6 overall) defeated No. 12 Purdue (10-5, 21-5) 3-2 in a wild five-set battle at the UW Field House Friday night. Looking to erase a two-game home losing streak, the Badgers needed every ounce of effort they could muster in a hard-fought classic.
The Badgers couldn’t keep the ball off the floor early, dropping the first set 25-16. Purdue hit .441 from the court in the first set, blowing by a Wisconsin defense that had limited opponents to a .192 hitting percentage thus far in 2018.
Senior outside hitter Sheridan Atkinson led the way for the Boilermaker attack with eight kills in the set, and sophomore outside hitter Caitlyn Newton added seven kills of her own in a dominant opening frame for Purdue.
“That’s a really scrappy, tough-minded team,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They’re the real deal. Atkinson is as good of a player as we’ve played against all season... but we didn’t give up on ourselves.”
The Badgers’ defense improved in the second set, but Purdue still managed to eek out a 25-22 win to put them ahead by two sets. Although Wisconsin had not won a match when trailing two sets all season, senior middle blocker Tionna Williams said the team’s confidence never wavered.
“Coming into the huddle, we knew what we had to do,” Williams said. “We weren’t panicked, we were calm...We knew it was going to be a bar fight from [the third set] on, so we have to punch back harder.”
With their backs against the wall, Wisconsin played markedly better in a 25-23 third set win, limiting the Purdue attack to a more modest .179 hitting percentage. Middle blocker sophomore Dana Rettke had six kills and a dig to get the Badgers right back into the match.
The fourth set showed much of the same “grittiness” from UW, as Williams and Sheffield mentioned frequently postgame.
Wisconsin got kills from six different players in the frame, and played stellar defense to keep Purdue from overcoming an early deficit. An unforced error from Newman sent the Badgers to a 25-14 fourth-set victory, tying the match at two sets apiece.
Williams, on the eve of senior night, took over in a monumental fifth set for the Badgers’ season. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native put together three kills and three block assists in a 15-10 set victory that completed a dramatic comeback effort from a visibly emotional Wisconsin team. Williams was subbed out earlier in the match, but shined when she got the chance late.
“It wasn’t what I had hoped initially,” Williams said. “In the long run, I loosened up a little bit and played my game a bit better. In the end, it worked out.”
The victory was Wisconsin’s first when trailing by two sets in 12 years, a 1996 win over Texas.
“That just doesn’t happen a lot,” Sheffield said. “That’s a really good win for us, and one we’ll continue to gain confidence from.”
Wisconsin will host the Indiana Hoosiers (6-9, 15-11) Saturday night at the Field House.
