The University of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball team bounced back from a rocky 2-3 record on the road with a perfect 4-0 homestand. They beat UW-Milwaukee, Marquette, Troy and Texas A&M in Madison and extended their undefeated home winning streak from last season.
Troy
In their match against Troy on Friday night, the Badgers swept the Trojans with set scores of 25-18, 25-13 and 25-14.
The first set was competitive early on, with Troy briefly taking the lead at 13-12. But Wisconsin regained control thanks to a crucial block from senior middle blocker Anna Smrek and fifth-year right side hitter Devyn Robinson followed by consecutive kills from Robinson and senior outside hitter Julia Orzol.
The Badgers then dominated the second and third sets. They opened with commanding leads of 8-1 and 7-1, respectively. Wisconsin’s offensive efficiency was on full display as they finished the match, hitting a season-best .416 over three sets.
The Badgers displayed a dominant yet balanced offense as Smrek led the team with 10 kills. Fifth-year hitter Sarah Franklin followed closely behind with nine kills, while Robinson contributed eight, and Orzol rounded out the scoring with seven kills. Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer returned to the starting lineup, racking 36 assists during the match. For Troy, outside hitter Tori Hester stood out with a match-high 13 kills.
TEXAS A&M
Wisconsin faced a tougher challenge against Texas A&M the following night but still secured a straight-set victory with scores of 25-18, 30-28 and 25-19.
The first set featured back-and-forth action until Wisconsin pulled ahead after three kills from Orzol and two service aces from Robinson made it 17-10.
The second set was a nail-biter with multiple lead changes. A&M initially led at 14-11 before Wisconsin launched another 8-1 run to take control. A&M fought back to tie it at 22-22, but Franklin delivered two crucial kills to give Wisconsin a narrow lead at 29-28 and finished the set with a service ace herself.
In the third set, Texas A&M took an early lead at 14-12, but Wisconsin responded just like in sets before and went on a dominant 8-1 run to secure their victory at 25-19.
Orzol and Franklin led the way with 15 and 14 kills each, with Fuerbringer assisting 39 times. On the Aggies side, right side hitter Logan Lednicky led her team with 15 kills, and setter Maddie Waak had 30 assists.
Upcoming Matchup
With their record now standing at 6-3 after this successful homestand, the Badgers are set to begin their Big Ten conference schedule. They will face a challenging three-game road trip starting with a rivalry match against Minnesota on Wednesday.
