The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team beat Fairfield and Georgia Tech at the UW Fieldhouse Dec. 6 to start NCAA Tournament play.
The Badgers entered the tournament ranked No. 7 in the final AVCA Rankings and secured the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Earning a top-four seed granted the Badgers home-court advantage for the first two rounds.
In the Round of 64, the Badgers swept unranked Fairfield. All three sets followed a similar pattern, starting competitively before decisive 5-0 runs by the Badgers that created separation. Wisconsin closed out the first two sets 26-15 and the third set 25-14. The Badgers also maintained control of the tempo throughout each set, preventing Fairfield from stringing together more than two consecutive points.
The Badgers dominated across all statistics to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They shined particularly in aces, outscoring the Stags 7-1. Senior outside hitter Julia Orzol had three aces on the night.
The Badgers also dominated in kills and blocks, led by senior middle blocker Anna Smrek with 14 and five, respectively. Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer led in assists with 41, and freshman libero Lola Schumacher led all players in digs with 14.
In the Round of 32 on Friday, the Badgers played No. 7 seed Georgia Tech, who finished the season ranked 18th in the AVCA Rankings. This matchup was much more competitive for the Badgers, with all four sets ending with both teams having more than 20 points.
In the first set, the Badgers initially controlled the pace, with senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin securing two kills as Wisconsin opened a 16-11 lead. Georgia Tech responded with a 3-0 run, but the Badgers countered with a 4-0 run, extending their lead to 21-15. The Yellow Jackets, however, fought back, mounting a 7-1 run to tie the game at 23-23. Despite fifth-year senior Devyn Robinson's kill giving the Badgers a 25-24 edge, Georgia Tech rallied with three consecutive kills to clinch the set 27-25.
The second set mirrored the end of the first, with both teams trading points as Georgia Tech set the tempo. With a slim lead for Wisconsin, the Badgers went on a decisive 7-1 run, fueled by Fuerbringer's multiple service aces, pushing the score to 23-16. This time, Smrek sealed the set for Wisconsin with a kill to level the match at 1-1.
The Badgers maintained momentum in the third set and surged to a 6-1 start, propelled by kills from Franklin and Smrek plus a service ace from Fuerbringer. True to form, the resilient Yellow Jackets fought back, tying the score at 23. But the Badgers clutched up this time with a block by Fuerbringer and fifth-year middle blocker CC Crawford securing the set 25-23, giving Wisconsin a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was tight, with neither team able to establish a lead larger than three points. As the fourth set drew to a close, the teams were deadlocked at 20. Robinson's kill and block gave the Badgers a two-point cushion, but Georgia Tech quickly narrowed the gap to 22-21. Fittingly, Franklin delivered three consecutive kills, clinching the set and the match for Wisconsin.
Georgia Tech's Tamara Otene led all players with 21 kills, just ahead of Franklin's 20. The Yellow Jackets also had more total kills. The Badgers led in aces 4-2, all from Fuerbringer, tying her college best. Fuerbringer also had the most assists and digs as the freshman comfortably eased into her first NCAA Tournament.
Five Badgers received AVCA All-Region honors. Junior middle blockers Booth, Franklin, Fuerbringer and Smrek made the AVCA North Division first team, while Robinson got an honorable mention. Franklin won her second consecutive AVCA Regional Player of the Year, and Fuerbringer also won AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year.
