No. 7 Badgers rally in Tenth-straight victory, sweep Michigan

MADISON, Wis. – The No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball group defeated Michigan (25-22, 25-22, 25-20) in straight units for it is Tenth-consecutive victory on the second annual Silent Set Match on the UW Field House. 

The Badgers (11-1, 4-0) broke the silence in set one on their ninth level with a service ace from setter Addy Horner, who crammed in for an injured setter Charlie Fuerbringer within the early phases of the match. 

Halfway by way of the set, the Wolverines (11-4, 1-3) constructed a 18-14 benefit to tie their largest lead of the match. UW offered a fast response, rallying to win six of the subsequent eight factors to tie it up at 20-20, as center blocker Carter Booth and outdoors hitter Mimi Colyer mixed on a block to even the rating. 

With a Badgers’ 24-22 lead, defensive specialist Maile Chan entered with a clutch serve to get Michigan out of place—permitting center blocker Alicia Andrew to cap off the set along with her second kill in a row and supply Wisconsin with a 1-0 benefit. 

Set two started as a back-and-forth affair earlier than UW was capable of separate within the latter half. Early on, the Badgers went out in entrance at 12-11 with the assistance of kills turned in by proper facet Madison Quest and Colyer—capping off a 4-0 run. 

Wisconsin and the Wolverines discovered themselves in a impasse at 20-20 as soon as once more, however the assist of an assault error and one kill apiece from Quest and Colyer allowed the Badgers to take a lead and declare the second set. Outside hitter Una Vajagic accomplished set two with a kill, tallying double-digit totals in her second consecutive match and fifth of the 12 months with 10. 

UW utilized a pair of 4-0 runs in set three to down the Wolverines, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Colyer to provide themselves a 23-18 cushion. The senior put collectively one other sturdy efficiency within the purple and white, as she completed with a hitting proportion of .538 (23 – 2 – 39) to tempo the Badgers. 

Wisconsin went on to notch a fourth-straight sweep, every of which coming towards convention foes. Booth and Andrew have been forces within the center, combining for 9 kills on 18 makes an attempt with zero hitting errors. 

Horner concluded the match with career-highs in a number of classes, main the best way within the assists division with 35. The freshman added seven digs, a trio of blocks and a pair of service aces on the afternoon, too. 

Defensively, libero Kristen Simon led the Badgers with 12 digs, marking her seventh match in double figures this season. 

Straight from the Court:

Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on dealing with the early adversity): “One thing we talk about is that we have something called adversity school. It’s what are you, and what is your mentality when things don’t go your way or you’ve got a little bit of adversity in front of you.  Obviously, our All-American setter going down early in that match,  there is an opportunity that is in front, how do you respond in those types of situations?  We try to be a program and a team that doesn’t make excuses because there are opportunities to rise up.”

(On the efficiency of freshman Addy Horner):  “Don’t try to be somebody else; be the best you. Addy does not need to be Charlie, that would be unfair to her, but there are some things as she does that other setters aren’t able to do. So she needs to be the best her, she needs to go out there, and she needs to lead the team. She needs to keep her poise and her composure and run the offense… I’m really proud of her and her ability to move on to the next play. She’s unflappable; that is one of her greatest strengths. Nothing weighs her down. She does an elite job at just moving onto the next play, and that’s what you need in that position.”

Middle Blocker Carter Booth (on the Badgers’ response in set one): “We don’t just sit around all week and then show up for matches. There are people on the other side of the net who play against us in practice and that’s Addy most of the time. It’s not a situation she was anyway under-prepared for and I think she was able to show just how good she is by going out there, and like you (Kelly) said, and have no adjustment period. To come back and still win that first set is a testament to the fact she was ready to go. We didn’t take long to get our rhythm again.”

Middle Blocker Alicia Andrew (on Addy Horner’s presence): “I think she’s a really impressive athlete overall. I think that her ability to come in cool, calm, and collected and be like ‘okay, this is what we’re running, this is what we’re doing,’ and she’s got a wicked serve. She does a heck of a lot of damage behind the line, too. I was just super impressed by her serve and then how she was running the offense.”

Notes:

• For the eighth time this season and in 4 consecutive matches, the Badgers hit .300 or higher.
• The Badgers have now recorded 10+ blocks in six matches, together with back-to-back matches towards Michigan and Illinois.
• Career finest 35 assists for freshman setter Addy Horner who changed Charlie Fuerbringer within the first set. Horner added seven digs, three blocks and two service aces towards Michigan
• With a 23 kill efficiency, senior Mimi Colyer has now totaled three matches with 20+ kills on the season. She additionally hit .538 towards the Wolverines, marking it the fifth time this season the place she has hit .500 or higher.

Up Next: The Badgers will return to convention play on Friday, Oct. 10, after they journey to State College, Pennsylvania to tackle No. 16 Penn State at Rec Hall. The match is about to begin at 6:00 p.m. CT and can be televised on Big Ten Network.