(UW ATHLETICS) – The No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball team capped off it’s first weekend of conference play with a sweep of Iowa (25-16, 25-14, 25-16), notching the Badgers’ second sweep of the weekend and head coach Kelly Sheffield‘s 600th win of his career.
In set one, the Badgers (9-1) took advantage of a hot start to build an early cushion—putting together a 6-0 burst right away against the Hawkeyes (10-4) with the serving run of libero Kristen Simon, who tallied an ace in the process. Just two rallies later, UW began an 8-0 run, highlighted by a pair of kills turned in by outside hitter Mimi Colyer.
From there, the Badgers and Hawkeyes traded points back-and-forth, as UW was paced by right side Madison Quest and Colyer to earn the 25-16 set victory.
Set two provided a similar storyline for Wisconsin, as they utilized another big run from the offensive end to separate themselves from Iowa. After being tied at 11-11, the Badgers rattled off nine-straight points to earn the 20-11 advantage, highlighted by a powerful kill from middle blocker Carter Booth. The senior enjoyed another strong showing for Wisconsin, finishing the day with a hitting percentage of .571 (9 – 1 – 14).
The Badgers kept their foot on the gas early on in the third set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead with the help of a trio of kills turned in by Colyer. UW then took advantage of a couple of Iowa errors to force a timeout and grow their lead to 12-3.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer racked up an ace and Booth earned a kill to take the final two points, as the Badgers improved to 2-0 in conference play after an undefeated weekend.
Colyer concluded the match with double-digit kills for the 10th time, finishing with 17 kills, five digs and three blocks.
The Badgers were able to spread out the offense effectively behind Colyer, as outside hitter Madison Quest, middle blocker Alicia Andrew and Vajagic each turned in seven kills. Andrew was the standout—continuing her efficient season with a swinging percentage of .636 to lead Wisconsin (7 – 0 – 11).
Defensively, Vajagic paced the Badgers in digs with 14, tying her career-high for the third time in the 2025 season. Simon followed closely behind with 13 digs of her own. Wisconsin held the Hawkeyes to a hitting percentage of .068 (27 – 20 – 103).
Notes:
- With the sweep over Iowa, head coach Kelly Sheffield eclipsed the 600 career win milestone.
- For the fifth match this season, the Badgers held it’s opponent under a .100 hitting percentage. Wisconsin held Iowa to a .068 hitting percentage (27-20-103).
- The 3-0 sweep marks the Badgers eighth-straight win, and seventh sweep of the season.
- Outside hitter Mimi Colyer reached double-digit kills for the 10th-straight match. Colyer had a match-high 17 kills while hitting .343 (17-5-35).
- Between Wisconsin’s two middles, Carter Booth and Alicia Andrew, the senior duo committed one hitting error.
- Booth totaled nine kills (9-1-14) while Andrew chipped in with seven (7-0-11) against the Hawkeyes.
- Outside hitter Una Vajagic, matched a career-best, 14 digs. This marks the third time this season Vajagic totaled 14 digs in a match.
Up Next: The Badgers return home to take on Illinois at the UW Field House on Thursday, Oct. 2. The match is set to start at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Comments