Wisconsin Badgers volleyball loses to USC

(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON  The No. 9 Wisconsin women’s volleyball team fell to No. 25 USC (25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 22-25) in a top-25 battle at the UW Field House, handing the Badgers’ their second conference loss of the year.

Neither team found separation early on in set one, as the match provided 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Badgers (13-3, 6-2) gained momentum with the help of right side Grace Egan’s return, where the redshirt sophomore provided a pair of kills right away. 

Outside hitter Mimi Colyer tied the match at 20-20, starting a quick 3-0 burst for UW. The Trojans provided an answer to bring the match within 24-23, but a block from senior Carter Booth and redshirt sophomore Una Vajagic sealed a set one victory for Wisconsin. 

The Badgers trailed for the majority of set two, but relied on their strong defense—forcing multiple hitting errors against the Trojans (13-5, 4-4) to get back into the match. USC was able to close it out though, fighting off a late UW run to win 25-23. The second set loss was Wisconsin’s first set loss in the UW Field House.

Set three provided a similar storyline, as the Badgers fell behind early on before storming back. UW brought it back to 21-22 after back-to-back kills turned in by Colyer. Wisconsin earned a kill apiece from middle blocker Alicia Andrew and Vajagic, but it was not enough as the Trojans closed out set three at 25-23. 

USC utilized that momentum right away in set two, putting together a 6-0 run to help build an 11-2 advantage. The Badgers stormed back in response, highlighted by a 5-0 run that was capped off by back-to-back kills from Booth. 

A setter dump from freshman Addy Horner tied the match at 22-22 to force a Trojans’ timeout. USC rattled off the next three rallies—handing Wisconsin it’s first loss at the UW Field House this season. 

Colyer earned her second double-double in the past three matches and the 40th of her career, tallying 10 digs and a team-high 23 kills. Vajagic followed suit with her fourth double-double of the year, turning in 15 kills and 14 digs. 

Horner racked up career-bests with 46 assists and 10 digs to notch her first double-double of her career. 

Andrew wrapped up the offensive standouts, finishing with the top hitting percentage on the team in Sunday’s match at .389 (8 – 1 – 18), tying her season-high in kills. Libero Kristen Simon led Wisconsin with 16 digs on the defensive end, her second-highest total on the year. 

USC’s physical front and quality back row forced the Badgers into their third-lowest hitting percentage of the season at .223 (59 – 20 – 175).  The Trojan’s also totaled 80 digs compared to Wisconsin’s 71.