Border Battle: Badgers volleyball beats Minnesota

(UW ATHLETICS)  MADISON – The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team took the first edition of the 2025 Border Battle, defeating No. 22 Minnesota in four sets (25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16) to notch their 10th conference win of the year. 

The match started out with a back-and-forth affair, as the Badgers’ (17-4, 10-3) block began to find its rhythm, highlighted by a solo block turned in by outside hitter Una Vajagic. 

After the Golden Gophers (17-7, 7-6) tied the match at 14-14, outside hitters Grace Egan and Mimi Colyer each tallied a kill to expand UW’s advantage to 17-14. Wisconsin strung together two more 3-0 runs to close out set two, earning four blocks throughout the first set to put away Minnesota, 25-20.

The Badgers maintained the momentum in set two, this time utilizing a 4-0 run behind the service of freshman Addy Horner. The setter kept the Golden Gophers off balance throughout the majority of the match, finishing with a career-best four service aces. Horner’s first of the night came at the conclusion of Wisconsin’s 4-0 run, expanding the lead to 19-15. 

Minnesota provided a quick answer to bring it within 21-20. Middle blocker Alicia Andrew took advantage of an overpass to earn a kill, followed by a block with the assist of outside hitter Madison Quest to get to match point. A service error allowed the Badgers to take a 2-0 lead heading into the third set. 

The Golden Gophers came out firing in set three, winning six of seven rallies early to build an 11-6 cushion. From there, Minnesota and Wisconsin continued to trade points, as the Golden Gophers forced a fourth set at the UW Field House. 

After a slow start in set four, UW accumulated a pair of 4-0 runs, as Vajagic and Colyer excelled on the offensive end to power the Badgers to a victory. 

Wisconsin went on to rack up three service aces toward the latter half of the match to close it out, including Colyer’s to secure the win in the final point. The Badgers finished with seven on the evening, tying for the second-most turned in throughout the first 13 conference matches. 

Colyer enjoyed another strong showing, concluding the match with a team-high 21 kills on 46 attempts. The senior has notched 20 kills or more in six matches this season. 

Vajagic was the second Badger with double-digit kill totals, ending the match with 11 to complement her seven digs. 

Defensively, libero Kristen Simon continued to shine, as the freshman racked up 16 digs versus Minnesota—tying her second-highest total on the year and her 12th consecutive match with double-digit digs. 

The middle blockers for UW provided an efficient performance, as Andrew and Booth combined to hit .579 (11 – 0 – 19), while each finishing with three blocks. 

Horner rounded out the top performers for the Badgers, as the Wheaton, Illinois, native paced the offense with 41 assists and a pair of kills.