(UW ATHLETICS) MILWAUKEE – The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team defeated the No. 7 Louisville Cardinals in straight sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) in a bounce-back victory to cap off the AVCA First Serve tournament on Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The Badger offense shared the wealth through the afternoon, as freshman Audrey Flanagan led with 13 kills. Middle blocker Jaela Auguste added eight kills of her own with a hitting percentage of .615 (8 – 0 – 13). Eva Travis collected eight kills as well, while Lynney Tarnow and Grace Egan tallied six apiece.
Egan stuffed the stat sheet with contributions across the court, adding nine digs and three service aces. Fuerbringer tallied 33 assists and eight digs, in addition to her six kills. Anna Bardaro helped bolster the Wisconsin defense with 11 digs of her own.
The match opened with a back-and-forth battle before Wisconsin began to create separation. Flanagan delivered back-to-back kills to cap off a 4-0 run for the Badgers, while Egan followed with consecutive service aces that forced a Louisville timeout.
Wisconsin broke out late in the set with a 6-1 run to build a 20-13 advantage, highlighted by a service ace from Flanagan. The freshman helped fend off a late Louisville push and sealed the 25-18 set win with two final kills.
The Badgers carried the momentum into the second set, with Flanagan and Auguste continuing to lead on the attack. Louisville mounted another late push with a 7-2 scoring run, but the Badgers responded after a timeout. Back-to-back kills from Flanagan and Auguste helped push the Badgers before a kill from Travis capped off the set win, 25-20.
Wisconsin continued to keep its foot on the gas in set three, jumping out to a 5-1 lead with the help of a service ace from Kristen Simon and a kill from Egan. The Badgers had a day from the service line, collecting four of their eight in the third set alone. Grace Lopez and Egan each delivered key aces to help Wisconsin build momentum early in addition to Simon’s.
Louisville mounted another late 3-0 push, but Flanagan and Travis each racked up a kill late before the Badgers sealed the victory over the Wildcats with a 25-18 final in set three.
Wisconsin completed its first sweep of the season to improve to 9-2 all-time against Louisville, including a 6-1 record at neutral sites.
Notes:
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Wisconsin improves 9-2 all-time against Louisville and first win over the Cardinals since 2021 National Championship. The last time the two teams met was at the inaugural AVCA First Serve in 2024 where Wisconsin fell 1-3.
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Freshman Audrey Flanagan set a career-best with 13 kills on 28 swings.
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The Badgers tallied eight service aces with Grace Egan leading the way with three.
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Wisconsin bounced back hitting .327 (47-11-110) compared to Friday’s match against Kentucky when they hit .186 (42-21-113).
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Setter Charlie Fuerbringer was named Most Valuable Player of the Match. Fuerbringer tallied 33 assists and added eight digs.
Up Next: Wisconsin will return to action next weekend at the Opening Spike Classic with a battle against No. 5 Stanford on Friday, Aug. 28. The match is set to start at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
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