(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON The No. 6 Wisconsin (4-1) volleyball team enjoyed it’s third straight sweep, as they took down Milwaukee (0-6) in straight sets (25-7, 25-15, 25-11) at the UW Field House.
The Badgers came out swinging right away, as outside hitter Grace Egan tallied a career-high in service aces in just one set alone—racking up five to guide UW to a dominant performance in the first frame.
Wisconsin and the Panthers went back-and-forth to begin set two before the Badgers enjoyed a 7-0 run to create some separation, highlighted by the serving of libero Kristen Simon and a handful of blocks turned in by redshirt senior Alicia Andrew.
UW finished with six blocks in the second set, totaling 11.0. Middle blocker Carter Booth led the way for the Badgers in the category—finishing with eight on the evening, a season-best for the senior.
It was more of the same for Wisconsin in set three, as the Badgers put together a pair of 6-0 runs to pull away from the Panthers and notch a sweep in front of the UW faithful.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer attained her second double-double of the year in just two sets—accumulating 33 assists and 14 digs by the match’s conclusion.
Fuerbringer’s presence allowed the offense to click on all cylinders, as the Badgers finished with a season-high in hitting percentage at .457 (45 – 8 – 81). Outside hitter Mimi Colyer was a catalyst on the offensive end—racking up 16 kills on 25 attempts with only one error.
Andrew continued to shine in the middle, as the Baylor transfer provided a hitting percentage of .800 (8 – 0 -10) for the second consecutive match—adding three blocks in the process.
Wisconsin held their opponent to a negative hitting percentage for a second consecutive match, as Milwaukee concluded Tuesday at -.014.
Straight From the Court:
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on what went well against Milwaukee): “I thought we did a really good job setting up our block, getting across, being physical up at the net and then our backcourt was picking everything else up.”
Outside Hitter Grace Egan (on finding her rhythm while serving): “I just want to keep my focus every time, make the other team work for it, just like relentless. Just always going for it, always leading my toss. I have a routine every single time, I talk to myself, take a deep breath and just let it rip.”
Outside Hitter Mimi Colyer (on preparing for the road ahead): “I think we play our best when we’re confident with our skills and with ourselves and how we’re playing the team, so I think this just gives us some really good footing going into some more ranked opponents coming up this weekend.”
Notes:
- Badgers hit .457 (45 – 8 – 81) against Milwaukee, a new season-best, while holding the Panthers to a -.014 (14 – 15 – 73).
- The 11.0 total blocks by the Badgers is the second-most this season. Wisconsin tallied 15.0 against Kansas back on Aug. 29.
- For the fifth-straight match, outside hitter Mimi Colyer recorded double-digit kills with a match-high 16.
- Entering tonight’s match, senior Carter Booth 16.0 blocks away from 500 career blocks. Against MKE, Booth tallied and led the team with 8.0 blocks – a season-best.
- Out of the 10 service aces the Badgers recorded, outside hitter Grace Egan had five alone, a career-best.
Up Next: The Badgers prepare for their first road test of the season, as they will take on No. 21 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The match is set to start at 6:00 p.m.
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