Badgers volleyball beats Northwestern

(UW ATHLETICS) – The No. 10 Wisconsin volleyball team notched its eighth victory in a row by defeating Northwestern on the road in four sets (25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22) to kick off the final week of the regular season.

The Badgers (23-4, 16-3) exploded out of the gates in set one, jumping out to a 14-4 lead with the help of three blocks turned in by their front line. 

The Wildcats (16-15, 6-13) provided a quick response with a 5-0 run of their own, but the Badgers bounced back quickly. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer wrapped up the first set by tallying two kills to put away Northwestern and earn a 1-0 advantage heading into the second frame. 

It was more of the same for Wisconsin later on, as the Badgers went on a 6-1 run early in set two to take an 11-6 lead. Right side Grace Egan was a standout in the set, racking up three kills during that run to put UW on top. 

The Badgers then utilized a pair of 3-0 runs to win their 18th consecutive set, capped off by another kill from Egan to force a Wildcats’ timeout. The redshirt sophomore put together another strong performance on the front line, as Egan finished with 12 kills and 10 digs, good for her third double-double of the year. 

Northwestern once again battled back, but ultimately fell short in the second set, where Colyer once again terminated a kill to wrap up the set. 

Freshman Madison Quest provided a spark early on in the third set, recording back-to-back kills and a service ace. Unfortunately for the Badgers, it wasn’t enough in set three. Northwestern used a strong serve and quality defense to win nine of 10 points in the latter half of the frame, going on to win it 25-20. 

Outside hitter Una Vajagic put together a strong showing in the fourth and final set, turning in seven kills to take down the Wildcats. With Wisconsin up 15-13, Vajagic rattled off three-straight kills to extend the Badgers’ cushion. 

From there, UW and Northwestern continued to trade points, as the match concluded with a block up front from senior Carter Booth and Colyer. The Badgers earned eight on the evening, led by Booth’s five at the net. 

Wisconsin went on to win their 16th consecutive match against Northwestern, paced by Colyer on the offensive end. The Lincoln, California, native collected 20 kills and 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. With those 12 digs, Colyer reached 1,000 in her storied career, in addition to he10th match this year of having 20 or more kills.

Vajagic continued to be efficient for the Badgers, turning in a hitting percentage of .526 (11 – 1 – 19), complemented by her 10 digs as well. The redshirt sophomore is up to seven double-doubles on the year.

Setter Charlie Fuerbringer accumulated 48 assists in her four sets of action—tying a season-high four kills in the process.