The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers volleyball team faced off against the UW-Green Bay Phoenix in their final spring match.
The Badgers overcame a strong showing in the first two sets from the visiting Phoenix, winning 25-21 and 25-23, and ended the match with a decisive 25-17 victory.
Wisconsin got out to an early 16-6 lead in the first set, sparked by three kills from transfer star Mimi Colyer and two from junior Carter Booth. But Green Bay was unfazed by their deficit and cut the Badgers’ lead.
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The team was able to overcome the Phoenix’s rally, but Green Bay got out to a quick start in the second set, putting the Badgers behind 8-5. The two squads continued to trade points back and forth until the Badgers were able to utilize their talented group of servers to put themselves ahead.
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield utilized freshman right-side hitter Addy Horner as a weapon in the service game, along with the talented Ohio State transfer Grace Egan.
The Badgers’ timing, intensity and overall energy seemed to be lacking in the first two sets. Green Bay played freely and was unrattled by the atmosphere of the Wisconsin Field House. But the depth of the Badgers’ roster was enough to overcome a strong Phoenix attack in the second set.
To begin the third set, the Badgers came out with a completely new rotation of players. Freshman libero Maile Chan continued to take reps as the starter over Lola Schumacher and led the squad with 13 digs. Kelly also experimented with outside hitter Una Vajagic in the libero role to start the last set.
Schumacher will likely still be the starter come the fall season, but this spring demonstrates the immense depth the team has at libero.
Coach Kelly also made a significant effort to get Egan minutes, especially in the third set. Egan saw the court sparingly for serving duty, but caught a hot hand with a few big-time kills.
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The crowd responded favorably to Egan’s moments, and the redshirt freshman herself looked elated to be given a chance to finally showcase her talents, finishing with six kills and an ace. Egan’s powerful spike and jumping ability made for a lethal combination with Colyer, Charlie Fuerbringer and Madison Quest on the court.
From there, the Badgers found their groove and cruised past Green Bay to win the final set 25-17.
Colyer again proved to be the biggest offensive threat on the floor, with a team-high of 13 kills, and Booth was not far behind with 10. Freshman middle blocker Tosia Serafinowska showed her defensive prominence with four blocks.
Fuerbringer again impressed as a team leader on the floor and an elite setter with 35 assists.
The Badgers performed much cleaner in the game against Marquette. Nonetheless, the Badgers flexed their depth this game and again showed to be extremely talented, with a core of veterans and a large group of underclassmen.