The University of Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team took on UW-Milwaukee Tuesday in front of a packed house, winning in three straight sets, improving to an overall record of 4-1 and bringing their all-time record against the Panthers to 27-5.
The Badgers were ranked at sixth in the most recent AVCA poll and made a great case to possibly move up the rankings after this win.
Wisconsin had a great hitting performance, ending the game with a season-best hitting percentage of 0.457, while holding Milwaukee to a negative hitting percentage of -0.014.
Wisconsin tallied 45 total kills, 10 aces and 11 blocks in this match, led by senior Mimi Colyer, redshirt sophomore Grace Egan and senior Carter Booth, respectively. Egan set a career best in service aces, notching five of the Badgers total 10 in the first set alone.
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The Badgers won the first set 25-7, behind Egan’s power at the service line and Colyer’s continuous strong hitting.
The second set started off a bit back-and-forth but quickly pulled ahead behind Booth’s and redshirt senior Alicia Andrew’s strong blocking presence, winning 25-15.
Wisconsin closed out the game with a strong third set with the help of sophomore setter Charlie Fuerbringer’s consistent assists and digs, leading the match in both categories, ending with a score of 25-11.
These two teams met last year in Wisconsin’s home opener at the UW Field House, and the result was very similar, with the Badgers winning 3-0. Senior Julia Orzol led the match with 14 kills, setting a personal best hitting percentage at 0.684.
Behind Orzol’s strong performance, the Badgers dominated, holding Milwaukee to a low hitting percentage of 0.049, similar to their performance this season.
With this win, the Badgers continue their streak of sweeps, after beating UC Davis and Chicago State last week. They will look to continue this trend on Friday against No. 21 Georgia Tech in Atlanta.