Badgers fly past Hawkeyes | Wisconsin Badger

MADISON, Wis. – The No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball players outscored Iowa in all areas with a 25-15, 25-17, 25-13 victory over Iowa on Friday night at the UW Field House.

Sarah Franklin posted a record-high 15 kills as the Badgers hit .394 (42 kills – 5 errors – 94 attempts) on the night. Anna Smrek Added 10 to round out the double-digit kills for UW.

UW held the Hawkeyes to just .087 (35-25-115), with outside hitter Malu Garcia leading the team with 12 kills.

An early 4-0 run gave the Badgers a 7-2 lead early in the first set. Iowa responded with a kill and consecutive blocks to put it back within two (7-5). The Badgers went on a 6-2 run with a block from Franklin and Devyn Robinson To top it off, Hawkeye forced a timeout since they were down 13-6. From there, the Badgers cruised to a 25-15 victory in the first set.

Set two brought a much more balanced game. Neither team led by more than two points until the Badgers went on a 3-0 run with two kills from Franklin and an attack error from Iowa that gave UW a 10-6 lead. The Badgers extended their lead to 13-9. The Hawkeyes scored three straight kills to bring their total to 14, but they failed to score a run on six serves Julia Orzol put the match out of reach for the Hawkeyes as the Badgers held off Franklin's seven-kills in the second set to win 25-17.

Once again, Iowa was close at the start of the third set, but then the Badgers pulled away. A 5-0 run fueled by an ace from Charlie Fuerbringer and two kills and a solo block from Franklin gave Wisconsin a 13-8 lead. Iowa was eliminated, but the Badgers quickly came back with a 6-1 run, prompting a Hawkeye timeout in hopes of slowing the Badgers down as they led 19-10. But the deficit was too big, as Wisconsin won the third and final set 25:13.

Fürbringer delivered 32 assists and 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, and the freshman also added 3 kills.

Lola Schumacher led the team with 14 digs. The Badgers outscored the Hawkeyes 10.0-5.0, with Smrek pouring in six points.

Wisconsin recorded six service aces compared to Iowa. Franklin finished with two, while Schumacher, Fürbringer, Orzol and Carly Anderson Everyone counts one of their own.

Straight from the court

Head coach Kelly Sheffield
To serve tonight: “We put some pressure on them and that’s what we wanted to do. They are in the top third of the conference. This is something they do really well. I thought we came out and buried our serve's planes that were holding them.” Imbalance. That was the goal.

At Penn State: “They are a good team, they have lost one game all year. They're one of the best in the country, it's an opportunity for us and we've had some great fights over the years. “It will be two competitive teams competing in a great environment on national television. The competitors like to be separated from this.”

Freshmen Lola Schumacher
Today's approach: “To take every team, every film session, every training session the same as every team and treat everything as equal. That really makes us approach these games at the same level and with the same mindset.”

Middle blocker CC Crawford
What went well: “I think every team we play in the Big Ten is tough and will always be a challenge. I thought we did a really great job with our serve-pass game tonight. I feel like we varied the planes really well on our serves.” That allowed us to set up our block. We were just brave and gave it our all, so I think that really contributed to the win tonight.

Notes on knowledge

• Wisconsin held Iowa to a .087 hitting percentage, the eighth time this season they held their opponent to under .100 hitting percentage.
• Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer sixth double-double of the season with 23 assists and 14 digs. The 14 awards are also a career high.
• Outside hitter in the second set alone Sarah Franklin tallied seven kills and for the 20th time this season, Franklin had double-digit kills.
• For the 13th time this season, Wisconsin hit .300 or better. The Badgers hit .394 (42-5-94).
• Wisconsin posted 10.0 blocks, the 12th this season in which the team recorded double-digit blocks.

Next

The Badgers will be back in action tomorrow afternoon to face No. 3 Penn State. First serve is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will air on NBC.