The University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team (20-5, 14-2 Big Ten) traveled to Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 14 to take on the University of Southern California Trojans (17-8, 9-6). After playing a quick three sets, the Badgers took the match win, the first set 25-18, the second 25-19 and the third 25-12.
First set
Starting the first set, freshman Charlie Fuerbringer hit an immediate ace for the Badgers from the service line. A strong kill from senior Anna Smrek put her at a .330 hitting percentage and brought the ball back to Wisconsin, keeping the lead at 3-1.
A balanced fight continued, but was cut very short by a powerful Badger block made by fifth-year student CC Crawford and Smrek, setting junior Gulce Guctekin for the ace. Fuerbringer assisted fifth-year student Sarah Franklin’s kill, tying the game at 8-8. Franklin kept the momentum and got two back-to-back service aces for Wisconsin, marking her 21st ace of the season.
Numerous errors by USC gave the Badgers the 20-13 lead. With fifth-year student Devyn Robinson in the game, the Badgers sent a strong kill over the net, giving them the 21-15 lead. Following suit, junior Carter Booth’s first kill of the night gave Wisconsin their 24th point of the set. A service error by USC gave the Badgers the set.
Second set
The second set started with a powerful kill by senior Julia Orzol. Franklin snapped over another kill for the night, as well as a sneaky tipover, putting Wisconsin at a 9-4 lead. At that point in the game, Franklin sat with no errors for the match. This momentum did not stop for Franklin after the break with a down-the-line kill. Errors by both teams kept the score close, with a Badger lead of 19-17, but Franklin crushed a cross-court kill through the USC block, giving Wisconsin their 20th point. Two out-of-bound plays by USC gave the Badgers the four-point lead at 22-18. A Badger block by Smrek, Crawford and Franklin kill put the squad at 24-18, one point to win the set. The set point was quickly made by a net violation by USC.
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Third set
The USC head coach, Brad Keller, started the third set with a challenge against Booth on a potential net violation, but USC lost their challenge and the point went to Wisconsin. This challenge put some uneasy pressure on USC, giving the Badgers the ability to get a 4-0 lead with Fuerbringer on the service line. The Badger’s defense shone throughout the match, but shone strongest during this set, as a block by Booth brought the set to an 8-3 lead for the Badgers. Smrek then tallied her fourth block of the set, scoring the next point for Wisconsin.
Orzol was set up with the ball from the back row and managed to strategically bump the ball over, getting a kill for Wisconsin. Keeping that energy, Orzol sent two aces over the left side, gaining a 10-point lead at 15-5. Franklin’s 13th kill out of 19 swings gave the Badgers their 19th point of the set, while USC still sat at only 10 points. Closing out the final set, Franklin had made 86 swings with only one hitting error for the match.
USC continued to fight with some great transitions, but they did not compare to the Badgers, with two strong blocks back to back from Smrek and Crawford, putting the set at 23-11. The Badgers scored match point after a serve from redshirt freshman Saige Damrow, setting up a quick tip over from Orzol.
The Badger squad is set to play Minnesota on Nov. 20 at the Field House during their Silent Set Match.
The Silent Set is to raise awareness and money for the hard-of-hearing community. T-shirts will be sold at the match to fundraise for Chasing Greatness, an organization started by former Penn State player Jonni Parker.
The first eight points of the match will be silent, but fans are encouraged to be as loud as possible on the ninth point. ASL signs will be posted around the Field House, and fans are encouraged to “cheer” in ASL during the first eight points.