Wisconsin overcame a 2-1 deficit in the match to beat Minnesota 3-2 in a slugfest in Madison.
It was a marathon. In many of the moments, it seemed like Wisconsin did not have enough air in its lungs or fire in its legs. It definitely seemed like the final 0.2 miles of the 26.2 miles were going to get to them. But, the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (15-2 Big Ten, 21-5 overall) crossed the finish line — despite losing a shoe somewhere in that stretch — to take down the No. 16 Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-7, 17-10) in a five-set thriller worthy of that billing (25-21, 12-25, 22-25, 25-20, 20-18) to keep their hopes of a Big Ten conference title alive.
In a match where UW fell behind early to the Gophers before coming back to win the first set pretty handily, the Badgers then fell behind 2-1 in the match after a putrid second set and a back-and-forth third.
Senior Julia Orzoł was a livewire in the opening set, tallying six kills on a .667 hitting percentage and an ace to help Wisconsin overcome a 7-4 deficit to win 25-21. But in the second set, the Badgers went ice cold on offense, tallying 11 attack errors to hit -.073 and let Minnesota’s serving rattle off an 11-0 run.
Sophomore Saige Damrow — filling in for freshman Lola Schumacher at libero after she missed another match; Gülce Güçtekin did not play either — and senior Anna Smrek’s performances epitomized the hot and cold nature for Wisconsin on the night. Damrow had some incredible effort digs that kept key points alive for Wisconsin, finishing with 21 total digs, but she was targeted in serve receive and struggled in that aspect of her game as she was credited with four receiving errors that led to aces for Minnesota. Damrow also had five service errors, with so many coming at points where UW looked to be summoning momentum.
Anna Smrek had two straight attack errors in the second set that forced a Wisconsin timeout to try and shake out the jitters. She posted just a .079 hitting percentage in the match and was even pulled from the rotation at one point.
In the third set, the ups and downs continued for Wisconsin. The Gophers were ahead 15-14 before they went on a 3-0 run to take the 18-14 lead. Senior Sarah Franklin had a kill to cut Minnesota’s lead to 20-18 then Smrek and junior middle blocker Carter Booth combined on a block to make it 21-20. Franklin then delivered an ace to tie the match and breathe life back into the Field House. Orzoł had a kill after Minnesota had two points in a row to make it 23-22, then Damrow’s serve went into the net to give the Gophers match point, which they took full advantage of.
Minnesota’s outside-hitting trio was outstanding for them on the night. Julia Hanson, Lydia Grote, and McKenna Wucherer all finished with double-digit kills — Hanson even had 20 — but their middles were struggling offensively. To be fair, that was the same story for Wisconsin at this point, where Smrek was inconsistent and CC Crawford and Devyn Robinson did not get many touches.
Minnesota’s serving — and UW’s occasional passing struggles, meant a reliance on Franklin and Orzoł as bail-out options from freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer. So many times, UW’s offense was out-of-system as the two defenses played scrappy. Fuerbringer led the Badgers with 25 digs, highlighting how Minnesota kept Wisconsin off balance. Franklin and Orzoł had 64 and 64 total attacks, respectively, further illustrating the imbalance.
But down 2-1 in a do-or-die fifth set, the Badgers played with more energy, and Frank the Tank took over.
The reigning AVCA Player of the Year seemed to will the Badgers to win points in the fourth set. She had an ace early to give Wisconsin a 7-4 lead. After Minnesota cut Wisconsin’s lead to 15-13 and forced a UW timeout, Franklin had a back-row kill to make it 17-13 then another ace for 18-13. She also had an insane effort play where she went flying to keep the ball alive in a point Wisconsin ended up winning.
Despite that effort, Minnesota crept back into the set, finding themselves down 21-17 after a 3-0 run. Senior Devyn Robinson came in the fourth set and provided a spark for Wisconsin with two thunderbolts of kills, including the set-clincher at 25-20 to force the fifth set.
The two sides traded blows in a remarkable fifth set that would feature 11 ties, four lead changes, and untold agita across the two states watching the bout, but Franklin’s third ace gave Wisconsin an 8-6 lead then a kill from Smrek made it 9-6 and forced a Minnesota timeout. Smrek finished with just nine kills on the night, but saved her best moments — like many of the Badgers — for the final frame.
Wisconsin’s block also started to become a factor. With both teams tired, the Badgers posted six blocks in the fifth and final set, including a huge combination from Smrek and Robinson that gave UW an 11-9 lead.
But, the Gophers would not go away. They tied it up 11-11 and fifth-year setter Melani Shaffmaster delivered an ace to give Minnesota a 13-12 lead. Franklin tied the set back at 13-all before Booth got a block to give Wisconsin match point 14-13. It would not be the only match point.
Minnesota fought off the first match points before going up 15-14 and having their chance to ice what would have been a season sweep over Wisconsin. UW tied it up before Booth and Orzoł combined on a block to give Wisconsin a 17-16 lead.
Booth and Smrek — who finished with six blocks each — had another key block as the grueling match seemed to wear on both sides. The knockout blow was finally delivered by CC Crawford, who had just one kill on the night, stuffing back-to-back shots to give Wisconsin a 3-2 win.
Despite being held to a .158 hitting percentage on the night, UW was able to save its best for last. Three aces, including one from Crawford, and six blocks helped Wisconsin pull out the victory that lasted all 12 rounds. They were able to finish the race and deliver a modicum of revenge over the Golden Gophers, who handed them one of only two losses in Big Ten play this year back in September.
The Badgers will need to come back swinging soon, with the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-0, 27-1) awaiting them in Lincoln on Saturday night. That match is at 7 p.m. Central and will be on the Big Ten Network.