The University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball program continued their trend of dominance over the past weekend. UW won all six sets of action, taking down the University of Miami on Thursday and the University of Arizona on Friday.
Power Five opponents have been the common theme of competition for the Badgers, who advanced to an overall record of 5-0 after racking up victories against SEC powers in the University of Arkansas and the University of Tennessee the week prior, both of which were ranked in the top-25.
“We’re trying to schedule the absolute best teams that we can,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said in a press conference earlier this week. “We have never said ‘no’ to early competition.”
Within the electric atmosphere of the UW Field House, UW was able to complete the sweep against the Wildcats to start Game One of the weekend, using the help of their star players to ultimately succeed.
It started in the back row with Temi Thomas-Ailara, a Northwestern transfer. The graduate student finished the game with 11 aces, featuring both speed and deception through her serves, throwing off opponents for multiple seasons now.
In addition to Thomas-Ailara’s prowess on the serving line, outside hitter Sarah Franklin chipped in a team-high 15 kills, allowing the red and white to end the day victorious in three sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-20).
A night later, the Badgers took the court once again to face-off against the Hurricanes.
As the No. 1 team in the nation, UW has consistently found new ways to win matchups early in the season. While the offense stepped up against Arizona, the Badgers relied heavily on their defense to take down Miami.
UW created the wall up front, led by the play of middle blocker Carter Booth, who stands at 6-foot-7. Booth paced the Badgers with seven blocks, including finishing off set No. 2 by earning UW their 25th point.
In the back row, Julia Orzol stepped up in her new role, emerging as Wisconsin’s No. 1 option at the libero position after performing well as an outside hitter last year. Orzol finished with 10 digs, neutralizing the powerful swing of Hurricanes’ star outside hitter, Grace Lopez.
The combination of defense and high effort allowed the Badgers to hand the Hurricanes their second loss of the young season, taking the match 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-15), and improving their overall record to 7-0.
Depth has been a difference-maker for Wisconsin early on. They used 11 players, keeping their starters fresh and allowing their role players to flourish.
They’ll need all 11, and possibly more for this upcoming week, where they begin by taking on rival Marquette University on Wednesday at a sold-out Fiserv Forum. After taking a trip down I-94, the Badgers will fly south to Gainesville, Florida, to take on No. 3 ranked University of Florida on Sunday, seeking revenge from last year’s Kohl Center Classic.
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