Livingston Helps Badger Volleyball Bury Gophers
October 19, 2001 | Volleyball
It took a little longer than expected but Sherisa Livingston got the UW career record for kills. With her third kill in Game 3, the 6-2 middle blocker recorded kill number 1,662 to break the mark of 1,661 set by Amy Lee from 1994-97.
'We knew that as the season went on it would happen, ' Wisconsin Head Coach Pete Waite said of Livingston's record-breaking performance. 'It just really says a lot for what she's done for this program. Even in this match she really was unstoppable late in the match when they knew it was going to her and that's the sign of a great player.'
Livingston ended up with a match-high 15 kills to lead the sixth-ranked Badgers to a 30-12, 30-26, 31-29 win over 21st-ranked Minnesota. Wisconsin (15-2, 9-0) remains undefeated in Big Ten play and extends its game-winning streak to 22.
'I thought on our side of the net we played good ball, but not great ball,' Waite said. 'I was proud of them that on a night they weren't playing their best they could come away with a win.'
The Badgers struggled offensively but managed to dominate the match defensively. Wisconsin had 10 team blocks compared to only three for Minnesota and had a 42-32 dig advantage. Livingston and Lizzy Fitzgerald shared match-high honors with five blocks while Sara Urbanek led all players with 10 digs.
Wisconsin also had 11 service aces, including five from Lori Rittenhouse, which tied her career high. Erin Byrd added four service aces.
Led by six team blocks, the Badgers blew out the Gophers in Game 1 allowing only 12 points, their second lowest of the year and lowest for a Big Ten match. The Wisconsin block slowed the Minnesota offense as the Gophers hit a -.158 percent while the Badgers hit .412 percent. Livingston had four blocks and Fitzgerald added three blocks as Wisconsin jumped out to a 5-1 lead and was never threatened.
Game 2 was a battle as the Gophers broke a 10-10 tie to take a 12-10 lead off kills by Bethany Brafford and Amanda Cipperly. Minnesota later led 24-21 off a service ace by Cassie Busse. Wisconsin came back to tie it at 24 off two kills from Erin Byrd. The score was also tied at 25 but two service aces by Rittenhouse put the UW up 28-25. A kill by Livingston and a service ace by Byrd put the Badgers up two games to none.
The final game was similar to the second game as the Badgers led 13-9 but the Gophers came back to tie it at 14. The game was tied 13 more times, including a tie at 29 before a Gopher service error and a Byrd service ace kept the Badger winning streak alive.
The Badgers conclude the first half of the Big Ten season when they play at Iowa Saturday night.
