Badger Volleyball Hammers Hawkeyes
October 20, 2001 | Volleyball
The sixth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team ended the first half of the Big Ten Conference season with a perfect 10-0 mark. The Badgers swept Iowa 30-15, 30-21, 30-25 to improve to 16-2 overall and improve their game-winning streak to 22.
For the second match in a row, Wisconsin used strong defense to key its win. The Badgers had 13 team blocks and outdug the Hawkeyes (3-14, 1-9) 47 to 40. Amy Hultgren led all blockers with seven stuffs while Lori Rittenhouse added four.
'I think overall as a team they did a good job against Iowa, ' Wisconsin Head Coach Pete Waite said. 'Our defense, especially early in the match, [was great]. Our blocking was great. We doubled them in blocks and did better in digs, but overall we're still not totally on track, which if your winning and not on track that's not a bad thing because if we want to be peaking and it's later, I'm happy with that.'
In the back row, Erin Byrd led all players with 13 digs while Korie Gardner had 11 and Rittenhouse dug 10.
Offensively, Wisconsin hit .244 percent and held Iowa to only .060 percent. Sherisa Livingston and Byrd each had a match-high 13 kills while Livingston hit .455 percent. The Badgers held the Big Ten's kill leader Sara Meyermann to only 12 kills.
The Badgers used a balanced scoring attack to break an early 5-5 tie in Game 1. Byrd had a game-high seven kills while Livingston and Hultgren both put down four kills apiece. The Badgers had 20 kills in the game compared to only seven for the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin also hit .405 percent and had five team blocks to hold Iowa to a .030 hitting percentage.
Game 2 was tied at 13 before Byrd served 11 of the next 12 points to put the Badgers up 25-14. Byrd had two service aces during that stretch and Wisconsin had three team blocks. The Hawkeyes held off five game points for the Badgers before a Rittenhouse tip put the game away.
Iowa battled Wisconsin in Game 3, with neither team leading by more than three points. The Badgers led 26-25 and scored the last four points of the match for the sweep. Two kills each by Livingston and Rittenhouse sealed the deal.
'It feels great [to be undefeated in the Big Ten],' Waite said. 'This team is playing well. They're really focused right now. They know that the start of the next half of the Big Ten season is one of the most important weekends of the season.'
Wisconsin opens the second half of the conference season next weekend when it travels to Ohio State and Penn State.
