UW Sweeps Michigan State
November 19, 2005 | Volleyball
Thanks to a team-leading 14 kills from outside hitter Audra Jeffers, the 15th-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team took control of second place in the Big Ten Conference by defeating Michigan State 30-17, 30-22, 30-32. Senior co-captains Aubrey Meierotto and Sheila Shaw had 13 and nine kills, respectively, on Senior Night Saturday at the UW Field House.
'We knew we wanted to leave the court with a win and I think our team executed everything to the best of our abilities and it was a good win,' said Shaw.
Meierotto agreed, 'You just have to approach the game the same, granted there was a little more excitement just because it was Senior Night. We both knew that we wanted to come out and play solid games and pretty much get out of here in three (games). And that's exactly what we did'
'(Winning both matches on the weekend) was great,' said head coach Pete Waite. 'It was one of our goals, to finish strong as we head into NCAAs and to really fight for the highest seed possible coming out of the Big Ten Conference. That's what it's going to come down to once they make the selection for hosting and who your opponents are.'
The Michigan State (12-16, 5-13 Big Ten) attack was led by Ashley Schatzle, who had a match-high 17 kills. The Spartans hit .201 for the match compared to the Badgers' .316 mark.
Wisconsin (21-6, 13-5 Big Ten) got an all-around performance from setter Jackie Simpson. Simpson's 48 assists fell just one short of her season-high. The Downers Grove, Ill., native also had five blocks to lead the team for the fourth time this season.
The Badgers outblocked the Spartans 8.5-4 with middle blockers Shaw and Taylor Reineke both adding four blocks each.
Wisconsin used a five-point run highlighted by a block and kill from Shaw early in game one to take a 9-4 advantage. The Spartans hit .068 in the period as the Badgers outblocked the Spartans 4-0. The Badgers .406 led by five kills from Meierotto led the UW attack while. Two blocks from Reineke at the end of the game solidified the convincing win.
After a Michigan State adjustment, action was tight throughout game two with nine ties and three lead changes. Trailing 21-22, two kills by sophomore Maria Carlini tied the action. The last of Carlini's five kills in the game proved to be decisive, giving Wisconsin the come-from-behind victory. Carlini had a .714 hitting percentage in the game as well as seven digs.
Carlini added 13 digs while libero Jocelyn Wack led the team with 15 digs to reinforce the Badger defense. Wack's total tied Michigan State's Nicole Colaluca for match-high honors. Wack's double-figure digs streak is now 58 matches, tying for the second-longest in NCAA history.
'(Michigan State) switched their outside hitters and their rotations and they just tried something different and did some things early,' explained Waite of the change in the Spartan attack. 'They're a big team and when they get going they really get going, but I think we did some good things in the second game to change the momentum.'
After jumping out to a six-point lead early in game three, Wisconsin found itself trailing 29-30. A Spartan service error tied the score before a crucial kill by Reineke put the Badgers ahead for good. The Badgers got one final block from Meierotto and Reineke to earn the three-game sweep.
'That felt really good,' said Meierotto of the block. 'I wanted that. I had trouble blocking that girl all night and that last ball was fun.'
Wisconsin concludes the regular-season on Wednesday at Northwestern and on Saturday at Indiana. The Badgers will find out on Nov. 27 where they will be seeded for the NCAA Tournament. The announcement will be broadcast on ESPNews at 1:30 p.m.
