| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Wisconsin
| 25 | 25 | 25 | -- | -- | Maryland
| 14 | 17 | 17 | -- | -- | | Stats Leaders
| | WIS | | UM | | Thomas - 9 | Kills | Fraik - 10 | | Carlini - 33 | Assists | Oggioni - 13 | | Thomas - .750 | Hit %
| Hrebenach - .250 | | Morey - 10 | Digs | Fraik, Dion - 5 | | Thompson - 5 | Blocks | St. Hill, Murray - 2 | | Chapman - 3 | Aces | Oggioni - 2 | | Stats Comparison
| WIS | UM | | Kills | 40 | 24 | | Hitting Pct. | .367 | .049 | | Assists | 39 | 24 | | Service Aces | 5 | 5 | | Digs | 35 | 21 | | Total Blocks | 8 | 4 | | |
Oct. 12, 2014
MADISON, Wis. -- The sixth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team capitalized on a number of errors by Maryland, downing the Terrapins 25-14, 25-17, 25-17 in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,012 Sunday afternoon at the UW Field House.
Wisconsin (14-2 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) showed its consistency at the net, hitting .367 (40 kills - 11 errors - 79 attempts) as a team. Three Badgers hit better than .400, led by Thomas with .750 (9-0-12). Senior Dominique Thompson marked a .600 (6-0-10) attack percentage, followed by sophomore Haleigh Nelson, who hit .462 (8-2-13) in the balanced Badger attack.
| Fast Facts | | • Wisconsin improves to 14-2 and 5-1 in the Big Ten | | • Four Badgers hit over 40 percent | | • UW outblocks UM 8-4 | |
It was the first time this season that UW didn't have a player in double figure kills but all six starters put away four or more scores.
The Badger defense was also an intimidating force, keeping the Terrapins to a .049 (24-20-81) attack percentage. UW outblocked UM 8-4 behind Thompson and freshman Kelli Bates, who contributed four stops apiece. Junior Taylor Morey added 10 of the team's 35 digs, while Maryland marked just 21 digs overall.
Both teams struggled from the service line, as UM made eight service errors, including five in the first set, while UW had six. Both teams also had five service aces as senior Ellen Chapman recorded a season-best three aces while senior Courtney Thomas had a season-high two.
Maryland put up a big block to start the game, but couldn't hold off the Badger offense for long. Nelson and Thomas each tallied two kills in the next six points before Chapman served an ace to close a 4-0 UW run and bring the score to 6-2.
The Badgers kept a comfortable lead with their offensive strength, as Thompson batted back a free ball at the net to give Wisconsin a 10-4 advantage. UM tried to keep up with three kills in the next seven points, but the Terrapins began a set-long struggle to keep their serves in-bounds. After making their first three service errors of the match, the Terrapins trailed 17-10.
Wisconsin broke open the set late. Leading 19-12, four different Badgers put away kills in the next six points to earn the team's first set point at 24-14. A service error prevented UW from winning but Maryland committed its fifth service error to give the Badgers the win.
Wisconsin won the battle at the net during the first set, hitting .391 (14-5-23) and outblocking UM 2-1. Thomas led the team with five kills, hitting a perfect 1.000 (5-0-5). The Badgers also outdug Maryland 10-3, helping keep the Terrapins to a .095 (6-4-21) attack percentage.
The opponents alternated kills to start the second set until Chapman served an ace to give the Badgers a 3-2 lead. Both squads struggled with some early hitting errors as the score was knotted at 7-7. That was the last tie of the set, as Maryland made four consecutive attack errors to give the Badgers an 11-7 lead. Two kills and an ace stretched the UW lead to 18-12. Wisconsin closed the set with a 3-0 run on a kill by Bates and two Terrapin attack errors.
UW hit .357 (13-3-28) as Bates led the Badgers with four kills, while Carlini, Chapman and Nelson each added two. UM's attack percentage dropped to .000 (8-8-30), as the Badger defense outblocked and outdug the Terrapins 4-3 and 13-11, respectively.
In the third set, the Terrapins followed a kill with a service ace to create a 3-1 lead, it's largest of the match. A Nelson kill and Chapman ace put the Badgers up 4-3. Maryland led 7-6 behind two aces from Carlotta Oggioni but it would be the last lead UM would see, as two UW kills and two Terrapin attack errors sent Wisconsin on a 4-0 run that left the Badgers leading 10-7.
The Badgers led 17-14 before a 4-0 streak resulted in a 21-15 lead. Two Terrapin attack errors and a service error sent UW to a 24-17 match-point opportunity. Nelson saw her chance, sending a rocket to the floor to earn the Badgers the sweep.
Wisconsin hits the road on Wednesday to face Big Ten Conference travel partner Minnesota in a 6 p.m. match-up live on the Big Ten Network at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. The Golden Gophers come to Madison just three days later for the rematch on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Field House.
