 | | |  | 4 Wisconsin 3, Ball State 0
HotelRED Invitational
UW Field House • Madison, Wis. • Attendance: 4,167
Box Score | Box Score  | Quotes |  | |
| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Ball State
| 11 | 17 | 20 | -- | -- | Wisconsin
| 25 | 25 | 25 | -- | -- | | Stats Leaders
| | BSU | | WIS | | Hopkins - 7 | Kills | Chapman - 12 | | Spadafora - 22 | Assists | Carlini - 35 | | Hopkins - .5000 | Hit %
| Thomas - .533 | | Fuelling - 14 | Digs | Morey - 15 | | Spadafora, Kitchel - 2 | Blocks | Nelson - 4 | | Spadafora - 3 | Aces | Workman - 2 | | Stats Comparison
| BSU | WIS | | Kills | 26 | 46 | | Hitting Pct. | .082 | .336 | | Assists | 26 | 40 | | Service Aces | 6 | 7 | | Digs | 42 | 47 | | Total Blocks | 5 | 7 | | |
Sept. 13, 2014
MADISON, Wis. -- The fourth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team sent Ball State home in a hurry Saturday night as the Badgers swept the Cardinals 25-11, 25-17, 25-20 in the final round of the HotelRED Invitational at the UW Field House.
The victory followed two Wisconsin wins over Miami and Missouri State earlier in the tournament, awarding the Badgers the HotelRED Invitational championship and keeping them undefeated on the season at 8-0.
| Fast Facts | | • UW takes home its 20th HotelRED Invitational title | | • HotelRED Invitational attendance record is broken with 4,167 fans | | • Wisconsin improves to 8-0 | |
The Badgers served up a storm, with six different players contributing to the team's seven aces. Wisconsin recorded 20 more kills than the Cardinals, hitting a .336 (46 kills - 10 errors - 107 attempts) attack percentage while BSU hit just .082 (26-18-97).
Wisconsin came out aggressive on both the offensive and defensive fronts in the first set, marking a .294 (14-4-34) attack percentage and five blocks in the 25-11 win. After dropping the first point of the period, senior Ellen Chapman led the Badgers on a 7-0 run with three kills to create a comfortable lead.
UW stayed consistent, retaliating against every BSU point with multiple tallies. Wisconsin lost its first set-point opportunity to a service error, but senior Julie Mikaelsen shot a line drive through the Cardinals' defense on the next play to award the Badgers the 25-11 win.
Ball State upped the intensity in the second period, taking an early 7-4 advantage off two service aces by Jenna Spadafora and another by Hayley Benson. But the Badgers kept the score close, until two hard strikes by senior Courtney Thomas and a tough Badger block gave UW a 19-15 lead.
BSU had few opportunities to score before senior Kt Kvas sent a rocket over the net, recording her first service ace of the season and earning Wisconsin the 25-17 victory. Thomas tallied six of Wisconsin's 15 kills in the second set, as UW's two blocks and 12 digs helped keep the Cardinals to a .133 (10-6-30) hitting percentage.
The Badgers grabbed the lead quickly in the third set on a 6-0 opening as Chapman sent three more kills to the floor. Senior Caroline Workman entered the match at 9-2 and served three consecutive points, putting up her first two aces of the season and matching her career-high ace total.
Redshirt freshman Taylor Fricano and junior Erin Juley checked in for the Badgers just a few points before Fricano put away her second kill of the season to give UW a 19-12 lead. Juley served up her first ace of the season on the next point to extend the Badgers' lead to eight (20-12). It took UW just one match-point attempt before the Cardinals sent the ball into the net, granting Wisconsin the 25-20 victory.
UW outblocked BSU 7-5 and had three players put up double-figure digs in a balanced defensive effort. Sophomore Haleigh Nelson contributed four blocks as junior Taylor Morey led the team with 15 digs. Freshman Kelli Bates added 11 saves, while sophomore Lauren Carlini recorded her second double-double of the tournament with 10 digs and 35 assists.
