MADISON, Wis. -- A well-balanced performance by the Wisconsin volleyball team propelled the No. 19 Badgers over Northwestern 25-20, 25-16, 25-19 on Sunday afternoon in the UW Field House.

Improved passing and stellar blocking moved the Badgers to 10-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. The win also extends Wisconsin's home Big Ten-winning streak to 11 matches.

"Attack errors are down a little bit more from where we've been this year," UW Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. "They've been a little bit higher this season than what we'd like them to be. I think we kept those under control a little bit. I think our blocking was an impact tonight. We got our hands on a lot of balls and we finished a lot of those blocks."

Coming off the heels of a big win over No. 7 Illinois at home on Wednesday night, the Badgers started the first set with the same intensity. The Badgers grabbed their biggest lead at 17-10 after a quick 5-0 run sparked by sharp hitting at the net. A strong Northwestern attack made things more difficult in the end of the set as the Wildcats scored two straight kills to cut the Badgers lead to 23-19. A kill by freshman Tionna Williams brought set point, but a service error extended the set before a Wildcat attack error sealed UW's set victory.

Wisconsin came out firing to start the second set as a total of six different Badgers recorded a kill before the first timeout. A head-turning kill by sophomore Kelli Bates forced the Northwestern timeout and put the Badgers up 13-9. Bates then kept things going with a kill followed by a service ace to lead a 4-0 Badger run to grab a 17-10 lead. Impressive Badger blocking slowed down the Wildcat attack throughout the entire set, and redshirt junior Romana Kriskova and junior Haleigh Nelson combined for the block to take a two-set advantage.

The Badgers looked eager to bring the match to a close in the third set, as a kill by Nelson sparked a dominant 6-0 Badger run to put Wisconsin up 8-3. Wildcat attack errors paired with accurate passing on the Badger side extended Wisconsin's lead to 14-7. Refusing to back down, Northwestern would cut the lead to four at 22-18. The Badger block once again proved to be the difference maker, as a block by Williams brought match point. A Wildcat block held off the first match before Williams hit down the line for the match winner.

Wisconsin outblocked Northwestern 12-4 behind six blocks each by Williams, Nelson and Kriskova. 

"I think our defense was also in the right spot, and a lot of that I credit to our blockers up in the front row," Bates said of the Badgers' presence at the net. "They line themselves up well and it makes it really easy on the backcourt, to be able to read where they were going to go."

Northwestern had the advantage in digs, however, as the Wildcats outdug the Badgers 48-43. Senior Taylor Morey led UW with 11 digs, followed by Bates with eight.

On offense, the balanced Badger attack had just 14 errors. Bates led all players with 12 kills, while Kriskova added nine. Williams and sophomore Lauryn Gillis tallied six kills apiece.

Junior Lauren Carlini recorded a match-high 32 assists and added one service ace, three kills and seven digs. 

Wisconsin notched four service aces with one apiece from Nelson, Bates, Carlini and freshman Amber MacDonald.

The Badgers return to action Friday to face Rutgers at 6 p.m. (CT) in New Brunswick, N.J.