NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Not even a rain delay could slow the Wisconsin volleyball team as the No. 16 Badgers swept Rutgers 25-15, 25-15, 25-11 on Friday night in the College Avenue Gym.

After a leak on the court delayed the match by one hour and nearly forced a postponement, the Badgers (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten) made quick work of the Scarlet Knights in an all-around performance by UW.

"The message is to keep getting better," UW Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. "We're playing a Big Ten opponent and we saw last year when we came in here what can happen. I was happy with our kids because there were a lot of distractions here, and sitting around the hotel the whole day and then sitting around here for what felt like three hours before we got the match going was tough."

The Badgers hit .395 (36 kills - 4 errors - 81 total attempts), while Rutgers managed to hit just .031 (28-25-97). 

"Probably the number that jumps out at me the most is four attack errors," Sheffield said. "From an offensive standpoint, we played pretty clean and I think we're doing a much better job with that these past few weeks." 

Sophomore Kelli Bates and junior Haleigh Nelson started things off on a high note by notching back-to-back kills. Following the kills, the Badgers never looked back as the balanced attack proved to be too much for the Scarlet Knights. A Rutgers attack error sparked a 6-1 Badger run capped by one kill apiece from Bates and junior Lauren Carlini to close the set.

While the offense continued to impress, it was the Badger defense that stole the spotlight in the second set as UW outblocked Rutgers 5-0. Led by freshman Tionna Williams, the Badgers shut down any hope of a Rutgers resurgence. To begin the set, the Badgers capitalized off Scarlet Knight errors to grab a comfortable 11-5 lead. A Bates service ace forced the Rutgers timeout at 19-10, but the break in momentum couldn't stop the Badgers. At set point, an attack error by Williams extended the set, but Williams immediately retaliated with a kill to give the Badgers a two-set advantage.

With three kills by Bates in the first four points, the Badgers made a statement to start the final start. After maintaining a slight lead over the Scarlet Knights, redshirt junior Romana Kriskova stepped in to tally a kill and spark a 6-0 Badger run to put UW up 12-5.

The Badgers weren't done yet, however, and a kill by Carlini sparked yet another 6-0 Badger run that included three straight service aces by senior Taylor Morey. To complete the sweep, freshman Madison Duello fired off a kill to bring match point, but a Rutgers kill kept the Scarlet Knights alive. Capping off one of her most impressive matches as a Badger yet, Williams sealed the victory with a kill.

Sophomores Lauryn Gillis and Bates led with eight kills apiece, followed by Nelson and Williams with six each.

The Badgers recorded a season-high seven service aces. Morey led with three to tie her career high, followed by Nelson with two and Bates and freshman Amber MacDonald with one apiece.

UW outblocked Rutgers 11-1, but Rutgers had a 37-36 advantage in digs. Williams, the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, fell just short of her career high with six blocks.

MacDonald recorded 10 digs, while Morey added nine.

Carlini recorded a match-high 31 assists and chipped in three kills and three blocks. 

The Badgers face Maryland tomorrow at 6 p.m. (CT) in College Park, Maryland, to conclude their weekend on the east coast.