Photo by: Greg Anderson
This week in Badger Volleyball
December 09, 2015 | Volleyball
Wisconsin travels to Austin for NCAA Regional play
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The No. 6-seed Badgers (26-6, 16-4 Big Ten) advance to their third straight NCAA Regional where they will take on 11th-seeded Florida (24-6, 13-5 SEC) in the Austin Regional semifinals at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas.
Wisconsin and the Gators serve off at 4:30 p.m. on Friday while No. 3-seed Texas (27-2, 15-1 Big 12) takes on 14th-seeded UCLA (25-7, 14-6 Pac-12) in the other semifinal on Friday at 7 p.m.
Semifinal winners advance to Saturday's regional final at 8 p.m. for the right to compete in the NCAA Championship on Dec. 17 and 19th at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
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LAST WEEK
The Badgers are 39-18 (.684) in their 19th year of NCAA tournament play after winning first and second-round matches last weekend. Wisconsin downed Oregon 3-1 on Thursday before sweeping Iowa State on Friday.
WIN STREAK AT 14
Wisconsin extended its winning streak to 14 matches with its first and second-round wins. It is UW's longest winning streak of the season and ranks second nationally among the longest current active winning streaks.
UW has lost only five sets during the win streak, including one in the NCAA first round against Oregon.
The Badgers won 22 straight matches during the 2014 season, setting a school record for consecutive matches won.
Current National Winning Streaks
1. Hawaii 23
2. Wisconsin 14
3. Washington 13
4. Nebraska 12
5. BYU 10
Creighton 10
YOUNG BADGERS
Wisconsin is the youngest team in the NCAA Austin Regional with nine freshmen or sophomores (64 percent) on its roster.
Team Fr-So/Team Pct.
Wisconsin 9/14 .643
Florida 8/15 .533
Texas 8/16 .500
UCLA 7/17 .412
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The Badgers are 8-4 against top-25 teams this season, tying for the fifth-most wins over ranked teams in program history. Wisconsin defeated a school record 12 ranked teams in 1998.
UW picked up wins over No. 18 North Carolina, No. 7 Illinois, Nov. 3 Nebraska, No. 17 Purdue, No. 25 Michigan, No. 18 Illinois and No. 16 Ohio State. Losses came at the hands of No. 1 Penn State, No. 12 Ohio State and No. 11 Minnesota (twice).
Wisconsin also defeated Louisville, now ranked 18th, and North Carolina, now ranked 23rd, while losing to Western Kentucky, now ranked 20th.
UW has the 17th toughest schedule in the nation this season, based on an NCAA ranking.
FOUR EARN ALL-REGION HONORS
Four Badgers were honored as part of the 2015 AVCA All-Northeast Region team. Senior Taylor Morey and juniors Lauren Carlini and Haleigh Nelson were All-Region selections while Tionna Williams was named the Regional Freshman of the Year.
Carlini earns her third straight all-region honor, becoming just the second Badger to earn three awards. Nelson and Morey are two-time honoree while Williams is the second regional freshman of the year, following Carlini who was honored in 2013. It also marks the sixth time in program history that UW has had three-or-more all-region selections.
NELSON MOVES INTO TIE FOR FIRST IN HITTING PERCENTAGE
Junior Haleigh Nelson moved into a tie for first in career hitting percentage at Wisconsin at .366. The 6-4 middle blocker has tied two-time first-team All-American Sherisa Livingston (1998-2001).
Nelson is hitting .422 this season, which will go down as the best season hitting percentage in UW history, topping Livingston's school record .402 set in 2001.
Nelson hit .318 as a freshman, .359 as a junior before improving to .422 this year.
On the UW career record lists, she also ranks seventh in blocks per set with 1.23, eight in block assists with 420 and she moved on to the top-10 list in total blocks with 458, ranking ninth.
CARLINI MOVES INTO FOURTH IN CAREER ASSISTS
Junior Lauren Carlini moved into fourth in career assists at UW with 4,099 helpers. She needs just eight assists to move into third, a position currently held by Liz Tortorello (1988-91) with 4,107 assists.
The 6-1 setter picked up career assist No. 4,000 at Purdue on Nov. 28, becoming the fifth UW setter and 42nd Big Ten setter to record 4,000 assists.
Carlini also became the 16th Badger to pick up 1,000 career digs, going over the mark with nine digs against Rutgers on Nov. 25. She has 1,028 digs in her career, which ranks 14th at Wisconsin.
She is just the second UW setter to record 4,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs, following Laura Abbinante (1993-96) with 5,833 assists and 1,246 digs.
On the UW career record list, Carlini also ranks fifth in assists per set (11.42), 10th in digs per set (2.86) and second with 55 double-doubles. She also played in her 100th career match against Iowa State last Friday, joining teammates Taylor Morey and Haleigh Nelson who played in their 100th matches on Nov. 22 vs. Ohio State.
MOREY COUNTING DOWN TO 2,000 DIGS
Senior Taylor Morey needs just 40 digs to record 2,000 for her career. She has 1,960 digs in her career after playing her freshman season at Notre Dame.
The 5-6 libero has 1,489 saves in her three seasons at Wisconsin, which ranks fifth. She needs 64 digs to move into fourth, currently held by Kim Kuzma (2007-10) with 1,553 saves. Morey also ranks fourth in digs per set at UW with 3.98.
BADGERS SET RECORD NUMBER FOR ATTENDANCE
Wisconsin drew a school record 85,774 fans during the 2015 season, breaking the old mark of 75,750 fans during the 2007 season. The Badgers had five sell outs of 6,012 and drew more than 4,200 fans to 15 of 17 homes matches this year.
The Badgers rank third nationally with 5,046 fans per match, which would rank second all time at UW. The school record is 5,050 spectators per match, set in 2007.
The attendance average went up to 5,492 for Big Ten matches, which ranks second all time. UW's record is 5,970, also set in 2007.
PLAYING GREAT BALL
During their 14-match winning streak, the Badgers have put up some impressive number on offense and defense compared to their opponents. 2015 UW Statistics
| WIS | Last 14 Matches | OPP |
| 14.72 | Kills per set | 11.40 |
| .294 | Hitting % | .150 |
| 14.00 | Assists per set | 10.83 |
| 1.06 | Service aces per set | 0.79 |
| 15.43 | Digs per set | 13.09 |
| 2.85 | Blocks per set | 2.09 |
CONNECTING ON OFFENSE
Wisconsin has hit .300 or better in four of its last five matches, including .337 (40K-7E-98TA) against Iowa State on Dec. 4. The Badgers had only three unforced hitting errors as the Cyclones had four blocks.
WILLIAMS, CARLINI SET CAREER BESTS IN BLOCKS
Freshman Tionna Williams and junior Lauren Carlini recorded career highs of eight and seven blocks, respectively, against Oregon on Dec. 3.
Williams' previous career high was seven blocks, set four other times this season, while Carlini's previous best was six blocks, set three times in her career.
Williams leads the Badgers with 145 total blocks or 1.36 per set. In the two NCAA matches, the 6-2 middle blocker is averaging a team-best 1.57 blocks per set.
Carlini, a 6-1 setter, ranks third on the Badgers with 0.85 blocks per set in all matches. In NCAA play, she is tied for second with 1.29 blocks per set.
DUELLO TIES CAREER HIGH IN SERVICE ACES
Freshman Madison Duello tied her career high with two service aces against Iowa State on Friday. The 6-3 outside hitter, who serves for Lauryn Gillis, had an ace in set two as the ball hit the tape and fell in. Duello also added an ace in the third set.
Duello has played in 28 matches and 73 sets this season. She has six service aces on the year, all coming in the last 12 matches.
WISCONSIN IN THE NATIONAL STATS
Wisconsin ranks 10th nationally with 13.65 assists per set, according to the NCAA stats released Dec. 5. UW is also 17th in kills per set (14.32), 19th in hitting percentage (.270), 21st in W/L percentage (.813) and 23rd in blocks per set (2.77). The Badgers rank in the top 30 in every categories except service aces and digs per set.
Individually, Lauren Carlini is seventh nationally with 11.92 assists per set. Haleigh Nelson is ninth in hitting percentage (.422) and 43rd in blocks per set (1.27). Tionna Williams is 28th in blocks per set (1.36). Taylor Morey ranks 88th in digs per set (4.54). National Statistics
CARLINI, BADGERS LEAD BIG TEN
Junior Lauren Carlini leads the Big Ten with 11.92 assists per set while the Badgers lead the league with 13.65 assists per set this season.
In Big Ten-only matches, UW led the conference in assists per set (13.56), opponents' kills per set (11.86) and opponent assists per set (11.33). Carlini also led the league with 11.99 assists in conference play while junior Haleigh Nelson had the top hitting percentage at .432. 2015 Big Ten Statistics
COUNTING DOWN
Three Badgers are counting down to career milestones.
- Junior Lauren Carlini is nine aces away from 100 scores.
- Junior Lauryn Gillis is just two kills away from 500 in her career.
- Senior Taylor Morey needs 11 digs for 1,500 saves at UW. She is also 40 away from 2,000 for her career.
I GOT THAT!
Two Badgers passed career milestones against Rutgers and Purdue last week.
- Junior Lauren Carlini played in her 100th career match against Iowa State on Friday.
- Junior Haleigh Nelson had 10 kills against Oregon on Thursday to reach 800 putaways for her career. She has 807 kills in her third season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Florida
The Gators (24-6, 13-5 SEC) have won three straight, including downing New Hampshire (3-0) and No. 19 Florida State (3-1) in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Junior Alex Holston, a 6-1 right-side hitter, leads the Gators with 3.25 kills per set. Sophomore Rhamat Alhassen, a 6-4 middle blocker, adds 3.07 kills per set while hitting a team-best .424. Senior Ziva Recek, a 6-0 outside hitter, chips in 2.76 kills per set and sophomore Carli Snyder, a 6-0 outside hitter, contributes 2.50 kills per set.
Senior Mackenzie Dagostino, a 5-10 setter, puts up 11.45 assists per set and leads Florida with 29 service aces (0.28/set).
Senior Nikki O'Rourke, a 5-6 libero, has a team-best 4.30 digs per set while Dagostino adds 2.42 digs per set.
Alhassan has a team-best and ranks second nationally with 1.64 blocks per set.
vs. Florida
Florida leads 4-0
Neutral: Florida leads 1-0
Last Meeting: The Gators swept the Badgers on Sept. 2, 2000, in Gainesville.
Texas
The Longhorns (27-2, 15-1 Big 12) have won nine straight, including sweeping Fairfield and downing No. 17 Purdue 3-1 in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Texas' only losses this season have come to Florida on Sept. 5 and TCU on Oct. 28.
Senior Amy Neal, a 5-9 outside hitter, leads the Horns with 4.29 kills per set. Junior Paulina Prieto Cerame, a 6-2 outside hitter, adds 2.98 kills per set. Junior Chiaka Ogbogu, a 6-2 middle blocker, adds 2.80 kills per set while leading the team with 1.24 blocks per set and a .406 hitting percentage. Senior Molly McCage, a 6-3 middle blocker, adds 2.10 kills and 0.99 blocks per set.
Junior Chloe Collins, a 5-7 setter, puts up 11.29 assists per set.
Sophomore Cat McCoy, a 5-7 libero, has a team-best 4.12 digs per set while Neal adds 2.31 digs per set. Neal also has a team best 46 service aces (0.46/set).
at Texas
Texas leads 4-2
In Austin: Texas leads 3-0
Last Meeting: The Badgers downed the Longhorns 3-1 in the NCAA National Semifinals in Seattle on Dec. 19, 2013.
UCLA
The Bruins (25-7, 14-6 Pac-12) opened NCAA play with a 3-0 win over Lipscomb before edging Michigan, 3-2, in the second round.
Junior Jordan Anderson, a 6-0 outside hitter, leads UCLA with 4.39 kills per set. Sophomore Reily Buechler, a 6-1 outside hitter, adds 3.41 kills per set while redshirt sophomore Jessyka Ngauamo, a 5-11 outside hitter, chips in 2.72 kills per set. Junior Claire Felix, a 6-6 middle blocker, has a team-best .380 hitting percentage while putting down 2.03 kills per set.
The Bruins run a 6-2 offense. Zana Muno, a 5-10 freshman, puts up 10.10 assists per set while Ryann Chadler, a 5-9 redshirt sophomore, adds 9.73 assists per set.
Junior Taylor Formico, a 5-7 libero, has a team-best 4.51 digs per set while Muno adds 3.27 digs per set.
Junior Jennie Frager, a 6-5 middle blocker, leads the Bruins with 1.09 blocks per set while Felix adds 0.97 blocks per set.
vs. UCLA
Neutral: UCLA leads 1-0
Last Meeting: The Badgers swept the Bruins 3-0 in Madison on Sept. 18, 2005.
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