Box Score

Wisconsin Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Kent State
September 11, 2015
UW Fieldhouse - Madison, Wis.

Kelly Sheffield
On his opening statement:
"First of all, this is a special weekend getting so many of the alums back in here, the coaches that were able to bring their teams here, and everybody that came here tonight. We hope that they're all having a good time. It makes it a little bit more fun to win when you've got that many people coming back. I thought Kent State did a masterful job at serving and really keeping us off balance. We really struggled for a good portion of the night. That was a struggle. We got a nice little run at the end of game two, but other than that when two servers went back and picked up some point for us in game two, but other than that, most of the match was a struggle. I thought they just did a really good job of keeping us off balance and putting some really tough serves in. With that said, it was kind of a weird match. Offensively, we were pretty strong there for the first. I don't think anybody really played any defense the first game. We were really having a tough time blocking. I think we got a little bit better as the match went on with our timing and getting our hands over the net. Offensively, we had a low hitting percentage in game two, but I think Lauryn Gillis had two or three hitting errors that missed by centimeters or something, or else that percentage would've been a little bit higher. There are some things to take from this match and some things that we've got to expose and go back and watch some film and figure out how to get better."

On if he learned more tonight than he did last night:
"I don't know if it's more or less… we have to get better. We played pretty well last night, but still when we go back and watch the film, we've got to get this figured out before somebody else sees it. It's always like that. It's kind of the fun of competition. I know these two (Lauren Carlini and Haleigh Nelson) would be the first ones to say that. They go and hunt for things to get better. I'm sure they like watching highlight videos of themselves, but they're also two people that like to figure out things and fix things, so it's what gets you excited. Looking back as you're progressing through a season and saying, man, remember when that gave us issues and we got these things figured out. So, yeah, we've got some things that we've got to figure out, and once we do, that'll be fun."

Lauren Carlini
On if she sees progress from yesterday to today:
"Absolutely. Every game, our goal is to get a little bit better, whether it's blocking, passing or attacking. I think my connections with hitters are getting a lot better. There's still some things we need to go back in the gym and work on, especially my connection with the outsides, but When Tionna Williams gets in there, she's been dominating. Tori Blake had a great game today. Haleigh Nelson hit a cool .474, so connections are getting better every week and I'm learning my hitters as I'm going."

On the atmosphere of having all of the past UW Volleyball players at the game tonight:
"I just think it's super cool to see all of the past players out on that court before we came on in game three and seeing all of them together. It really shows how much history Wisconsin Volleyball has. We take a lot of pride in that as a program and as current players. I think it's an honor to be playing in front of them and hopefully they had a great time watching our match."

On if it's hard to mix it up when she's attempting so many assists:
"One of the biggest things that we focus on is sticking to the game plan. There's kind of a happy medium between sticking to the game plan and realizing what their tendencies are and what's changing as the match is going on. Being able to recognize that and distribute the ball accordingl. It gets a little difficult sometimes, but I have teammates and coaches helping me out with it, so I don't feel alone or by myself when I'm trying to figure things like that out."

Haleigh Nelson
On her four aces of the night:
"Something I've really been working on is being consistently aggressive with my serve, and this weekend I really wanted to do that. That was the number one thing I wanted to focus on going into these two matches. Yesterday, I didn't really get that much of an opportunity to serve, so today I really wanted to do the best with the opportunities that I was given, so I just decided to have fun with it and move the ball around all over the court and just go."

On if the runs create a demoralizing effect for the other team:
"It really stinks to be aced, so I'm sure they're a little bit demoralized. I think it focuses more on the confidence that our side gets. Yesterday, Taylor Morey went on a service run, but it really brings the team together because they're all rooting for the person behind the service line because that's what keeps the points coming. I don't really know if anyone really pays much attention to what's happening to the other team, but on our side, we definitely get bigger and play bigger."