Box Score  | | | | | 12 Ohio State 3, 16 Wisconsin 2
St. John Arena • Columbus, Ohio • Attendance: 2,569 Box Score | Box Score  | | |
| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | | Wisconsin | 17 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 11 | | Ohio State | 25 | 18 | 25 | 21 | 15 | | Stats Leaders
| | WIS | | OSU | | Bates - 13 | Kills | Sandbothe - 20 | | Carlini - 50 | Assists | Hughes - 51 | | Williams - .350 | Hit %
| Sandbothe - .472 | | Morey - 20 | Digs | Campbell - 14 | | Williams - 5 | Blocks | Sandbothe - 8 | | Gillis, Nelson - 1 | Aces | Campbell - 3 | | Stats Comparison
| WIS | OSU | | Kills | 58 | 62 | | Hitting Pct. | .201 | .250 | | Assists | 57 | 57 | | Service Aces | 2 | 7 | | Digs | 66 | 60 | | Total Blocks | 8 | 15 | | |
Sept. 27, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The last time the Wisconsin volleyball team faced Ohio State, the Badgers survived a five-set thriller in last season's NCAA Sweet 16 to keep their tournament run alive. The roles were reversed this time around as UW fell to the No. 12 Buckeyes, 25-17, 18-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-11, on Sunday afternoon in St. John Arena.
For the first time since 2010, the No. 16 and reigning Big Ten champion Badgers (8-4 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) have lost two straight matches to open the conference season.
"The one thing I'm really happy with is that I though we battled more than we have in any match this year," UW head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "It might have looked a little sloppy at times, certainly in game one, but when they come in during the timeouts and you look them in the eye, you just see how they're playing and their fighting spirit is starting to get where I'm wanting it to go. Now if you can mesh that spirit along with some confidence, that's the trick."
After splitting the first four sets, Ohio State came out firing in the final set to grab a quick 7-2 lead. A Bates kill sparked a 3-0 Badger run to bring it to 9-7 and force a Buckeye timeout, but Ohio State responded with a kill to prevent the Badgers from gaining much-needed momentum. Junior Haleigh Nelson recorded five kills in the fifth set alone, including one crucial kill to bring the Badgers within reach at 12-10. Two Badger attack errors then brought match point, but a Williams kill kept the Badgers alive for one more point until the Buckeyes ended it with a kill.
Wisconsin hit .201 (58 kills - 27 errors - 154 total attempts) for the match while Ohio State hit .250 (62-23-156), but Ohio State's 15 blocks compared to Wisconsin's eight proved to be the game-deciding factor.
"When you look at past matches with us and Ohio State, these hitting percentages are actually pretty high," Sheffield said. "These are two teams that usually defend really, really hard. It wasn't a lights-out offensive performance by any means, but you know what you're going to get when you're playing against Ohio State."
Both teams came ready to play to start the match and a balanced attack on both sides made every point a battle. A kill by redshirt junior Romana Kriskova tied it at 13, but an ensuing 4-0 Ohio State run forced a Wisconsin timeout. Back-to-back kills by Kriskova and sophomore Lauryn Gillis brought Wisconsin within reach at 18-15, but the Buckeyes stopped the mounting Badger momentum by calling a timeout. A 5-0 Buckeye run proved to be too much for Wisconsin to overcome as attack errors plagued the Badgers in the end of the set.
The Badgers opened the second set with renewed energy to take a quick 7-2 lead. Ohio State refused to back down, however, and tied it at 12 thanks to strong blocking. With Wisconsin leading 19-16, OSU took a timeout, but the Badgers couldn't be slowed as a service ace by junior Haleigh Nelson sparked a 6-2 run to seal the set victory.
To start the third set, the Buckeyes clawed their way to a 13-9 lead behind a stingy defense. Despite improved play on offense led by sophomore Kelli Bates and freshman Tionna Williams, the Buckeyes answered every Badger point with an impressive play of their own to keep the lead. A kill by Kriskova extended set point, but the Buckeyes closed the set with a kill to take a 2-1 lead.
With the match on the line, both teams gave it their all throughout the fourth set. Two straight kills by Gillis put the Badgers up 13-9, but Ohio State roared back to tie it at 16. After Nelson and Bates combined for the block to put Wisconsin up 20-17, Ohio State called a timeout but the sophomore duo of Gillis and Bates couldn't be stopped. At set point, Kriskova closed it with a statement-making kill to bring on the fifth set.
Bates led the Badgers with 13 kills, followed by Gillis, Nelson and Kriskova with 11 each. Junior Lauren Carlini tallied 50 assists and added three kills.
Senior Taylor Morey guided the defense with a match-high 20 digs, marking the third time this season she has tallied 20 or more digs. Three Badgers recorded double-doubles as Carlini totaled 13 digs, while Gillis and Bates each tallied 11.
Williams led with five blocks, followed by Bates and Nelson with three.
Next up, the Badgers return to the UW Field House to face No. 9 Illinois on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. (CT).
