Badgers win five-set frenzy

Saturday, October 15

Ann Arbor, MI

6 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

15-2, 7-1Big Ten

Michigan

16-4, 5-3Big Ten

Wisconsin

Michigan

October 15, 2016 | Volleyball

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Sheffield becomes fastest UW coach to 100 wins

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- After dropping its first Big Ten Conference match of the season on Wednesday, the top-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team rebounded to top No. 18 Michigan in five sets, 25-20, 25-18, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13 at a sold-out Cliff Keen Arena on Saturday.

The victory marks UW head coach Kelly Sheffield's 100th win during his four-year tenure with the Badgers, holding a record of 100-22 and becoming the fastest coach in program history to reach the milestone.

"The team started a chant for me down there and I had no idea what the heck they were talking about," Sheffield said. "It's a happy locker room and I'm so fired up for them, after (losing 3-0 to Minnesota) three days ago to just be gritty when we needed to, I'm really happy for them."

The Badgers (15-2 overall, 7-1 Big Ten) stormed to a 2-0 set lead, but had their hopes of a sweep dashed as the Wolverines (16-4, 5-3 Big Ten) rallied in the third and fourth sets to force a decisive fifth period.

Michigan led 8-7 as the teams switched sides, but the Badgers responded with a 5-0 run to come within three points of securing a victory, 12-8. The Wolverines bounced back to force a 13-13 tie point, but a bad set on Michigan's part and a kill from redshirt senior Romana Kriskova clinched the win, 15-13.

"That's the Big Ten," Sheffield said. "That's tough, you know, you're up 2-0 and then the other team comes charging and you kind of get shaken a little bit, they come back and win two. That's such a huge win. The kids are really fired up, they should be fired up."

Wisconsin hit a .286 (61 kills - 17 errors - 154 attempts) attack percentage through the five sets, as four UW players hit double-figure kills during the match. Freshman Molly Haggerty led the squad with 13 kills, while Kriskova and junior Lauryn Gillis each tallied 11 kills and senior Haleigh Nelson terminated 10.

Senior Lauren Carlini notched her 66th career double-double with 44 assists and 12 digs, as well as adding seven kills, three aces and a team-high five blocks. Junior Kelli Bates led the Badgers with a career-high 24 digs while sophomore Tionna Williams hit nine kills, adding four blocks.

Freshman Sarah Dodd tied a career-high two aces.

The Wolverines surged to a 6-3 lead in the first set, but the Badgers kept their composure and battled back to take a 14-12 lead on two consecutive kills from Haggerty. Michigan tied the set back up at 18-18, but Wisconsin finished off the period with a 7-2 run to secure the 1-0 set lead, 25-20.

The battle continued into set two, as the teams traded one-point leads until Wisconsin scored three unanswered points and forced a Michigan timeout at 14-10. The teams went 5-5 on the next 10 points, but Wisconsin's lead proved to be enough as it claimed the set, 25-18. Wisconsin hit a match-high .484 percent (16-1-31) in the second set.

Michigan wouldn't go down without a fight, however, hitting an opponent season-high six service aces, as well as out digging (66-59) and outblocking (10-8) the Badgers.

In set three, the Wolverines took a quick 13-5 lead, forcing a UW timeout. Wisconsin went on a 5-1 run to close the gap, 18-14, but a match-high seven errors hurt the Badgers as Michigan finished out the set, 25-17.

Michigan held the Badgers to a .094 (8-5-32) hitting percentage in set four, taking an early 7-1 advantage. Wisconsin rallied to come within four points (20-16) but the Wolverines held steady for a 25-20 win and tied the set score at 2-2.

The Badgers continue their stint on the road on Friday, traveling to face No. 2 Nebraska, the reigning NCAA champion, before battling Iowa on Saturday. First serve for the match in Lincoln is set for 8 p.m. (CT) while the game in Iowa City will start at 7 p.m. (CT).