MADISON, Wis. -- A sellout crowd of 6,012 was treated to a "legendary" match on Friday afternoon, as the third-seeded Wisconsin women's volleyball team came from behind to down Ohio State, 3-2, in the NCAA Regional semifinals. In the third meeting between the two teams this season, the Badgers edged the Buckeyes 25-15, 22-25, 29-31, 25-22-15-13 in the UW Field House.

"Wow," UW head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "So many wow things. Wow for the fans for packing the Field House and really, really, when we needed them and how loud they were. A lot of people called in sick or skipped work or class or whatever to get in here. I'm not sure we'd do that without the fans and how they were. So that was incredible.

"Wow to Geoff and his staff and Ohio State. It was a legendary match there. You really couldn't get much closer than that those last four sets. He had his team believing and fighting. You know, those guys were just making -- there were so many plays on their side."

After coming back from a 19-14 deficit in the fourth to force a final decisive fifth set, the Badgers (28-4) came out firing on all cylinders to take a quick 6-3 advantage and force OSU (22-13) to use its first timeout of the period. The Buckeyes tied the set up at seven apiece, but Wisconsin took the next three points to lead 10-7, forcing another Ohio State time out.

"When those big moments come down to it at the end of the wire," senior Lauren Carlini said, "at the end of games, that's when we're the strongest, when we're connecting, looking each other in the eyes, and knowing we have each other's backs. That chemistry is really what pulled us through the game, honestly. I think fourth and fifth set, battling so hard in that environment, that is what successful teams do. That is what our team has been doing is just creating that chemistry and building on it."

The teams split the next six points for a 12-9 Badger lead, but a 2-0 run by the Buckeyes prompted the UW to take a pause and regroup. OSU committed a service error coming out of the timeout, giving UW a 14-12 advantage and its first match point but a kill from Ohio State's Taylor Hughes held off a celebration. A kill from senior Haleigh Nelson finished off the set, 15-13, to send the Badgers to the regional finals.

Wisconsin hit .225 percent (69 kills - 29 errors - 178 attempts) through the match with four Badgers hitting double-figure kills. Freshman Molly Haggerty terminated 22 kills, adding 14 digs for her ninth career double-double, followed by junior Lauryn Gillis with 15 kills. Nelson put away 14 kills and a match-high .400 hitting percentage (14-4-25) and sophomore Tionna Williams rounded out the hitters with 11 kills.

Carlini delivered 62 assists, tying her career-high, and saved a team-high 16 digs. Carlini led the match with three service aces, followed by Haggerty with a pair of aces.

The Badger defense held OSU to hitting .185 percent (65-32-178), out digging the Buckeyes 72-66. Junior Kelli Bates recorded 13 digs on the afternoon while sophomore Amber MacDonald saved 11 digs and served up one ace.

Two Badgers tied their career-high blocks, as Williams led Wisconsin with eight and Carlini stuffed seven blocks. Nelson recorded two solo blocks and four block assists while redshirt senior Romana Kriskova closed out the defense with two blocks.

Wisconsin opened the match strong, forcing a Buckeyes timeout with a 6-1 lead in the first set. Ohio State responded with a 3-0 run, but the UW offense surged back on a 13-1 run to lead 19-7. The teams traded short runs to finish out the set, with the Buckeyes making a late 5-1 streak, but the Badgers held strong for the 25-15 win and a 1-0 set lead.

OSU recovered to claim the next two sets, winning 25-22 and 31-29.

In the second set, Ohio State ran out to a 13-8 lead after recording nine kills and an ace. Wisconsin closed in after a timeout, cutting the lead to 16-13, but the Buckeyes kept the lead with consistent hitting and tied the match up at one all.

The third set proved to be a period of runs that saw 15 tie points and three lead changes. The Buckeyes went on a 10-2 run, leading the set 14-9, before Wisconsin took off with seven unanswered points to take a 16-14 lead. The Badgers served for set point twice in the third period, first time at 24-23 and the second time at 25-24 as the Buckeyes battled back both times. Wisconsin held off four set points for Ohio State before an OSU block gave the Buckeyes at 2-1 lead in the match.

Much like the previous set, the fourth began in a battle for points. A 5-1 run finally gave Ohio State a 10-6 lead, forcing a Wisconsin timeout. The Buckeyes kept the Badgers at a four-point deficit, forcing another timeout at 16-12, then outscored UW 3-2 for a 19-14 advantage.

"[Nelson] really got into the team in a way that, you know, captains and leaders do," Sheffield said of Nelson leading a huddle between points. "The strength and the confidence and how she communicated is exactly what our team needed, and the team followed her. So proud of how far she has come to demand at the biggest time, and everybody gave her full attention and responded appropriately."

"I don't even remember exactly what I said," Nelson explained. "Just the road wasn't going to end for us tonight there. This wasn't going to be the last match that I played with these people that I love so much. I just wanted them to know that and that we were going to take the momentum back and we were going to win that match, whether it was going to take us diving into the stands, whatever it was going to take. I knew we were going to come back. 

"And I just wanted my teammates to know that I believe in each and every one of them."

Behind the serve of MacDonald and the defense of Bates, Wisconsin scored six unanswered points to gain its first lead of the set, 20-19. Ohio State rallied to tie the score at 20 and again at 21. A block by Carlini and Williams put the Badgers up for good and force a five-set thriller.

"So proud of our team for fighting," Sheffield said. "It's a match that obviously could have gone either way, but when our back was against the wall, I thought we responded with strength and unity and confidence and execution. Those are things we've talked about all year long. I'm so glad I get at least one more day with these guys."

Wisconsin hits the court again Saturday, taking on  No. 6 Stanford, a 3-1 winner in Friday's other regional semifinal. The match at the UW Field House is set to begin at 5 p.m., live on ESPNU. The match is already sold out.