Lauryn Gillis
Greg Anderson
0
San Diego USD 1-2
3
Winner Wisconsin WIS 4-0
San Diego USD
1-2
0
Final
3
Wisconsin WIS
4-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
San Diego USD 15 16 20 (0)
Wisconsin WIS 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Badgers freeze out Toreros

Wisconsin sweeps San Diego in HotelRED opener

MADISON, Wis. -- A point-for-point battle in the third set wasn't enough to derail the second-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team as it swept No. 18 University of San Diego in the opening match of the HotelRED Invitational on Friday night. 

The Badgers gave the sellout crowd of 6,012 a show, topping the Toreros (1-2) 25-15, 25-16, 25-20 to improve to 4-0 on the season.

"We knew we were playing a team tonight that is awfully good defensively," UW head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "When you watch them on film, their bodies are flying all over the place. They are covering their attackers really, really well. 

"That was something that we went into the match emphasizing on our end is can we be a more defensive-minded team than a team that was really good at the defense? Be grittier than a team that we felt was really gritty."

Junior Lauryn Gillis led the UW offense, recording 11 kills and adding six digs. Freshman Molly Haggerty added eight kills while redshirt senior Romana Kriskova tabbed seven of her own, along with four blocks. All five starting hitters recorded five-or-more kills.

Senior Lauren Carlini, the reigning co-Big Ten Setter of the Week, paced the team with 28 assists.

"Tonight I thought Romana really kind of set the tone early with some blocks on probably their best attacker and everybody else kind of followed suit," Sheffield explained. "I thought we were strong up there at the net and getting across and finishing our blocks rather than just being soft with our blocks. We were physical at the net.

"You hold a really good team, that is very, very balanced, to the hitting percentage that we held them to is a pretty good defensive effort."

Wisconsin held USD to a .009 hitting percentage (29 kills - 28 errors - 111 attempts) for the match after forcing the Toreros into negative percentage in the first two sets.

Senior Haleigh Nelson led the Badger charge with seven blocks while sophomore Tionna Williams added six blocks. Haggerty had a career-high five stuffs while UW's frontline all finished with at least two blocks.

The Badgers also out-dug San Diego, 45-41, achieving a goal the team had set for themselves coming into the match.

"That was our big goal in this game," Gillis said. "It was good we came out of that with a win and knowing that we put that work in and do what we needed to do and it paid off. That is kind of why we won."

Senior Kelli Bates recorded her fourth-straight game in double-figure digs, notching 12 saves. 

UW began the night with a 4-1 lead in the first set on two blocks from Nelson, but the Toreros traded points to stay within three points of Wisconsin, including at 16-13, until late in the set. Gillis' third kill of the set left the Toreros watching the ball hit the hardwood as Wisconsin took a 22-14 lead, forcing San Diego to take a timeout to regroup. A block and a kill by Nelson gave the Badgers the 1-0 set lead.

The Badgers kept the ball rolling into the second set, taking an immediate 4-0 lead. Five straight serves from Nelson gave Wisconsin the 10-5 lead before the teams began trading points to keep the lead at five points. Back-to-back kills from Haggerty forced another USD timeout at 22-15, but the Badgers kept the momentum to win the set and take a 2-0 lead.

The Toreros grabbed the first two points of the final set before Gillis put on a hitting clinic, sending six kills to the floor and adding three blocks in the frame, as the Badgers led 11-9. Nelson, Gillis and Carlini combined to helped the Badgers make a 5-0 run, widening the lead 16-9, but San Diego started picking up points to keep the match within reach.

"It is extremely frustrating whenever you are hitting those really great shots and all of a sudden the libero is picking that up," Gillis said. "That is just part of the game. You have to see where she was, and where she picked that ball up and you know that she can't be at two places at one time, so you go to the other spot where she is not. It makes the game more fun. You have to think more throughout it and it is just more challenging, but it is a lot more fun."

A service ace and UW attack error brought the Toreros within four points (24-20) of Wisconsin, but Gillis found a gap and put away a kill as the Badgers swept their home-opener.

The HotelRED Invitational continues Saturday with San Diego facing Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi at 4 p.m. at the UW Field House. The Badgers return to the court on Sunday, facing the Islanders at 1 p.m.
Print Friendly Version