Badgers win battle of unbeatens

Friday, September 1

Manhattan, KS

5:30 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

4-0

Arkansas

4-1

Arkansas

Wisconsin

Photo by: Greg Anderson

Badgers win battle of unbeatens

September 01, 2017 | Volleyball

Box Score Boxscore vs. Arkansas

UW sweeps Arkansas to improve to 4-0

MADISON, Wis. – In a battle of undefeated teams, the sixth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team came out on top, sweeping Arkansas on Saturday evening. The Badgers downed the Razorbacks 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 to improve to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in the K-State Invitational.

UW won the match on offense, hitting .415 (44 kills – 10 errors – 82 attempts) while Arkansas (4-1) hit .227 (39-17-97).

Senior Kelli Bates led the Badgers with a season high 15 kills. Redshirt sophomore Madison Duello added a career-best 11 kills. Razorback senior Pilar Victoria led all hitters with 21 kills.

UW outblocked the Razorbacks 10-5 with four blocks coming in the third set, including three in the last four points. Junior Tionna Williams and freshman Dana Rettke both had a match-high five blocks.

Wisconsin had only one service ace in the match but it came at match point by Bates.

Quotable

"We're down by a handful of points there at the end. I liked our demeanor, I liked our confidence. Certainly liked our execution there at the end. Kelli (Bates) going back there and putting some good serves in. And our block, (we were) defensively where we were supposed to be.

"We're only two weeks in but I'm constantly learning things about this group. What I'm learning is this morning, we were playing a match where we were blowing people out. I liked our demeanor there, I liked our business-like approach there even though we were up pretty big.

"Tonight we're down, one of the first times we've been down this year and we were down quite a bit, and the same demeanor. 'Let's go to work, next ball let's go to work.' Nobody's so high or so anxious or scared. That will be fun stuff to build on."

- Head coach Kelly Sheffield

It was over when

Wisconsin won the first set by an easy margin but trailed by three points several times in the second set. With freshman Grace Loberg at the service line, the Badgers went on a 6-0 run to take an 18-13 lead. A 5-1 run by the Razorbacks made it a one-point game (19-18) but that was as close as they would get.

In the third set, Wisconsin trailed by five points four times, including at 16-11. Two kills by Duello and a kill by Loberg made it 17-15. A block solo by Williams followed by a kill from Bates knotted the set at 18. The score was also tied at 19 and 20 before Arkansas took a 22-20 lead off two kills. Wisconsin would score the last five points behind three blocks and a service ace by Bates at match point.