Box Score
 
LINCOLN, Neb. – Despite winning the first two sets, the seventh-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team was unable to seal the deal against No. 8 Nebraska on the road. The Huskers (11-3 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) pulled away to win 22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-8 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Saturday night.
 
Outside hitter Kelli Bates proved to be invaluable for the Badgers (11-2, 2-2) once again, recording a match-high 20 kills with 10 digs to earn her fourth double-double of the season and the 26th of her career. Setter Sydney Hilley also netted a double-double tonight, the second of her career. The freshman tied her career high with 51 assists and added 10 digs.
 
UW hit a season low team hitting percentage at .194 (59 kills – 25 errors – 175 attempts) while Nebraska hit .193 (61-28-171).
 
The Badgers had five players with double digit digs. Libero Tiffany Clark paced UW with 17 digs, Sarah Dodd saved 11 balls, and M.E. Dodge, Bates and Hilley had 10 digs apiece.
 
Redshirt sophomore Madison Duello served a career-high three aces as Wisconsin out-aced Nebraska 6-3.
 
 

Notables

• Freshman Sydney Hilley earned the second double-double of her career. The setter tied her career high with 51 assists while also recording 10 digs.
• Nebraska was the first top-10 opponent Wisconsin has faced this season and recorded the second highest hitting percentage (.193) by an opponent this season.
• Senior Kelli Bates collected her fourth double-double of the season and the 26th of her career thanks to a season-high 20 kills while adding 10 digs.
• Sophomore Madison Duello set a career high with three service aces.
• The Badgers had a season-low team hitting percentage of .194 (59-25-175).
• UW outblocked Nebraska 11-10, the 11th opponent they have outblocked on the year.
• It marked the first match of the season with four players with 10-plus kills (Bates, Gillis, Rettke and Williams) and five players with 10-plus digs (Clark, Dodd, Bates, Hilley and Dodge).

 
 

Quotable

"In the third, our ball control kind of left us a little bit. We dug ourselves into a little bit of a hole but battled to get ourselves back into it. I like the way that we fought. Game four, that was just a great, great game. We were right there. We had a couple missed serves there that were maybe a little bit tough to pile on some points. We thought we were getting them out of system quite a bit and had some success.
 
"The fifth set I thought it was just a great experience for our kids. We'll learn. The bottom line is ball control is one of our strengths and we feel like we are one of the best passing teams in the country. I thought the game kind of got going a little bit. This place got loud and I don't think our kids responded real well with ball control.
 
"I thought Kelli (Bates) was great. The third set didn't really turn out the way she wanted it to there for most of it. She kind of struggled a little bit there in that third set but I'm real proud of the way that she responded and kind of climbed her way back out of that. She slowed things down and came back and finished pretty strong. I was real happy with the way that Kelli played tonight."
 
-Head coach Kelly Sheffield
 
 

It was over when

After winning the first two sets, Nebraska came out of the intermission firing on all cylinders to take the third. A back-and-forth fourth set went to the Huskers, forcing a fifth frame.
 
The fifth set started with Wisconsin and Nebraska trading points to tie the score at 5-5 before the Huskers went on a 6-1 scoring run thanks to five kills and a UW attack error. The Badgers were unable to regroup, dropping the set and ultimately the match. 

 

Up next

The Badgers return home for another top-10 clash against No. 3 Minnesota on Wednesday. The match will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and fans are encouraged to wear white.