MADISON, Wis. – The eighth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team blasted past Northwestern Friday night, sweeping them 25-13, 25-14, 25-15 in the UW Field House.
 
Wisconsin (12-3 overall, 5-2 B1G) hit an impressive .404 (46 kills - 6 errors - 99 attempts) in the match while Northwestern (10-9, 0-7) hit .138 (31-16-109). The Badgers were led by Grace Loberg and Dana Rettke who recorded 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Molly Haggerty added eight kills and hit a team-high .500 (8-0-16).
 
On defense, libero Tiffany Clark had a great night, leading all players with 21 digs to help UW hold a 53-42 advantages in the back court. Haggerty also had double-digit digs with 11 saves.
 
Behind the service line, UW aced the Wildcats eight times while not giving up a service ace. Haggerty and Sydney Hilley each tallied three aces in the match.
 
Rettke had a match-high five blocks as the Badgers out blocked Northwestern, 8-2.
 

Brought it.

Great night in the Field House!#RiseAsOne || #T274 || #BringIt pic.twitter.com/VcnNMaVfUr

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) October 13, 2018

 

Point Wisconsin!

S1 | Badgers came out flying in the first set to take an 8-1.
S2 | Kills from Loberg and Duello, a Hilley service ace and a Badger block highlighted a 5-0 run late in the second set to give UW a 20-10 lead.
S3 | Wisconsin's longest scoring run of the match came in the third set when UW scored seven straight off of four kills, two from Loberg and two from Hilley, and an ace from Haggerty.
 

Notes to know

• Junior Tiffany Clark went over 800 career digs, recording a three-set, season-high 21 saves.
• Redshirt sophomore Molly Haggerty recorded career kill No. 500.
• Wisconsin recorded a three-set season-highs in kills (46), assists (42), and digs (53).
• Individually, Sydney Hilley had a three-set, season-high 39 assists, Clark had a three-set, season-high 21 digs, and Grace Loberg took a three-set, season-high 34 attack attempts.
• The Badgers hit .404 (46 kills – 6 errors – 99 attempts) against the Wildcats, their second highest hitting percentage of the season.
• UW outserved Northwestern 8-0 in service aces, the first time the Badgers were not aced in a match this season.

Straight from the court

"I thought our back court did a really good job today. I thought we defended well and I thought Tiffany (Clark) was fantastic in the back digging. She had 21 digs. That is a lot of digs in a three-set match. I thought we handled the ball, passed well, defended well and played with a lot of discipline. Everybody that came in, I thought they made positive contributions, so that was certainly good to see."
 
-Head coach Kelly Sheffield
 
"I felt really good digging. I got in a rhythm in the first few sets and then I definitely think they started to hit away from me. I wanted them to hit to me more.
 
"One thing we talk about a lot is staying sharp and not letting us make all the errors. We know we are a great team when we don't make those errors and mistakes, so we need to continue to stay sharp, stay clean, and play Badger volleyball."
 
-Libero Tiffany Clark
 

Up next

Tomorrow night the Badgers face No. 7 Illinois at 7 p.m. in the UW Field House.
 
With Thanksgiving is right around the corner, families in Dane County need your help! Bring a box of stuffing or a monetary gift to the match to help provide a warm Thanksgiving meal to a neighbor in need. All proceeds benefit the Goodman Community Center's Thanksgiving Basket Drive that ensures over 3,500 families in need in Dane County have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Bring your box of stuffing and help us "STUFF" the Field House!
 
Fans can also stick around after the match to watch the remainder of the UW football game at Michigan on the video board.