Rettke, Hilley, Duello named All-Big Ten

MADISON, Wis. – The sixth-seeded Wisconsin volleyball team landed three players on the 2018 All-Big Ten Conference first team, the league office announced on Wednesday.

Sophomore Dana Rettke was a unanimous pick to the team, earning her second-straight honor. Sophomore Sydney Hilley earns her first award after earning All-Freshman honors in 2017. Redshirt junior Madison Duello also becomes a first-time recipient. Senior Tionna Williams was recognized as the team's Sportsmanship Award winner.

Rettke currently leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with a hitting percentage of .422. The 6-foot-8 middle blocker also leads the conference and ranks seventh nationally with 1.54 blocks per set while ranking sixth in the league with 3.79 kills per set. Rettke was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Week on Oct. 22 and the Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 22 and Nov. 5.

The Riverside, Illinois, native has led the Badgers in kills in a team-best 18 matches this season and in blocks in a team-best 20 matches. She has recorded double-figure kills in 22 matches this season, including 20-plus kills in three matches. Rettke tallied a career-high 30 kills in only four sets vs. Minnesota on Oct. 31. The 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the year, Rettke also has double-figure blocks in three matches this season, tallying three double-doubles. She had a career-high 11 blocks at Penn State on Nov. 24.

A 6-foot setter, Hilley leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the nation with 11.93 assists per set. She has registered more than 50 assists in eight matches this season, including a career-high 61 assists at Penn State on Nov. 24. Hilley was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week three times in 2018 and was also named the Player of the Week on Nov. 19.

The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, native also adds 2.32 digs per set, which ranks third on the team. Hilley has a team-best 13 double-doubles this season. She also ranks second on the team with 28 service aces (0.27 per set) while adding 0.61 kills and 0.67 blocks per set.

Duello is one of the most improved players in the Big Ten this season. The 6-foot-3 right-side hitter ranks second on UW this year with 2.80 kills per set, an improvement of 0.85 per set. She also upped her hitting percentage from .268 in 2017 to .301 in 2018, an increase of .033 points.

The Kansas City, Missouri, native has recorded double-figure kills in 14 matches this season, including a career-high 24 kills at Penn State on Nov. 24. Duello also ranks fourth on the Badgers with 17 service aces (0.17/set) while adding 0.92 digs and 0.74 blocks per set.

This is the ninth time that the Badgers have had at least threefirst-team All-Big Ten picks in program history, including most recently in 2016. The UW record is four first-team selections in 1997.

For the sixth-straight season and for the 22nd time in program history, Wisconsin earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Badgers were selected as the No. 6 seed in the 2018 championship bracket and will host first and second rounds in the UW Field House on Thursday and Friday.

Wisconsin (22-6) faces Green Bay (20-10) in the first round on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Northern Iowa (24-9) serves off against Pepperdine (21-8) in the opening first-round match at 5 p.m.

First-round winners match up on Friday at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to regional play.

2018 Big Ten Volleyball All-Big Ten Honorees

First Team
Ali Bastianelli, Sr, MB, Illinois
Jordyn Poulter, Sr, S, Illinois
Jacqueline Quade, Jr, OH, Illinois
Erika Pritchard, So, OH, Maryland
Carly Skjodt, Sr, OH, Michigan
Regan Pittman, So, MB, Minnesota
Stephanie Samedy, So, RS, Minnesota
Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Sr, S, Minnesota
Mikaela Foecke, Sr, OH, Nebraska
Kenzie Maloney, Sr, L, Nebraska
Lauren Stivrins, So, MB, Nebraska
Jonni Parker, Fr, RS, Penn State
Kendall White, Jr, L, Penn State
Sherridan Atkinson, Sr, OH, Purdue
Blake Mohler, Jr, MB, Purdue
Madison Duello, Jr, RS, Wisconsin
Sydney Hilley, So, S, Wisconsin
Dana Rettke, So, MB, Wisconsin

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS

Second Team
Ashlyn Fleming, Jr, MB, Illinois
Deyshia Lofton, Jr, MB, Indiana
Taylor Louis, Sr, OH, Iowa
Jenna Lerg, Sr, L, Michigan
Alexis Hart, Jr, OH, Minnesota
Taylor Morgan, Jr, MB, Minnesota
Adanna Rollins, Fr, OH, Minnesota
Kaitlyn Hord, Fr, MB, Penn State
Bryanna Weiskircher, Sr, S, Penn State

All-Freshman Team
Paige Jones, OH, Michigan
CC McGraw, L, Minnesota
Adanna Rollins, OH, Minnesota
Nicklin Hames, S, Nebraska
Callie Schwarzenbach, MB, Nebraska
Kaitlyn Hord, MB, Penn State
Jonni Parker, Penn State

Player of the Year: Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota
Defensive Player of the Year: Kendall White, Penn State
Co-Setter of the Year: Jordyn Poulter, Illinois
Co-Setter of the Year: Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota
Freshman of the Year: Jonni Parker, Penn State
Coach of the Year (Coaches): Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota
Coach of the Year (Media): Hugh McCutcheon, Minnesota

Sportsmanship Honorees
Beth Prince, Jr, Illinois
Kamryn Malloy, So, Indiana
Molly Kelly, Sr, Iowa
Abigail Bentz, Sr, Maryland
Maddy Abbott, Sr, Michigan
Sam McLean, Jr, Michigan State
Lauren Barnes, So, Minnesota
Brooke Smith, Sr, Nebraska
Allie Lindroth, Jr, Northwestern
Camry Halm, Jr, Ohio State
Kristin Krause, So, Penn State
Erin Williams, Sr, Purdue
Beka Kojadinovic, So, Rutgers
Tionna Williams, Sr, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin Athletics

Rettke, Hilley, Duello named All-Big Ten

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Madison Duello

Sydney Hilley

Dana Rettke

Tionna Williams

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