MADISON, Wis. – The No. 4 Wisconsin volleyball team swept Big Ten Conference foe Maryland 25-21, 25-14, 25-20 at the UW Field House on Wednesday night. The Badgers (17-4 overall, 11-0 Big Ten) have now matched the best start to conference play in program history, including their sixth sweep in their last eight matches.

Junior middle blocker Dana Rettke was the lone player on either team with double-digit kills, finishing with 17 and staying hot off of her performance in her return to the court at Michigan last Sunday. The 6-foot-8 middle blocker did not have a hitting error and finished with a .654 (17-0-26) hitting percentage.

The offense and defense of Wisconsin was on display, as the Badgers once again dominated their opponent in efficiency, hitting .369 (47 kills – 9 errors – 103 attempts) to Maryland's .158 (28 – 13 – 95).

Junior defensive specialist Lauren Barnes finished with a season-high 16 digs as Wisconsin finished with a 48-39 advantage in team saves over the Terps.

The Badgers also outblocked Maryland, 5-4, behind four stuffs by Rettke, and finished with a 6-4 lead in service aces. Junior Molly Haggerty and freshman Izzy Ashburn both tallied two aces for UW.

"Why jump when you're 6'8"?" - @dana_rettke, probably 😂#Badgers pic.twitter.com/SdNdziPaMR

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) October 31, 2019

Straight from the Court

 "I thought at times our play was a little ghoulish out there. I thought we gave away a lot of points. It frankly wasn't one of our better matches. When you can come in here and sweep a good Big Ten team when you're not playing your best, that's certainly something you have to feel good about.

"I thought defensively we did a lot of good things early on in the match. Lauren Barnes was spectacular in the back court. Offensively, we got better. I think that was due a little bit to our ball control, it was a little shaky in the first set and got better as the match went on. Our outside (hitters) started taking a little bit better swings as the match went on.

"Our communication was solid, our connections were strong when we were trying to figure some things out. We kept our confidence up and those are all things that are really important. (It was) a good win - proud of the grittiness that our team displayed." – Head Coach Kelly Sheffield

"Every single person that plays front row is able to be an offensive weapon. I think that's one of our strongest attributes as a team. When we're in system, I can go to anyone and anyone can put the ball down. Different people have great games every night and that's something really cool about our team." – Sydney Hilley

Notes to Know

• The Badgers extend their Big Ten winning streak to 11 matches, tying the best conference opening in program history.
• Wisconsin held its sixth-straight opponent under a .200 hitting percentage as the Terrapins hit just .158 (28 kills – 13 errors – 95 total attempts) against UW. The Badgers hit over .300 for the third match in a row as Wisconsin batted .369 (47-9-103).
• Junior Lauren Barnes led all players with a season-high 16 digs, just three off her career best.
• The Badgers outblocked their fifth-straight opponent, finishing with a 5-4 edge of Maryland.
• Senior Tiffany Clark played in her 400^th career set tonight against the Terrapins. The 5-foot-11 libero has played in 402 sets in her career. Senior M.E. Dodge also played in her 400^th career set, bringing her career total to 400.

Up Next

Wisconsin kicks off a four-match road swing on Sunday when it travels to Indiana. First serve is at 12 p.m. CT from Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The match will air live on BTN+.