Aug. 31, 2019
 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – It was a freshman and a trio of juniors that sparked the fifth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team to its second straight win to open the season. The Badgers (2-0) swept their second-straight opponent, downing North Carolina, 25-20, 25-13, 25-17, in the second round of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Freshman Izzy Ashburn keyed UW from the service line, scoring a career high four service aces. The 5-foot-11 setter scored eight straight points, including her first collegiate ace, in the first set to put the Badgers up 9-1. She added a second ace in the first set as well as one in the second set and another in the third set for her match high.

On the offensive end, junior Dana Rettke led Wisconsin in kills for the second straight match, putting away a match-high 18 kills. The 6-foot-8 middle blocker hit an impressive .727 (18 kills – 2 errors – 22 attempts) to lead UW to a .450 (54-9-100) team hitting percentage.

Junior Grace Loberg added 12 kills while hitting .458 (12-1-24) and junior Sydney Hilley put away six kills on 10 attempts with no errors. Hilley also put up 41 assists in running the Badger offense.

Senior Tiffany Clark had a match-high 12 digs as UW edged North Carolina (0-2) 33-30 in saves.
 

Straight from the Court

"(Izzy Ashburn) came in here for the first two matches and served with confidence. She adds pressure on the defense, it's a very flat serve that's got a lot of movement to it. She gets it into space and she serves it with some pace. She got on some long service runs, but the thing I'm more excited about is that she was second on the team in digs. She covers some ground from the right back and that certainly helps because that's an area that a lot of people find there isn't a lot of defense with most teams. She's come in there and taken some pride in keeping the ball of the ground.

"We're all just excited to get into the practice gym and get better. I think everybody can leave here feeling like there were some positives that they did, but I think everybody is also sitting there going, 'Man, the film is going to show us a lot of things that we can get better at', and I think there's an enthusiasm for that process."
– Head Coach Kelly Sheffield

 

It just ain't fair 😅@dana_rettke has 16 kills on 20 attempts 😲

19-16 #Badgers pic.twitter.com/phEd5Z2IxX

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) August 31, 2019

 

Notes to Know

• The Badgers open their fourth straight season with a 2-0 mark.
• Freshman Izzy Ashburn scored a career-high four service aces, serving eight straight points in the first set.
• North Carolina failed to score a service ace on UW.
• Head coach Kelly Sheffield won his 162^nd match at Wisconsin, moving into the second on the UW winning list.
   

Up Next

The Badgers open their home season on Thursday-Friday, hosting the HotelRED Invitational in the UW Field House. Wisconsin takes on No. 16 Marquette on Thursday at 7 p.m. live on Fox Sports One. No. 20 Baylor comes to town on Friday for an 8 p.m. first serve live on the Big Ten Network.