CLEMSON, S.C. – It was the serving that led the ninth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team to a sweep of South Carolina at the Clemson Invitational on Friday night. Behind 11 service aces, UW swept the Gamecocks 25-14, 25-18, 25-21.
Senior
Tiffany Clark led the Badgers with a career-high five service aces while freshman
Izzy Ashburn chipped in three aces. Junior
Dana Rettke (2) and
Sydney Hilley (1) also scored from the service line.
Wisconsin's strong serving held the South Carolina offense down as it hit just .167 (29 kills – 15 errors – 84 attempts). The Badgers hit .341 (40-11-85). Rettke put away 10 kills to share match-high honors while junior
Molly Haggerty added nine kills. Junior
Grace Loberg and redshirt sophomore
Danielle Hart both added eight kills with Hart hitting a team-best .500 (8-2-12).
Clark led UW with 10 digs, aiding the Badgers to a 34-26 advantage in the back court.
After a slow start on its block, Wisconsin was edged by SC, 7-6, at the net. Rettke shared match-high honors with four blocks.
Straight from the court
"We kept them off balance (with our serving). It was a 11 (service aces) but it could have been quite a bit more, some of those misses were just missing the line. I thought we served with confidence, freedom and did a good job there.
"For a good portion of it, I thought our points were coming quickly – from the service line or offensively. I thought our blocking was a little bit jittery. I didn't think we were as good defensively as I want us to be."
- Head coach
Kelly Sheffield
Notes
- Wisconsin recorded a season-high 11 service aces, just one off the UW 25-point, rally-scoring match record.
- Senior Tiffany Clark recorded a career-high five services, scoring the last two points of the first set from the service line. The 5-foot-11 libero also scored two of the last three points in the second set for the Badgers with two aces.
- Junior Dana Rettke has recorded 10-or-more kills in all five matches this season after putting away 10 kills tonight.
- Freshman Anna MacDonald saw her first action as a Badger, playing in one set.
Up Next
The Badgers wrap up the Clemson Invitational on Saturday, taking on the host Tigers at 2 p.m. CT from Jervey Gym.
