CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It was a Badger volleyball team that looked a little different but that didn't stop No. 1-ranked Wisconsin (3-0, 3-0 B1G) from sweeping Illinois, 25-20, 30-28, 25-9, on Friday afternoon at Huff Hall.

Head coach Kelly Sheffield started Jade Demps and Deahna Kraft on the left side in place of regular starters Molly Haggerty and Grace Loberg. The first-time starters didn't disappoint as Kraft, a fifth-year transfer from Pepperdine where she played sand volleyball, finished second on the team with 11 kills. Demps, a freshman from Raleigh, North Carolina, added six kills and a block solo.

THE FINISHER!@DeahnaK closes the afternoon with a kill! pic.twitter.com/Z7fqU1dXxP

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) January 29, 2021

Wisconsin didn't lose anything on offense as it hit .371 (48 kills – 9 errors – 105 attempts) as a team. Senior Dana Rettke led all players with 14 kills, hitting .565 (14-1-23).  Redshirt junior Danielle Hart added nine kills, hitting .750 (9-0-12) while freshman Devyn Robinson added seven kills (7-0-18). Senior Sydney Hilley put up 39 assists in running the UW offense.

The Badger defense held Illinois (2-1, 2-1) to a .168 (36-19-101) hitting percentage as a team, outblocking the Illini 8-3 and finishing with a 39-34 edge in digs. Rettke and Robinson led all players with four blocks apiece while senior Lauren Barnes finished with a team-high 11 digs.

UW also stopped Illinois at the service line. The Illini entered the match averaging an NCAA-best 3.00 service aces per set but the Badgers gave up only three aces the entire match. Wisconsin finished with four aces, including three from sophomore Izzy Ashburn.  

Wisconsin led the entire first set but Illinois made some adjustments in the second set, forcing the period into extra points. The score was tied at 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 before two errors by the Illini gave UW a 2-0 lead in the match. The loss took the win out Illinois' sails as the Badgers jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the third set and cruised to the sweep.

Straight from the court

Head Coach Kelly Sheffield

"It wasn't certainly anything that (Haggerty and Loberg) were not doing this week in practice. We've been having some really good practice sessions, the six-on-six in the gym is really good. We're really not interested in leaving anyone behind. If we can continue to keep everyone getting game experience, that's what we're shooting for especially in the year of COVID when anyone could get a positive test. You don't want to going through the entire season and then having to depend on someone who hasn't been in (a match).

"(Demps and Kraft) have earned the right to get out there with how they've been playing. I thought as the match went on both Deahna and Jade got more comfortable. That's certainly something we were hoping for.

"We weren't great there the first half of the match. When it got right down to it, we got really good at siding out. I loved how we handled ourselves. We found a way to squeak (the second set) out. The third set, I thought we served really well. In the third set, Anna MacDonald came in and really did a great job. She added some stability to us in the backcourt."  

Deahna Kraft

"It was just really fun and it was a team effort. It was great to have my first start there and compete alongside such great girls.  There were a little bit of unforced errors in the first and second set. Illinois made some really good plays was well but I think in the third set, we started putting on the gas pedal and playing to our highest potential. That's when we're the best, playing clean volleyball.

"It's so amazing having such a deep team. It honestly allows you to play more freely, knowing that everyone has your back if anything happens. That was a testament tonight of how deep we are and how everyone is so mentally focused and ready to go when call on."

Badger Notables

• Newcomers Jade Demps and Deahna Kraft earned their first career starts in the Cardinal and White. Demps, a freshman from Raleigh, North Carolina, had six kills, one dig and one block solo while Kraft, a transfer from Pepperdine where she played sand volleyball, had 11 kills, seven digs, two assists and one block.
• Freshman Devyn Robinson has yet to record a hitting error this season, hitting .511 (23 kills – 0 errors – 45 attempts) through three matches. The 6-foot-2 right-side hitter also ranks second on the team with 1.00 blocks per set. She took a career-high 18 swings today and tied her career high with four blocks.
• Sophomore Anna MacDonald came off the bench in the third set, recording a career-high four digs and passing three serves perfectly.

Up Next

Wisconsin wraps up its weekend series with the Illini on Saturday. First serve is at 11 a.m. live on the Big Ten Network.