MADISON, Wis. -- In a battle for the 2021 Big Ten Conference Championship, the fifth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team clinched their third-straight Big Ten title with a 3-1 win over No. 11 Nebraska on Friday night. The Badgers (24-3, 16-3 B1G) dominated the final three sets of play to down the Huskers (20-7, 14-4) 14-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-18.

After dropping the first set, the Badgers stormed back in the second set but still had to battle through nine ties and three lead changes. Wisconsin trailed 17-14, but after a timeout, a 5-2 run knotted the score at 19. The ties kept on coming before a Nebraska service error gave Wisconsin a 23-22 lead. A kill from Jade Demps put the Badgers in set point position (24-22) but a Nebraska kill held off one set point. A Devyn Robinson kill finished the set and tied the match at one set apiece. 

The Badgers' biggest lead of the match happened during the third set, going up 8-3 after an ace from Giorgia Civita, the first Badger ace of the match. The Huskers rallied to tie the score at 15. The set was tied at 18 before a 2-0 run put the Badgers up 20-18.  Wisconsin led 23-22 before an Anna Smrek kill gave UW its first set point at 24-22. Nebraska held off two set points before kill by Dana Rettke and Grace Loberg  put the Badgers one set closer to a Big Ten title. 

Wisconsin skated through the final set of the night, maintaining the lead the entire time. The Huskers were able to crawl their way within two (16-14), but it did not take any momentum away from a motivated Badger team. Behind the play of Rettke, who recorded back-to-back blocks and a kill, the Badgers led 19-14. Wisconsin served for match point at 24-15 but a Badger service error, followed by a Nebraska block and Husker service ace, kept the crowd on its feet. Another Rettke kill clinched at least a share of a Big Ten title. 

Despite the win, Wisconsin hit one of their lowest hitting percentages of the season, .225 (55 kills - 23 errors - 142 attempts) while holding Nebraska to .168 (50-25-149). Three Badgers recorded double-digit kills, led by Rettke with 18 kills, who hit a team-best .484 (18-3-31). Loberg (14) and Robinson (10)  also added double figures.

Sydney Hilley finished the night with the UW career record for assists, tallying 48 helpers while adding 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. 

The Huskers dominated behind the service line, scoring 10 service aces while the Badgers managed just four aces and six service errors. Civita led the team with three aces, tying her career best. 

The Badgers outblocked Nebraska, 14-10, led by Robinson and Rettke with seven apiece.

Lauren Barnes killed it from the back line, recording a match-high 22 digs. Civita added 11 digs as Wisconsin finished with a 63-55 advantage in saves. 

Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"The heart, toughness and the courage this team played with was unbelievable and inspiring. Nebraska came out playing at a really high level and putting in some filthy serves and they kept with that the entire match and we didn't panic. I thought we executed (serve and receive) in game really well. 

"Winning a Big Ten championship is a thing everybody dreams of. For these guys to win three, the distance they have traveled, they know how hard it is, their first year they finished seventh in the league.

"Our block came alive (after the first set loss). We talked about becoming more physical at the net. The majority of it was trust. I thought there were so many things that were big when we needed it. Joslyn (Boyer) coming in the second (set) and adding some stability was really key. I thought Jade's (Demps) serving, putting some drop serves in on Nebraska. Gio (Civita) got a lot of separation for us in serving. In the third set, there was a huge kill for Anna Smrek. The growth of this team has had over the course of the season has been pretty good."

Middle blocker Dana Rettke
"Being able to be at home, I think it's just incredible. Being able to come together in those tough moments. We were battling out there. You play every game with the intent to win and I think championships come with that. It feels amazing to win it at home with this group. Championships bond you for life.

"(After the first set loss) I think everyone knew they had to make an adjustment and everyone making those little adjustments and having that go-get 'em mentality meant a lot in that situation. I know looking at everyone's eyes on this team we knew that we had this and that we were going to bounce back."

Setter Sydney Hilley
"Winning three in-a-row is a pretty hard thing to do, it takes a lot of work behind the scenes. I'm just really proud of the way this team took each single day of practice. They put in the work so we could have a chance to win it.

"We weren't trying to panic (after losing the first set). We said 'no judgement' and go into the second set and play Badger volleyball. Play with heart, passion, and play for each other. I think that showed in the last three sets."

Notes to Know

• Wisconsin won its third-straight Big Ten Championship, becoming just the third program in conference history to win three straight and the first since 2010. The Badgers have won a total of eight conference titles.
• At 21-19 in the third set, graduate student Sydney Hilley broke Wisconsin's career record for assists. The 6-foot Hilley set Jade Demps out of the back row for a kill as her record-breaking assist. Hilley finished the match with 48 assists to bring her career total to 5,849 helpers. Hilley also picked up her 11th double-double of the season, adding 11 digs, and marking her 48th career double-double.  
• Head coach Kelly Sheffield won his 500th career match with tonight's win. The 21-year head coach is 500-165 in his career, including 227-53 at Wisconsin.
• Giorgia Civita tied her career high with three service aces, including two in the deciding fourth set.
• Freshman Anna Smrek tied her career best with five blocks.
• Graduate student Lauren Barnes recorded her eighth 20-plus dig match of the season with a match-high 22 saves. The libero has 10-plus digs in the five matches in a row.
• Nebraska recorded an opponent season-high 10 service aces.

Up Next

The Badgers close out the regular season on Saturday, hosting Indiana in the UW Field House. First serve is at 7 p.m. and streamed live on B1G+. Wisconsin will honor its senior class in a post-match ceremony.