The Badgers honored their two senior managers and six senior players in post-match celebrations.
Greg Anderson
0
Indiana IND 10-22,4-16 Big Ten
3
Winner Wisconsin Wisc 25-3,17-3 Big Ten
Indiana IND
10-22,4-16 Big Ten
0
Final
3
Wisconsin Wisc
25-3,17-3 Big Ten
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Indiana IND 14 9 15 (0)
Wisconsin Wisc 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Annalee Gunderson

Senior Night sweep

Wisconsin claims outright Big Ten title

MADISON, Wis. -- With the outright Big Ten Conference title on the line, the fifth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team made quick work of Indiana on Saturday night, sweeping Indiana, 3-0. The Badgers (24-3, 16-3 B1G) sent off their seniors with a bang, downing the Hoosiers 25-14, 25-9, 25-15.

It was hard to miss the Badger block performance during the match, out-blocking the Hoosiers (10-22, 4-15) 12-2. Senior Dana Rettke led the defensive drive with seven blocks, followed by Grace Loberg with five.

UW also finished with 37 digs, compared to just 21 for Indiana. Lauren Barnes led all players with a match-high 11 saves.

Wisconsin's defense held Indiana to an opponent season-low hitting percentage of negative .059 (20 kills - 25 errors - 85 attempts).

The Badgers hit .394 (34-8-66) behind 12 kills and a .571 hitting percentage from Grace Loberg. The outside hitter had no errors on 17 swings.

The first set featured three early ties before Wisconsin broke a 9-9 tie with two straight points. Indiana would pull within one (11-10) before a 4-0 run put the Badgers up 15-10. Another 3-0 run made it 18-11 in favor of the Badgers as they wrapped up the set with six straight points, including the final two off blocks.  

Wisconsin dominated the second set, recording their highest hitting percentage of the night at .435 (11-1-23) and outblocking the Hoosiers 5-0.

Indiana led 4-2 in the third set but that lead didn't last long as the Badgers bounced back and tied it up 8-8. A 5-0 run, beginning with a Loberg kill, made it 13-8 before a 4-0 UW run put the home team up 17-10. The Hoosiers held off one Wisconsin match point but an IU service ace completed the sweep.

Wisconsin had a dominant performance behind the service line, recording eight service aces. Barnes tied her career high with four aces while Izzy Ashburn recorded a pair of scores.

Sydney Hilley finished the night with 27 helpers running the Badger offense.  


Straight from the Court

Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"All the credit today is to these guys being ready to play. You can tell a little bit about their personalities – that they are gritty."

Setter Sydney Hilley
"It was huge. You work all year and you have a chance to win it outright so you're not gonna let anyone share it with you.Every single opponent in the Big Ten is really good and to get a win in the Big Ten is hard anytime, especially after a big win last night. We knew right from the beginning we were going to play Badger volleyball just like we do every other game.

"(Grace's) been putting the work in. She just wants the ball in the big moments and that's what you want to see in an outside hitter. Just to see her growth from the beginning of her career to now.  There's so much trust in the relationship that we have built and I'm just so proud of how she is doing right now."

Middle Blocker Dana Rettke
"One of the best parts for me was seeing Gio's (Civita) family. She has the whole team behind her back right now. This is not our last match in the Field House. We still have games to win and we are excited about that opportunity."

Libero Lauren Barnes
"You can see it across (Grace's) face. She's fired up when anyone else gets a kill, she's fired up to get a kill herself. She wants the ball and that's something we've talked about. You can really tell she wants the ball."

Notes to Know

  • The Badgers defeated Indiana in just 70 minutes, their fastest match of the season.
  • At one point in the first set, Wisconsin's front line consisted of 6-foot-9 Anna Smrek, 6-foot-8 Dana Rettke, and 6-foot-7 Julia Wohlert. At 20 feet, that may have been the tallest front line in NCAA volleyball history.
  • The Badgers recogized six seniors and two senior managers in a post-match celebration. Wisconsin honored Lauren Barnes, Giorgia Civita, Sydney Hilley, Grace Loberg, Dana Rettke and Julia Wohlert as well as managers Drew Johnson and Molly Pistono.
  • Indiana recorded an opponent season-low hitting percentage of negative .059 (20-25-85). The Hoosiers are the second team this season to hit negative.
  • Lauren Barnes tied her career high with four service aces. Junior Anna MacDonald also tied her career best with one service ace.

Up Next

The Badgers will find out their seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament when the 64-team bracket is announced on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Wisconsin will be making its ninth-straight tournament appearance and has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 round the last eight years in a row. In 2020, the Badgers competed in the national semifinals.

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