EVANSTON, Ill. -- The fourth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team is back in the win column after sweeping Northwestern on the road Friday night. The Badgers (19-2, 11-2 B1G) swept the Wildcats (10-14, 5-8) 25-17, 25-21, 25-15.
After losing just their second match of the season last Sunday, the Badger offense got back on track, hitting .309 (37 kills - 8 errors- 94 attempts) while holding the Wildcats to .156 (36-19-109). Devyn Robinson led the team with 10 kills, hitting .562 (10-1-16). Jade Demps followed with a .312 hitting percentage (6-1-16). Seven Badgers recorded two-or-more kills.
The Badgers jumped out to an early lead in the first set, 8-5, and kept on cruising until they led by seven, 20-13, forcing a Northwestern timeout. A very quiet rally by the Wildcats ensued, but the Wisconsin lead was too large. It was 22-17 before the Badgers closed on a 3-0 run fueled by a Grace Loberg kill and two Northwestern attack errors.
Wisconsin led 8-5 in the second set but Northwestern rallied to tie the set at 12. The score was also knotted at 16 before the Wildcats went on a 3-0 run to lead 19-16. Dana Rettke and Sydney Hilley had kills to key 3-0 run to tie the set at 19. Northwestern led 21-19 before UW had a 6-0 run behind the play or Robinson to take a two-set lead.
The third set was dominated by the Badgers, taking a 9-4 lead early on and extending it to nine, 21-12, later in the set. An impressive kill by Lauren Jardine made it 23-12. The Wildcats went on a 3-0 run, but another kill from Jardine and a Northwestern attack error gave the Badgers the sweep.
Defensively, Wisconsin had the edge in blocks, 8-4. Robinson recorded four total blocks, a team best, followed by Rettke with three. Lauren Barnes tallied 11 total digs while the Badgers were slightly out-dug, 43-40.
Both teams recorded two service aces with the Badgers's scores coming from Joslyn Boyer and Izzy Ashburn.
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"That was great. I think (Robinson) got a little bit irritated with herself and the number of errors she was making early on… That's one of the things I love about her. She comes back at you fierce. I thought defensively we got a bit better in the second half of the match than we were during the first half.
"I thought Jade (Demps) had a really good match. Serving has been something she has struggled with a little bit but has found a serve that works for her and we went on some good runs. We were running her out of the back court a bit and I think she can be a real weapon for us.
"In the second part of the third set, there were some ridiculous rallies and then some. Players on both sides had some really good stuff."
Notes to Know
- Fifth-year senior Lauren Barnes had a team-high 11 digs, her 11th straight match with double-figure digs.
- With five kills, fifth-year senior Dana Rettke moved up to second on the UW career list with 1,665 kills. She passed Amy Lee (1994-97), who had 1,661 kills.
- Sophomore Jade Demps recorded a career-high six digs.
- Fifth-year senior Grace Loberg played in her 400th career set as a Badger.
- Wisconsin got its hitting back on track, hitting .309, its first match hitting over .300 since Oct. 16 at Michigan.
Up Next
The Badgers close out their four-match road swing at Iowa Saturday. First serve is at 7 p.m. from the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, and streamed live on B1G+.
