COLUMBUS, Ohio - Competing in the NCAA National Semifinals for the third year in a row, the fourth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team advanced to its fourth NCAA championship match with a 3-2 win over No. 1 Louisville on Thursday night. Wisconsin (30-3) downed the undefeated Cardinals (32-1) 25-23, 15-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9.
Freshman Anna Smrek was on fire for the Badger offense from the start. She scored the first Badger point of the match and did not stop until she finished the fifth set with a kill. Smrek ended with a career-high 20 kills and a team-best hit .704 (20 kills - 1 error - 27 attempts) hitting percentage while the Badgers combined to hit .289 (71-21-173).
Aside from Smrek, Dana Rettke (14) and Grace Loberg (13) added double-digit kills. Wisconsin was able to hold Louisville to a .230 (63-25-165) hitting percentage for the match.
Sydney Hilley put up 58 assists running the Badger offense and recorded her third-straight double-double, adding 11 digs. Lauren Barnes led all players with 19 saves out of the team's 63 total. Louisville recorded 69 digs.
Rettke led Wisconsin with six blocks, followed by Hilley with four. The Badgers were even with UL in blocks, 11-11.
Despite 14 service errors for the Badgers, Barnes led the team with two aces. Loberg and Julia Orzol each added an ace.
The first set featured four lead changes and 12 ties, including at 20-20. Loberg, who was forced to serve as the Badgers were running out of substittutions, went back to the service line and led the Badgers on a 2-0 run to go up 22-20. The Cardinal held off one UW set point at 24-22 before a Louisville service error gave Wisconsin a 1-0 lead.
The second set was dominated by the Cardinals while the Badgers recorded seven service errors in the period. Louisville tied the match with a 25-15 win.
Wisconsin was ahead early in the third, 5-2, before the Cardinals came crawling back to tie it up 7-7. At this point, Smrek was carrying the team, having already set a new career high, beating her previous best of 12 kills. Up 22-21, a kill from Smrek and another from Loberg made it Wisconsin set point, 24-21. The typical Sydney Hilley to Rettke connection, took the set as Rettke put away the slide.
Louisville took the fourth after a balanced and back and forth set. After six ties and a four-point Badger deficit midway through the set, a Rettke kill put UW within one, 20-19. A Loberg kill tied the set at 20 and the set was tied again at 22 and 23 before a Cardinal kill and service ace pushed the match to five sets.
Despite Louisville jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the fifth set, Wisconsin crawled back to tied the score at 4-4. The Badgers broke a 6-6 tie with three straight to lead 9-6. The Cardinals cut the lead to two (10-8) before a 4-0 Badger run made it 14-8. Louisville held off one match point before Smrek nailed the final kill of the match for the win.
Up Next
The Badgers compete for the NCAA Championship on Saturday night against the winner of Nebraska/Pittsburgh. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted live on ESPN2.
