COLUMBUS, Ohio - For the first time in program history, the Wisconsin volleyball team is taking home the title of NCAA Champions!
Fourth-seeded Wisconsin (31-3) battled it out versus No. 10 Nebraska for the title on Saturday night and closed the 2021 season in winning fashion. The Badgers beat the Cornhuskers (26-8) 22-25, 31-29, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12.
Four back-and-forth sets carried on before an explosive and motivated Wisconsin team wanted nothing more than to leave Columbus with a trophy. A 6-0 lead in the fifth set forced a Nebraska timeout before the Huskers closed the gap to three, 10-7. Four championship points were needed to win the title and a Dana Rettke kill was the last straw. Wisconsin took the fifth set and the match 15-12.
After a tough first set, Wisconsin started rolling on both offense and defense. As a team, the Badgers finished their championship match hitting .183 (60 kills - 25 errors - 191 attempts) while holding Nebraska to .141 (68-39-206). Anna Smrek, who was named the outstanding player of the tournament, hit a team-best .429 (14-2-28) and also led the Badgers with 14 kills. Jade Demps (12), Rettke (11), and Grace Loberg (10) all recorded double-digit kills.
Defensively, Rettke was able to match her career-high with 13 blocks, for a double-double. Wisconsin was dominant at the net, out blocking Nebraska ,24-10. Devyn Robinson added 10 blocks and six kills on the night.
Lauren Barnes was all over the court, tallying a match-high 31 digs to contribute to the Badgers' 79 total. Nebraska got the edge in digs with 93. Sydney Hilley and Julia Orzoł were also able to add double-digit kills, with 13 and 12, respectively. Hilley's 13 digs and 51 assists helped record her fourth-straight double-double.
After drowning in service errors early on in the match, Wisconsin was able to pick it up behind the service line to get the edge over the Cornhuskers, 7-4, in service aces. Izzy Ashburn tallied four aces while Giorgia Civita and Orzol each added one.
The Badgers will make their way back to Madison where the 2021 NCAA trophy will take its place along with the 2021 Big Ten Championship trophy.
