MADISON, Wis. - A high-hitting and balanced offensive attack pushed the No. 4 Wisconsin volleyball team past UCLA in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Thursday evening. The Badgers (28-3) swept the Bruins 25-16, 25-18, 25-17 to advanced to the regional final.
All six UW attackers hit better than .300 in the match as Wisconsin hit .357 (43 kills - 8 errors - 98 attempts). Sophomore Jade Demps (.429), Dana Rettke (.412) and Anna Smrek (.400) all hit better than .400 while Julia Orzol (.381), Devyn Robinson (.353) and Grace Loberg (.318) hit better than .300.
Freshman Orzol led the Badgers with a team-high 11 kills while Robinson, Rettke and Loberg each put away eight kills.
Setter Sydney Hilley put up 30 assists, running the offense and added a match-high 14 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Hilley's back-row play gave Wisconsin a 43-40 advantage in digs.
At the net, the Badgers out blocked the Bruins, 6-3, behind a team-best four-block effort from Robinson. Smrek added three blocks.
Orzol and Ashburn each had three aces behind the service line, helping take the edge in aces, 7-3.
The balanced offense started in the first set as all six hitter had two kills at the end of the period. The well-rounded offensive effort helped dig the Badgers out of an early 9-5 deficit. A 5-0 Wisconsin run put Wisconsin ahead 11-9. A 3-0 run behind the service of Ashburn gave UW a 19-14 lead. Another 5-0 run late allowed Wisconsin to serve for set point at 24-15. The Bruins held off one match point before a kill by Robinson put Wisconsin up 1-0.
After being down by four early in the second set, Wisconsin battled back to tie the set at 15 off a block solo by Orzol. That was the start of a 4-0 run, courtesy of three UCLA attack errors, to put the Badgers in the lead, 17-16. Orzol added another kill to make it 18-16 and scored two service aces late, including one at 24-17, to give he Badgers set point. Just like the first set, UCLA held off one set point but Robinson again came through with the set winner.
In the third set, UCLA took a 7-3 lead before a 6-0 Badger run, starting with an Orzol kill, put Wisconsin up 9-7. With Ashburn serving, the Badgers rattled off six straight points, including an ace from the junior. Tied 14-14, the Badgers went on a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 18-14. The Bruins would get no closer as an Orzol service ace made it match point at 24-17. For the third-straight set, Robinson came through with the set-winning kill.
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"I think every one of our hitters hit over .300. Against that team and some of the defenders they have, it is pretty cool. I thought our ball control was real solid. I thought our outsides were targeted a lot. This kid (Orzol) was targeted a ton. I mean 24 receptions and I don't think anybody had more than nine. One thing I love about her is she loves these types of moments. She doesn't shrink and play small, she wants to be there. I love the consistency she played with and she loves challenges. I thought Syd did can obviously fantastic job of distributing the ball."
Outside Hitter Julia Orzol
"I had fun with the people around me and these are the things I focus on. I forget about the past and the things that happened because they do not matter anymore. The support we have around from the team and all of the Field House is the thing that makes you work harder."
Setter Sydney Hilley
"We played our best and we were balanced offensively. Every time we are balanced and hitting really well, I always credit my passers because they are putting me in scenarios where I can trust my read and put my hitters in the best situations. When you have ball control like that, it makes it really easy to lay up some good balls for these really talented hitters."
Notes to Know
- Freshman Julia Orzol led the Badgers with 11 kills while tying her career best with three service aces.
- Graduate student Sydney Hilley picked up her team-best 12th double-double of the season with 30 assists and 14 digs. The setter has 49 double-doubles in her career, which moves her into a tie for fourth on the UW career record lists.
- Sophomore Devyn Robinson scored the set-winning kills in all three periods.
- Wisconsin improves to 12-7 in NCAA regional semifinals with today's win.
- The Badgers have yet to lose a set in NCAA tournament play and have won their last 15 sets, their longest set winning streak of the season.
- UW hit .357 against the Bruins, its third-straight match hitting better than .300. All six Badger hitters connected on better than .300 for the match. In NCAA tournament play, Wisconsin is hitting .399 while holding opponents to .132.
Up Next
Wisconsin plays No. 12 Minnesota, who upset No. 5 Baylor, 3-2, in the other regional semifinal tonight, in the regional final on Saturday. The Badgers and Golden Gophers have played twice already this season with Wisconsin winning 3-0 in Madison on Oct. 1 and 3-2 in Minneapolis on Nov. 21. First serve is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The winner advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals on Dec. 16 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
