MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Wisconsin volleyball team traveled to Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon for an in-state matchup against Marquette. The second-ranked Badgers (6-0) defeated the Golden Eagles 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 at the Al McGuire Center.
The first set was dominated behind the service line by the Badgers. The team recorded five of their nine total aces in the set, including four from Izzy Ashburn. Wisconsin went on a seven-point streak late in the set, making the score 22-11 and their biggest lead of the game. Three of those seven points were service aces from Ashburn, including two in a row. A kill by Sydney Hilley preceeded a block by Hilley and Danielle Hart to seal the set for the Badgers.
Wisconsin recorded their highest hitting percentage of the match during the second set, hitting .355 (15 kills - 4 errors - 31 attempts). What began as a pretty even back-an- forth match, was quickly changed after a block from Dana Rettke and Devyn Robinson. The Badgers were in control for four straight points, taking a 11-8 lead. Another four-point streak put Wisconsin up 18-13 after another block from Hart and Hilley. A Dana Rettke kill gave the Badgers the second set, 25-18, the same final score as the third.
Despite the sweep, Wisconsin recorded their lowest team hitting percentage of the season, hitting .297 (43-16-91). Defensively, however, the Badgers held Marquette to a hitting percentage of .079 (26-18-101), the lowest of any opponent this season.
Jade Demps led the team with 14 kills, a season high for the sophomore. Devyn Robinson ranked third on the team with seven total kills. Hilley recorded the hightest hitting percentage of the match with a .667 (4-0-6) followed by Rettke with a .500 (8-1-14) percentage.
Hilley put up 35 assists in running the Badger offense.
Defensively, Wisconsin out-blocked the Golden Eagles, 8-6. Hart led the team with five total blocks. The Badgers also had the edge in digs with 42 to Marquette's 28. Lauren Barnes recorded 10 saves, leading the team, while Hilley picked up nine. Giorgia Civita added seven digs.
The Badgers dominated behind the service line, finishing with nine aces to Marquette's two total. Ashburn led the team with four total, followed by Barnes with three.
Straight from the court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffiel
"It's one of the things that Izzy (Ashburn) can de behind the service line is she can get people to doubt themselves. I thought she broke down a player or two and I thought it helped our servers going forward. She can do that and she put in some gnarly serves.
"We didn't have that many blocks but we had a lot of really good block touches… I thought we had our hands for the most part in the right places.
"Jade (Demps) is capable of doing some things for us as everyone can see. There are some things she can do really well and some errors she can get past… As the match went on, she was putting the ball in better areas. That's what you want to see with a player growing. She has a lot of upside.
"Those are two really good teams. I like that we're doing some things that are good and there are some things that we got to get better at. We know that. One of the things that are nice is it's not the same player every night."
Notes to Know
- The Badgers are 6-0 to start their season, the fourth-best start in nine seasons under head coach Kelly Sheffield.
- Wisconsin held the Golden Eagles to an opponent season-low .079 (26 kills – 18 errors – 101 attempts) hitting percentage.
- UW continues to dominate from the service line, outscoring the Golden Eagles 9-2 in service aces.
- The Badgers hit below .300 for the first time this season, hitting .297 (43-16-91).
- Graduate student Lauren Barnes tied her career high with three service aces.
- Sophomore Jade Demps recorded a season-high 14 kills, just her second career match with 10-plus kills. The outside hitter also had a career-high four digs.
- Freshman Lauren Jardine recorded a career-high three kills and eight attack attempts.
Up Next
The Badgers travel to DeKalb, Illinois, for two matches next weekend. Wisconsin takes on Green Bay on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on Northern Illinois on Saturday at 6 p.m.
