COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Big Ten Conference is the toughest volleyball conference in the country and that was proven on Friday night as second-ranked Wisconsin fell at unranked Maryland, 3-2. The Badgers (8-1, 0-1 B1G) dropped their first match of the season, 25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-10.
The loss snaps Wisconsin's 14-match Big Ten winning streak and is UW's first loss to an unranked team since the 2019 season.
Wisconsin couldn't stop a motived Maryland (13-0, 1-0) team that out-blocked the Badgers, 15-9.
The Badgers recorded their lowest hitting percentage of the season, hitting .196 (72 kills - 34 errors - 195 attempts). Dana Rettke lead all players with 20 kills and hit at team-best .500 (20-2-36), followed by Julia Orzoł with a career-high 15 kills. Freshman Lauren Jardine also added double-figure kills with 13.
Maryland hit .195 (48-19-149) and was led by Sam Csire with 17 kills.
Wisconsin dominated in assists, led by Sydney Hilley recording a career-high 67 assists. Statistically it was even in digs between the two teams, with the Badgers pulling out one more dig than the Terrapins, 74-73.
Behind the service line, the Badgers and Terrapins were even with six service aces each. Lauren Barnes and Hilley both recorded two aces. Wisconsin had 17 service errors throughout the match, compared to three for Maryland.
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"Defensively, we got outplayed, no question. Their back court was better than our back court defensively and their blockers were better than our blockers defensively. We knew they were the best defense in the nation and it was going to be a challenge for us.
"We had four kids on the court that this was their first Big Ten match on the road. It was a small gym and a loud crowd and it clearly affected them. That's something we need to work on and I give credit to Maryland.
"This is September. We are a work in progress and we continue to be that. That's one thing about this league, it forces you to deal with some stuff and you have to handle it. This Maryland team is really good … there is no question this is a NCAA tournament team."
Notes to Know
- The Badgers lose to their first unranked team since falling at Ohio State, 3-1, on Nov. 8, 2019.
- Wisconsin played its first five-set match of the season.
- Wisconsin recorded a season-low hitting percentage of .196 while recording a season-high 17 service errors.
- Sydney Hilley recorded a season-high 67 assists, setting a UW match record for five sets under 25-point rally scoring. Hilley went over 5,000 assists for her career, becoming just the fourth Badger and the 26th Big Ten setter to go over 5K helpers.
- Dana Rettke led all players with 20 kills, her first 20-plus kill match since the 2019 season. The 6-foot-8 middle blocker hit 1,500 career kills with her third kill of the match.
- Freshman Julia Orzol put away a career-high 15 kills while recording her first career double-double, adding a career-high 11 digs.
- Freshman Anna Smrek tallied career bests of four blocks and three digs. The 6-foot-9 middle blocker also tied her career high with eight kills.
- Fifth-year Lauren Barnes led all players with a match-high 20 digs, her first 20-plus dig match of the season.
Up Next
The Badgers stay on the road, traveling to Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on Rutgers. First serve is at 6 p.m. from The RAC and will be streamed live on Big Ten+.
