PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After dropping its Big Ten Conference opener at Maryland on Friday, the second-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team got back on the winning track on Saturday with a sweep at Rutgers. The Badgers (9-1, 1-1 B1G) picked up their first Big Ten win of the season with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 victory over the Scarlet Knights (8-5, 1-1).
What began as a slow start in the first set for the Badgers changed midway through when Wisconsin went on a 7-2 run to take a 17-13 lead. Kills from Devyn Robinson, Jade Demps and three-in-a-row from Julia Orzol ultimately put the Badgers over the edge and took the win.
The Badgers ran away with the second set, hitting .500 (13 kills - 2 errors - 22 attempts) as a team while adding four service aces. UW held the Scarlet Knights to a .083 (8-6-24) hitting percentage in the period.
A motivated Rutgers team gave Wisconsin a challenge during the third set. After leading 16-12 off an Izzy Ashburn service ace, the Scarlet Knights battled back to tie the set at 16. A block from Grace Loberg and Robinson followed by an ace from Lauren Barnes put the Badgers back up by two, 19-17. After the Scarlet Knights came back and took a 21-20 lead, Wisconsin went on a 5-0 run to seal the sweep. A block from Dana Rettke and Hilley, followed by a kill from Orzol put the Badgers up 24-21. An ace from Joslyn Boyer sealed the deal for Wisconsin.
Offensively, Robinson led the team with a career high .909 (10-0-11) hitting percentage, followed by Rettke hitting .545 (15-3-22) with a match-high 15 kills. Orzol also added 10 kills.
Behind the service line, Wisconsin recorded eight aces, led by Lauren Barnes, Ashburn and Boyer with two apiece.
Defensively, Wisconsin out-blocked Rutgers 12-4. Rettke accounted for nine blocks while Hilley added five stuffs. Giorgia Civita helped the Badgers get the edge in digs with 33-28, recording nine saves followed by Boyer with seven digs.
Hilley put up 37 assists in running the Badger offense as UW hit .391 (47-11-92) while holding Rutgers to .143 (28-16-84).
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
"You learn about people and teams when things aren't going well and how they respond. Devyn (Robinson) was as frustrated and upset as anyone after last night. There hasn't been a ton of middle play in practice for her. You're trying to get her more comfortable on the right. She did a lot of positive things no doubt about it. She was having fun and our team was working together really well.
"It wasn't a personnel deal, we just made a cognizant effort to not hang our head after errors. There was a bit of a bounce back after last night and they continue to play for each other. We continue to grow."
Joslyn Boyer
"It's good to come back after yesterday and get that win in three. We knew to win that game we needed to go behind the service line and be confident and aggressive. It's all confidence. Going back (to the service line), trusting in your training and the hours you put in, and going back there and doing the same thing every time."
"We were so happy for (Devyn). I actually roomed with her this weekend and got to see her mindset from last night coming into this game. I knew she was going to do it right from the start."
Notes to Know
- Sophomore Devyn Robinson earned her first career start at middle blocker, hitting a career-best .909 (10K-0E-11TA).
- Fifth-year Dana Rettke had a match-high nine blocks, her highest single-match total since she had a career-high 13 blocks at Penn State on Nov. 29, 2019.
- The Badgers improve to 12-0 all-time against Rutgers.
Up Next
The Badgers return to Madison to host No. 9 Minnesota at the Field House Friday. First serve is at 8 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. The weekend continues with a road trip to Illinois on Oct. 3. First serve is at noon from Huff Hall in Champaign, Illinois. The match will be streamed on B1G+.
