GAINESVILLE, Fla. --  It's been a year of comebacks for the No. 1 Wisconsin volleyball team. The Badgers (9-0) did again on Sunday, fighting back from a 0-2 deficit in the match to beat No. 3 Florida in a reverse sweep, 15-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-13.  Even more impressive was that UW did it in front of a Florida program record crowd of 10,323 at the Stephen O'Connell Center.

After dropping the first set 25-15, UW improved in the second set but fell behind 2-0 in the match. It was a must-win situation from here on out as Wisconsin. The Badgers carried over the momentum they built late in the second set to take a 13-4 lead in the third set. Florida held off two Badger set points but couldn't stop the balanced UW offensive attack that hit .406 in the period.

Wisconsin led for most of set four but it wasn't until a 3-0 run put the Badgers up 16-11, a lead they wouldn't relinquish to force a decisive fifth frame.

Set five was highlighted by seven ties and four lead changes. Wisconsin broke a 10-10 tie with a 3-0 run behind the serve MJ Hammill. A kill from Franklin and an ace from Hammill forced a Florida timeout at 13-10. Florida sided out but the Badgers got it right back with a kill from Smrek to make it 14-11. The Gators held off two match points but Smrek, who had four of the Badgers' eight kills in the set, had a kill for point, set and match.

Smrek finished with a match-high 16 kills while Sarah Franklin and Devyn Robinson added 13 and 10 kills, respectively. As a team, Wisconsin hit .199 (56 kills - 23 errors - 166 attempts). The Gators finished the match, hitting .180 (57 - 27 - 167). Kennedy Martin led Florida with 13 kills at the outside. 

Setters Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill both recorded double-doubles as Ashburn had 16 assists and 13 digs, and Hammill recorded 20 assists and 17 digs. 

Julia Orzol tallied 13 digs, making that her eighth match this season with 10-plus digs. Franklin also added 10 digs to complete a double-double, along with her 13 kills. Additionally, Gulce Guctekin put up 14 digs.

Wisconsin was edged by Florida, 74-70, in digs while both teams had eight blocks. Booth led all blockers with six blocks while Smrek contributed five.

The Gators outscored the Badgers from the service line, 7-4 in service aces. Hammill led UW with two aces.

Straight from the court 

Head coach Kelly Sheffield

On the match, overall: "We just kind of grinded. I thought GG came in and gave us a real lift. Her and Sarah and Julia really handled the serves really well. We just battled and fought."

On Anna Smrek: "It was big. Hitting quicks, hitting in system, hitting out of system…she got a little bit antsy on a couple of balls. Overall she's managing her game at more."

On what this win means: "We gotta keep getting better. It's an important win, on the orad. Being able to come in and whole place is against you. Battling back when you're not playing well and playing a cleaner version of the game. Defensively, they are really good. They have an army of DS's… mentally they can really get to you. Real credit to our players. We battled and we fought. Most of the match was played in the mud."

Notes to know

• Wisconsin rallied from a 0-2 deficit in the match, coming back to win the match in five sets. The last time the Badgers came back from 0-2 was vs. No. 12 Purdue on Nov. 9, 2018.
• UW improves to 5-0 against top-25 ranked teams this season.
• The Badgers wrap up their non-conference season with a perfect 9-0 record. the first time they are undefeated in non-conference play since 2021. UW's 9-0 start is the best since the 2020-21 season.
• Setters Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill both recorded double-doubles. Ashburn had 16 assists and 13 digs while Hammill had 20 assists and 17 digs.
• Senior Sarah Franklin recorded her second double-double this season with 13 kills and 10 digs.
• Junior Julia Orzol had a career-high five assists.
• Junior Anna Smrek tied her career high with 35 attack attempts, putting away a season-high 16 kills.
• The Badgers had three players with double-digit dig figures; MJ Hammill (17), Izzy Ashburn (13), and Sarah Franklin (10).

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