MADISON, Wis. — Returning to the Field House, the Badgers brought six new faces to the court and swept Bradley 25-17, 25-22, 25-14 in an exhibition match Tuesday night.
With two freshmen in the starting lineup, Charlie Fuerbringer at setter and Trinity Shadd-Ceres at outside, the Badgers got off to a hot start. A combination of three separate 3-0 runs led UW to a 9-3 lead. Wisconsin continued to roll with a service ace from Shadd-Ceres and two kills from Sarah Franklin. Bradley responded with a 5-0 run of their own to pull it within one (14-13). Wisconsin pulled ahead with two aces from Franklin and maintained a steady lead from there, taking the first set 25-17.
Bradley took an early lead from the jump in the second set, and held onto that lead until the Badgers tied it up at 15-all. The teams battled back and forth, but a block from CC Crawford and Devyn Robinson gave Wisconsin a 21-18 lead and the Braves could not recover. UW won the second set 25-22.
Tied at three apiece, UW scored three in a row to take a 6-3 lead in the third. The Badgers maintained a steady lead, as they shared the offensive wealth with 12 kills among the hitters. Wisconsin closed out the set with authority, winning 25-14.
Carter Booth led the way with 12 kills, and Franklin was not far behind at 10 kills. Shadd-Ceres put up an impressive nine kills at her Badger debut. UW hit .341 (43 kills - 12 errors - 91 attempts).
The Badgers held Bradley to just .033 (22 kills - 19 errors - 91 attempts). Iva Popovic finished with a team-high 11 kills.
Fuerbringer led the offense for the first time tonight, and put up 36 assists, along with two service aces. Gulce Guctekin added two service aces, and Franklin recorded three of her own.
Guctekin tallied a team-high eight digs on the night. The Badgers outblocked Bradley 11.5-1.0, as Crawford, Booth and Robinson recorded five blocks each.
Straight from the court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
On getting the season started: "The anticipation of a season, what the possibilities are, I don't care how long you've been doing this. You get a little bit of butterflies and a whole lot of excitement."
CC Crawford
On Charlie's start: "I think she did an amazing job. The first step she took into the gym, she owned it. She stepped into that role and was fearless with it. She never once backed down during the game. I feel like she was there for every point."
Sarah Franklin
On the start of the season: "It feels good to be back with the girls. Everyday in practice we are getting closer and closer and I think getting to play against another team really just puts into perspective the amount of work we are able to put in and it just feels great being back."
Carter Booth
On the block tonight: "Getting to block against a live system that we don't really know that well was really helpful, really beneficial. I think our block was pretty sound tonight, pretty calm. I think we read the game well and I am looking forward to getting into that more."
Notes to know
• Freshman Trinity Shadd-Ceres tallied nine kills (9-3-21) in her first match as a Badger
• Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer led the team to a .341 (43-12-91) hitting percentage. She also collected 36 assists in her debut.
• The Badgers out-blocked Bradley 11.5 to one.
• All newcomers saw time on the court.
Up Next
The Badgers will open up the regular season at the AVCA First Serve Showcase on Tuesday Aug. 27, as they face Louisville. First serve is set for 8:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
