Badgers huddle after a rally against USC.
Ashley Steltenpohl
3
Winner Southern California USC 13-5,4-4 Big Ten
1
Wisconsin Wisc 13-3,6-2 Big Ten
Winner
Southern California USC
13-5,4-4 Big Ten
3
Final
1
Wisconsin Wisc
13-3,6-2 Big Ten
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southern California USC 23 25 25 25 (3)
Wisconsin Wisc 25 23 23 22 (1)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Maddox Durst

No. 9 Badgers drop battle against No. 25 USC

UW falls short in four-set match

MADISON, Wis. - The No. 9 Wisconsin women's volleyball team fell to No. 25 USC (25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 22-25) in a top-25 battle at the UW Field House, handing the Badgers' their second conference loss of the year.

Neither team found separation early on in set one, as the match provided 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Badgers (13-3, 6-2) gained momentum with the help of right side Grace Egan's return, where the redshirt sophomore provided a pair of kills right away. 

Outside hitter Mimi Colyer tied the match at 20-20, starting a quick 3-0 burst for UW. The Trojans provided an answer to bring the match within 24-23, but a block from senior Carter Booth and redshirt sophomore Una Vajagic sealed a set one victory for Wisconsin. 

The Badgers trailed for the majority of set two, but relied on their strong defense—forcing multiple hitting errors against the Trojans (13-5, 4-4) to get back into the match. USC was able to close it out though, fighting off a late UW run to win 25-23. The second set loss was Wisconsin's first set loss in the UW Field House.

Set three provided a similar storyline, as the Badgers fell behind early on before storming back. UW brought it back to 21-22 after back-to-back kills turned in by Colyer. Wisconsin earned a kill apiece from middle blocker Alicia Andrew and Vajagic, but it was not enough as the Trojans closed out set three at 25-23. 

USC utilized that momentum right away in set two, putting together a 6-0 run to help build an 11-2 advantage. The Badgers stormed back in response, highlighted by a 5-0 run that was capped off by back-to-back kills from Booth. 

A setter dump from freshman Addy Horner tied the match at 22-22 to force a Trojans' timeout. USC rattled off the next three rallies—handing Wisconsin it's first loss at the UW Field House this season. 

Colyer earned her second double-double in the past three matches and the 40th of her career, tallying 10 digs and a team-high 23 kills. Vajagic followed suit with her fourth double-double of the year, turning in 15 kills and 14 digs. 

Horner racked up career-bests with 46 assists and 10 digs to notch her first double-double of her career. 

Andrew wrapped up the offensive standouts, finishing with the top hitting percentage on the team in Sunday's match at .389 (8 - 1 - 18), tying her season-high in kills. Libero Kristen Simon led Wisconsin with 16 digs on the defensive end, her second-highest total on the year. 

USC's physical front and quality back row forced the Badgers into their third-lowest hitting percentage of the season at .223 (59 - 20 - 175).  The Trojan's also totaled 80 digs compared to Wisconsin's 71.

Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on the team's play and mentality today): "Early on, I thought we were a little bit too much all speed, too much tipping, they were able to gobble that up and come back at us pretty aggressively in transition. I'm not sure we started off with the right mentality, especially from our pins, but that period in the fourth set, I think that's about as well as we played all year long. There was a desperation and a strength that was coming out that I told our team we need to be tapping into more frequently."

(On learning from today's loss): "They forced us to play hard and to play together. It'll be a match that we will learn from. We will get better because of this match, and those are the things that excite you. This team will hunt for that. They'll go back and watch this film and be like, 'ugh, I should've done this…' They'll get back in the gym, and we'll be better for next week. The train keeps moving."

Outside Hitter Mimi Colyer (on the comeback in the fourth set): "One of the things I love about volleyball is that it's such a momentum sport. You're never out of it at all. We could be down 11-2 and still come back. It takes one play, it takes one time for the crowd to erupt, and then we get on those runs. Everyone taps into that energy and says, 'oh we're going, it's play some good volleyball.'"

Outside Hitter Una Vajagic (on USC's defense): "I think it was pretty hard to score today. They're a really good defensive team, but I think that made this match more fun. I'm glad that we are going to learn something from this match, and come out next week with better swings and better decisions."

Notes:
  • The Badgers dropped it's first set at the Field House in the second set (23-25) against the Trojans. Up until that point, Wisconsin had won 22-straight sets prior to today's match.
  • For the eighth time this season, Wisconsin totaled double-digit blocks. UW tallied 12.0 blocks against USC.
  • With 23 kills and 10 digs, Mimi Colyer recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 40th of her career. Colyer also totaled 71 total attacks for a new season-high, and tying a career-high as well.
  • For the seventh-straight match, libero Kristen Simon has tallied double-digit digs. Simon led the Badgers with 16 digs.
  • Freshman Addy Horner recorded her first-career double-double with 46 assists and 10 digs. The 46 assists is also a season-high for Horner.
  • With 15 kills, outside hitter Una Vajagic set a new career-high. She also totaled 14 digs for a fourth career double-double. The 14 digs also ties a career-best she set against Kansas and Texas on Oct. 29 and 31.
  • Grace Egan returned for the Badgers after missing seven matches due to injury. She recorded 13 digs for a new season-best.
  • The NCAA Top 16 teams were revealed Sunday afternoon and Wisconsin came in at No. 12.
Up Next: The Badgers continue conference play next weekend, as they will head out west to take on Washington on Friday, Oct. 24. The match will begin at 9:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
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