COLUMBUS, Ohio– The third-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team secured a 25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 27-25 win in four sets over No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday night to conclude the regular season.
Sophomore Sarah Franklin and Anna Smrek combined for 23 of UW’s 50 kills in the match. Franklin led the team with 12 kills followed by Smrek with 11.
The Badgers (25-3, 19-1 BIG) extended their 18-match win streak with a hitting percentage of .226 (50-13-164) and held Ohio State (19-9, 15-5 BIG) to just .136 (58-34-176). The Buckeyes were led by Emily Londot with a match-high 20 kills for the night.
Izzy Ashburn led Wisconsin in assists, recording 20 helpers, while MJ Hammill closely followed with 18 assists.
The Badgers out-blocked the Buckeyes 15.0-5.0, with Smrek leading everyone with eight stuffs. Caroline Crawford had seven blocks.
Ohio State finished with a plus-13 advantage in digs (86-73) with Ohio State’s Kylie Murr leading all players with 29 digs. Wisconsin was led by Gulce Guctekin with 28 digs, followed by Franklin with 13.
Ohio State dominated the service line with a 9-6 ace advantage over the Badgers. MJ Hammill led UW with three aces, while Caroline Crawford earned two and Ashburn finished with one.
Straight off the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
“19-1 in this league is what this group just did. I just told them I was more proud of them for tonight’s win more so than last night’s win. To be able to win over a team that defends as well as Ohio State does is just incredible.
“There was so much learning that came from our one loss against Minnesota. That was really important for where we are right now. There was so much opportunity for us to learn throughout the course of the year and I am so proud of them.”
Notes to know
- Freshman Gulce Guctekin led the Badgers with a career-high 28 digs, her sixth-straight match with 10-or-more saves.
- Senior Izzy Ashburn moved into a tie for third on the UW career record list with 154 service aces. The 5-foot-11 setter scored one ace against the Buckeyes.
- The Badgers extended their match-winning streak to 18 matches, which ties for second on the UW match-winning streak record list.
- Wisconsin finishes the Big Ten season with a 19-1 record,…
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