MADISON — On the big stage, during the first volleyball game aired on FOX, the No. 2 Wisconsin volleyball team swept Minnesota, 25-13, 25-20, 25-19, at the UW Field House on Sunday afternoon.
Six kills from Sarah Franklin in the first frame, combined with 5.0 team blocks, propelled the Badgers (20-1, 11-1) to a 25-13 victory in set one. It was a back-and-forth battle until a kill from Temi Thomas-Ailara followed by a Minnesota (10-10, 6-6) error forced a Gopher timeout at 11-7. UW ran away with it from there.
In the second set, the Badgers and Gophers went toe-to-toe, but Cardinal Red and White came prevailed to take a 2-0 lead. Tied up at 12 apiece, a kill from Anna Smrek gave Wisconsin the lead and from there, Wisconsin never looked back. Minnesota brought it within three, at 22-19, but UW held them off to take a 25-20 second set win.
Franklin closed her dominant day with eight kills in the final set. The Badgers jumped out to a quick 11-6 lead, but the Gophers closed the gap quickly and it was just a 13-11 lead for Wisconsin. A short run from the Badgers forced a Minnesota timeout at 16-12 and couldn’t recover. Wisconsin won the set 25-19 to sweep the Gophers.
Franklin continued to light it up, posting her best hitting percentage at .465, with 21 kills. Temi Thomas-Ailara tallied nine kills, while Devyn Robinson added eight. Wisconsin hit .336 (48 kills – 12 errors – 107 attempts).
The Badgers held Minnesota to just .110 (32 – 19 – 118) as…
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