MADISON, Wis. – For the first time in program history, the Wisconsin volleyball team played another opponent in preseason play.
It was no different than the regular season for the No. 2 Badgers as they swept UIC 25-13, 25-12, 25-18 on Saturday afternoon in the UW Field House. The two teams also played a fourth set with Wisconsin winning 25-19.
Wisconsin dominated the match at the net, hitting .284 (38 kills – 15 errors – 81 attempts) for the first three sets while holding UIC to negative .051 (17-21-78). The Badgers saved their best for last, hitting .405 (19-4-37) in the fourth set.
Redshirt junior Sarah Franklin led all hitters with 15 kills in three sets with no errors while hitting .625 (15-0-24). Junior Anna Smrek and senior Devyn Robinson added six and five kills, respectively. Eight UW hitters all recorded two-or-more kills.
Poetry in motion. pic.twitter.com/de4m39aHqh
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) August 19, 2023
In the fourth set, junior Julia Orzol led all players with six kills while Franklin added four more putaways to her total.
The Badgers used strong defense to stop the Flames, outblocking UIC 11-4 while also finishing with a 37-24 advantage in digs through three sets. UW added 20 digs in the fourth set.
Sophomore Carter Booth led all players with nine blocks while sophomore Gulce Guctekin had nine digs in three sets. Franklin had eight digs in three sets and added two more saves in the fourth set for a double-double of 19 kills and 10 digs over the match. Freshman Saige Damrow started at libero in the fourth set, recording nine digs.
Wisconsin continued running its 6-2 offense with Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill both putting up 22 assists in four sets.
The Badgers also had a strong day at the service line, finishing with nine service aces in four sets. Ashburn, Booth and Guctekin all recorded two aces. Wisconsin gave up only one ace by the Flames.
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield
“It was great to play an opponent. I think to get out there in front of the crowd and work through some different things and some different lineups is great. We had a lot of really good moments today and a lot of things to learn in order to sharpen the blade, but I would say and these guys would all share, it’s fun being back.”
Sarah Franklin
“It just felt great to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Wisconsin Badgers…