MADISON, Wis. — Eight blocks in the second set, led the Badgers to a NCAA First Round sweep against Jackson State, 25-18, 25-9, 25-18, in the Field House on Thursday night.
Wisconsin (27-3) jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead, but Jackson State (17-13) responded with a run to bring it within one (6-7). CC Crawford and the Badgers went on a 5-0 run that put it out of reach for the Tigers and gave UW a 19-13 lead. From there, they carried their momentum to the finish, to lift the Badgers to 25-18 first set victory.
Eight blocks in the second set alone led the Badgers to a dominant 25-9 win. Out of the gate the Badgers racked tallied the first block in the first set and established the tone. Eleven points later, Devyn Robinson and Carter Booth collaborated on a block to kick-off three blocks in a row, including a solo block from Booth. Wisconsin continued to push and forced a Jackson State timeout at 17-4. The Tigers sided out after the timeout, but Wisconsin terminated six more kills to finish the set.
After an evenly matched start to the final set, Jackson State put down back-to-back kills to make it a two-point game (9-11). The Badgers pulled ahead with four-straight kills including two kills in a row from Anna Smrek. UW continued to pull away, and a kill from Sarah Franklin gave Wisconsin a 25-18 victory.
Big Ten Player of the Year Franklin led the Badgers with 12 kills, and Temi Thomas-Ailara added 10 kills for her second match in a row with double figure kills. Wisconsin hit a new season-high…
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