FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 1 Wisconsin volleyball team held off No. 21 Arkansas in a five-set thriller on Wednesday night. In a match filled with comebacks, the Badgers (3-0) defeated the Razorbacks, 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 22-25, 15-13.
After dropping the first set, Wisconsin trailed 13-8 in the second set. The Badgers came storming back, taking a 19-15 lead behind back-to-back kills from Anna Smrek. UW continued its comeback, equalling the match with a 25-20 win.
In set three, the Razorbacks jumped out to a 14-7 lead. However, a serving run by Izzy Ashburn, paired with the Badger block, brought Wisconsin back within two (14-12) and forced an Arkansas timeout. A pair of runs gave Arkansas set point at 24-19. With Ashburn serving again, UW held off five set points by the Razorbacks, scoring seven straight points, including three by kills from Devyn Robinson, to pull out the extra-point win.
An Arkansas win in the fourth set forced the decisive fifth set. With nine ties and 10 lead changes, the teams battled back-and-forth with Arkansas leading 13-12. A Robinson kill tied the score at 13 before s block by Caroline Crawford gave the Badgers match point at 14-13. Wisconsin appeared to have won the match on a back-row attack call but a Razorback challenge forced a replay. This time Sarah Franklin sealed the match with a kill through the Arkansas block.
The Badgers were led by Robinson,…
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