MADISON — It was a different lineup, but the same result for the No. 1 Wisconsin volleyball team as it swept Rutgers, 25-17, 25-4, 25-16, on Friday night at the UW Field House.
With both MJ Hammill and Devyn Robinson out with injuries, Izzy Ashburn commanded a 5-1 offense. Anna Smrek also took on a new role behind the service line, recording a career high two aces.
The Badgers (16-0, 7-0 B1G) got off to a quick start in set one, taking a 6-2 lead behind a service ace from Anna Smrek on her first trip back behind the line this season. Rutgers (9-8, 1-6 B1G) responded quickly and tied it all up at 12 apiece. UW took the lead back with a 3-0 run and didn’t lose it from there out as UW had three of their five service aces over the final stretch.
It was all Wisconsin in the second set. The Badgers tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a set, giving up only four points. UW hit .700 in the second frame with 14 kills on 20 attempts with no errors. Julia Orzol had a 9-0 service run and Sarah Franklin finished off the set with back-to-back aces to put Wisconsin up 2-0 in the match.
The Badgers started off the final frame on a 4-0 run and maintained a steady lead throughout the set. Back-to-back kills from Temi Thomas-Ailara forced a Rutgers timeout at 14-5. Thomas-Ailara continued her strong play the remainder of the set, finishing with five kills and a .500 hitting percentage. .
UW hit .410 (44 kills – 10 errors – 83 attempts) as Franklin led the way with 16 kills. Smrek also finished…
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