CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Badger block led the No. 1 Wisconsin volleyball team to yet another sweep, beating Illinois 25-22, 25-15, 25-12 on Saturday night.
UW (15-0, 6-0 B1G) came out on top in set one, 25-22, after an evenly matched first frame. Illinois (7-9, 2-4 B1G) took a three-point lead at 9-6 early, but Wisconsin responded with five unanswered points to take the lead, backed by three kills from the Badgers in that stretch. UW continued to extend their lead, but Illinois dug their way back in, tying it up at 20. Gulce Guctekin iced the first set with an ace
The Badgers picked up steam in the second set, jumping out to an 11-3 lead. Illinois sided out, but UW got it right back. Despite Illinois cutting the deficit to seven (14-7), Wisconsin maintained a steady lead for the remainder of the seat, and took the second set 25-15.
Wisconsin took care of business in the final set, allowing the Illini just 12 points. The Badgers put away 16 kills, with four kills from Smrek. The Badgers took the set, and match, 25-12.
UW had another offensively balanced attack as Sarah Franklin led the way with 11 kills.Anna Smrek was close behind with 10 putaways, five of them coming in the first set. Carter Booth finished with eight kills and CC Crawford recorded seven.
Setters Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill both recorded double-doubles as Ashburn tallied 17 assists and 10 digs, while Hammill added 16 helpers and 12 digs.
Gulce Guctekin and Julia Orzol both recorded two aces, and the team recorded six…
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