NCAA Volleyball Tournament
Greg Anderson/UW Athletics
The UW volleyball team during their first round NCAA tournament match against Colgate.
The fourth-ranked Badgers volleyball team is in the NCAA regionals for the ninth year in a row following victories over Colgate and Florida Gulf Coast last weekend at the Field House. In the semifinals they take on No. 13 UCLA at 4 p.m.; Baylor and Minnesota face off at 2 p.m. The winners (Badgers and Minnesota) return to the Field House Saturday night at 7 p.m. for the regional final. Check ticket availability at uwbadgers.com.
press release: A high-hitting and balanced offensive attack pushed the No. 4 Wisconsin volleyball team past UCLA in the NCAA Regional Semifinals on Thursday evening. The Badgers (28-3) swept the Bruins 25-16, 25-18, 25-17 to advance to the regional final.
All six UW attackers hit better than .300 in the match as Wisconsin hit .357 (43 kills - 8 errors - 98 attempts). Sophomore Jade Demps (.429), Dana Rettke (.412) and Anna Smrek (.400) all hit better than .400 while Julia Orzol (.381), Devyn Robinson (.353) and Grace Loberg (.318) hit better than .300.
The Bruins (25-6) hit .143 (35-20-105) and were led by Mac May with 17 kills.
Freshman Orzol led the Badgers with a team-high 11 kills while Robinson, Rettke and Loberg each put away eight kills.
Setter Sydney Hilley put up 30 assists, running the offense and added a match-high 14 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Hilley's back-row play gave Wisconsin a 43-40 advantage in digs.
At the net, the Badgers out blocked the Bruins, 6-3, behind a team-best four-block effort from Robinson. Smrek added three blocks.
Orzol and Ashburn each had three aces behind the service line, helping take the edge in aces, 7-3.
The balanced offense started in the first set as all six hitter had two kills at the end of the period. The well-rounded offensive effort helped dig the Badgers out of an early 9-5 deficit. A 5-0 Wisconsin run put Wisconsin ahead 11-9. A 3-0 run behind the service of Ashburn gave UW a 19-14 lead. Another 5-0 run late allowed Wisconsin to serve for set point at 24-15. The Bruins held off one match point before a kill by Robinson put Wisconsin up 1-0.
After being down by four early in the second set, Wisconsin battled back to tie the set at 15 off a block solo by Orzol. That was the start of a 4-0 run, courtesy of three UCLA attack errors, to put the Badgers in the lead, 17-16. Orzol added another kill to make it 18-16 and scored two service aces late, including one at 24-17, to give he Badgers set point. Just like the first set, UCLA held off one set point but Robinson again came through with the set winner.
In the third set, UCLA took a 7-3 lead before a 6-0 Badger run, starting with an Orzol kill, put Wisconsin up 9-7. With Ashburn serving, the Badgers rattled off six straight points, including an ace from the junior. Tied 14-14, the Badgers went on a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 18-14. The Bruins would get no closer as an Orzol service ace made it match point at 24-17. For the third-straight set, Robinson came through with the set-winning kill.
Up Next
Wisconsin plays No. 12 Minnesota, who upset No. 5 Baylor, 3-2, in the other regional semifinal tonight, in the regional final on Saturday. The Badgers and Golden Gophers have played twice already this season with Wisconsin winning 3-0 in Madison on Oct. 1 and 3-2 in Minneapolis on Nov. 21. First serve is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The winner advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals on Dec. 16 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Single-session tickets go on-sale beginning at 9 a.m. day of match. Tickets may be purchased in-person at the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office (Gate 1, Camp Randall Stadium), over-the-phone by calling 1-800-GO-BADGERS or 608-262-1440, or online at UWBadgers.com. If available, tickets will be sold at Gate C of the Field House day of match.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, Dec. 9: Baylor vs. Minnesota 2 p.m.; Wisconsin vs. UCLA 4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 11 Regional Final 7 p.m.
All-Session Ticket Prices for NCAA Regionals:
Prime Reserved All-Session Ticket Package (all ages) $25.00
Reserved All-Session Ticket Package (all ages) $20.00
General Admission All-Session Ticket Package: Adult $16.00
All-Session Ticket Package: Youth (age 2-17) or Senior (age 55+) $12.00
All-Session Ticket Package: College Students $8.00
Single-session tickets are available for purchase online at UWBadgers.com beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 9.
Single-Session Ticket Prices for NCAA Regionals:
Prime Reserved Single-Session Ticket (all ages) $15.00
Reserved Single-Session Ticket (all ages) $12.00
General Admission Single-Session Ticket: Adult $9.00
Single-Session Ticket: Youth (age 2-17) or Senior (age 55+) $7.00
Single-Session Ticket: College Students $5.00