No. 9 Wisconsin volleyball digs deep for four-set win over No. 11 Oregon

MADISON – Earlier this week the Wisconsin volleyball team did a drill in practice.

It was 5-on-5 with two blockers/hitters and three defensive players. The first team to 15 wins, but if the ball hit the floor that team went back to zero.

“That game lasted almost an hour and it was just them flying around, fighting to keep the ball off the floor,” Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield said.

That work paid off Friday night.

Sparked by a defense that refused to let the ball drop without a fight, ninth-ranked Wisconsin scored a 3-1 victory over No. 11 Oregon at the UW Field House. The Badgers finished the 25-19, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19 victory with 70 digs and five players reaching double figures in that category.

That defensive effort gave UW’s offense time to kick into gear. The Badgers’ hitting percentage improved each set, climbing from .167 in the first set to .333 in the final set.

Oregon, meanwhile, finished with a .167 hittig percentage about 100 points lower than its hitting percentage for the season entering the match.

“The grittiness of this team is something we pride ourselves on…,” senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin said. “As we were developing in the match, I felt like the block was getting really, really good setups and we were lining up well behind them.

“That goes to show how dedicated everyone is to making that play because I feel like in the fourth set the littles were in the left back and the right back and every time I turned around the ball was up. It didn’t matter where the ball was going.”

Franklin finished with a team-high 17 kills and 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Senior Julia Orzol added 10 kills and 10 digs, her third double-double of the the year. The Badgers also got eight kills each from seniors Devyn Robinson, who also led the team with four blocks, and Anna Smrek

Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer (41 assists, 11 digs) gave Wisconsin a third double-double for the night.

The Badgers quintet of digs leaders were freshman Lola Schumacher (19), Franklin, junior Gulce Guctekin (11), Fuerbringer and Orzol.

“We’re going to be really tough to beat when our backcourt is defending the way they did tonight,” Sheffield said.

The victory extended Wisconsin’s winning streak to six matches, raised its overall record to 12-4 and marked its highest ranked win of the season. The Badgers also improved to 6-1 in the Big Ten and grabbed sole possession of third-place, one game behind co-leaders Nebraska and Penn State.

Oregon (13-3, 5-2) fell into a five-way tie for fourth with Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue and USC.

Wisconsin led by as many as eight points in the final two sets when Robinson recorded seven of her kills and hit .500 and 12 swings.

The key to the Badgers wrapping up the match in just under 2 hours was the end of the first set. Wisconsin closed with an 8-2 run.

Oregon's Mimi Colyer, a two-time All-American, and Michelle Ohwobete combined for nine kills and a .296 hitting percentage to help the Ducks fight through seven ties in the second set, but the final two sets belonged to the Badgers.

Up next Wisconsin faces Michigan at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in Ann Arbor.

“Our hitting percentage kept climbing every set and I think that can only happen if you’re being present and recognizing how a team is defending against you and then making your counter move accordingly,” Sheffield said. “Really good win against a really good team.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No. 9 Wisconsin volleyball digs deep for four-set win over No. 11 Oregon