As costumed students looked on, the University of Wisconsin volleyball team struggled as it fell to Michigan State Friday night in five games at the Field House.
The loss drops the Badgers to a 15-9 record and 5-7 in conference play, putting them in a two-way tie for seventh in the Big Ten with Iowa. Wisconsin has split the season series with Michigan State at one game apiece, with UW winning in East Lansing on Oct. 11 in three games.
The night was plagued with inconsistencies by the Badgers, who had 35 team attack errors on the evening and nine service errors. Wisconsin was only able to manage a .168 hitting percentage through all five games.
“At some critical times, whether they were service errors or hitting errors, net faults, they are all points for the other team in rally scoring,” Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said. “It gave them enough momentum to make some moves on us.”
Wisconsin came out strong in the first set, building a quick 7-3 lead. However, the Spartans were able to go on a 7-3 run which knotted the game up at 10-10. The teams went back and forth for the rest of the set, with neither team getting more than a two-point advantage. The Spartans eventually eked out a win in the first set, 26-24.
The Badgers were able to win the second set 25-23, led by junior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner, who had five kills, and Allison Wack with four. Dolgner finished the game with a team-high 18 kills and a career-high 20 digs.
Michigan State came out of the break strong, beating Wisconsin 27-25 in the third set, holding the Badgers to a .091 hitting percentage. UW took the fourth next set 25-21. Freshman setter and outside hitter Janelle Gabrielsen had five kills and two block assists in the fourth game. In the fifth game, the Badgers lost 15-7 with a .038 hitting percentage and seven errors.
“I think it’s harder to lose in five because you work so hard to get there,” Dolgner said. “I mean, if you are split with games — 1-1 — or the other team is up 2-1, you fight so hard to get to that fifth game, and it sucks to go down like that.”
The loss to Michigan State was the Badgers’ fifth loss in the last six games. The last time they won consecutive games was between Oct. 3 and Oct. 11, when they won four straight. However, since then, Wisconsin has been plagued with inconsistencies and errors.
“It’s just discipline,” Waite said. “If it’s net fouls, it means not holding our posture and position with our hands, swatting at the ball on service errors, trying to knock the team over on the service instead of just putting it in and making them play the ball. Some are mental. We have trained the same way we always have. It’s just a matter of getting a lower error game.”
The Badgers will be looking to rebound on the road this weekend against Ohio State and Michigan. Wisconsin already has one win against each team this year, beating the Wolverines 3-2 and sweeping the Buckeyes in three sets.
“I thought in practice this week the team was really turning it around,” senior middle blocker Audra Jeffers said. “I think we just have to take the good things out of this match and move forward and keep our heads up.”
