For the second weekend in a row, the Wisconsin volleyball team won two out of three tournament games, only to fall in the championship game. The No. 24 Badgers (4-2) defeated Texas State and Louisiana Tech before falling to Pepperdine at the Texas State Premier.
Behind an improved serving game and solid passing, UW opened play with a win over the host school, Texas State. The Badgers (3-1) swept the Bobcats 30-18, 30-17, 30-20.
“Our ball control was really solid, and our serving was much better than last weekend,” head coach Pete Waite said. “We came out with a number of people who struggled a week ago serving great.”
Wisconsin dominated the match jumping out to a 6-1 lead in Game 1 and an 8-2 lead in Game 2. Game 3 was tighter, with six ties, including at 16-16. But hitting errors, which plagued the Bobcats all evening, proved to be their downfall in Game 3. Texas State recorded five errors over the last half of the game to fall in its home opener.
It was not pretty, but the team continued its winning ways at the Texas State Premier. The Badgers came from behind early in the match to take a 30-28, 33-31, 30-23 win over Louisiana Tech (3-3).
The Badgers battled back seven-point deficits in both Game 1 and 2 to tie Game 1 at 23 and Game 2 at 22. Wisconsin settled down late in the match. With the score tied at 20 in Game 3, the Badgers outscored the Lady Techsters 10-3 to complete the sweep.
Wisconsin had three players in double-figure kills led by 18 from Aubrey Meierotto. Lisa Zukowski and Jill Odenthal added 14 and 12 kills respectively as the Badgers out-hit La Tech 57-45 in kills. Wisconsin also connected on .339 percent of its attack compared to .274 percent for the Lady Techsters. Morgan Shields had 42 set assists running the UW offense.
“Aubrey, Zuke and Odie are really taking some great swings for us offensively and are really carrying the load for us there,” said Waite.
Wisconsin is still struggling with its block, getting out-blocked 9-7. The Badgers were led by Carlini and Sheila Shaw with four blocks apiece.
Once again, UW met its match in the championship game. Last weekend, the Badgers fell to Washington at their own Badger Invitational. This weekend, 24th-ranked Wisconsin lost to eighth-ranked Pepperdine 30-12, 30-28, 30-19, in the deciding match of the Texas State Premier. The Badgers’ score from Game 1 was the lowest point total ever for a UW team since rally scoring began in 2001. The point total for the match (59) was also the fewest points scored under rally scoring.
“I see this one as a real missed opportunity,” Waite said. “We had been playing some pretty good ball, and this was a chance to beat a higher-ranked team — a very high-ranked team. We just did not bring our ball control and our toughness to start the match. This is a match we let get away.”
Due to their lack of ball control, the Badgers were unable to connect offensively, hitting a season-low .088 percent. Lisa Zukowski led Wisconsin with 13 kills, but no other Badger totaled more than eight kills. The Waves hit .317 percent for the match, with two players in double figures for kills — Katie Wilkins with 21 and Katy Daly with 12.
“There was a real big point spread in the first game, and we just couldn’t get on track,” explained Waite. “In the second game, we played really well, and to have them at 28-26 and to let them go was really disappointing because it was things on our side of the net that we didn’t execute well. We should finish a team off when we’re in that position.”
Wisconsin struggled again in the third, falling behind 16-10, and could never get back in the match.
The Badgers return home next weekend to host the InnTowner Invitational Friday and Saturday in the UW Field House. The tournament is a Big Ten vs. SEC matchup, with Wisconsin and Iowa taking on Duke and North Carolina State. Matches are at 5 and 7 p.m. both days.
