Wisconsin rolled over Rutgers Friday evening, dominating the match on the way to a 3-0 win at the UW Field House.

On just the second rally of the match, outside hitter Ellen Chapman nailed a kill off a poor pass.

Following Chapman’s kill, Wisconsin’s setter Lauren Carlini served for five more points, which gave the Badgers a substantial lead of 7-0 early on in set one. Then a kill by Rutgers’ starting freshman left side hitter Meme Fletcher finally ended Carlini’s serving reign of terror at seven straight points.

But then Wisconsin’s blockers stepped up. Right side hitter Courtney Thomas and middle blocker Haleigh Nelson were fierce at the net in terms of blocking and hitting. Together, they had 11 block-assists, contributing to the overall total of 24 throughout the night. Nelson then served for eight points, which extended her team’s lead 19-4.

In the first set, the Badgers held Rutgers below 10 points as a kill from Chapman sealed the deal for Wisconsin and they went on to win 25-8 before the clock even struck 7:30 p.m.

The second set became more interesting as head coach Kelly Sheffield started substituting his players more frequently. Kt Kvas effectively served throughout the second and third sets for the Badgers and in the end, served the final four match points of the evening.

“There are more players who are working really hard and allowing us to have the season that we’re having that don’t really get as much playing time as they would on some other teams,” Sheffield said. “So it was really nice to give them some time.”

Other bench players, like sophomore middle blocker Tori Blake, also showcased their athletic abilities. Blake entered the game in the second set and received a kill and a block. She ended the night with two kills, four block-assists and a gleeful expression after every single one.

“When my name was called I was excited,” Blake said with a laugh after the game. “I smiled. I ran in right away. It’s exciting when things come together and you get to show what you can do.”

Setter Erin Juley entered midway through the second set for Wisconsin and tallied six assists and one kill, which closed up game two, and that play pushed Wisconsin ahead two sets to none.

Rutgers put up a fight during the third set. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams until a few unforced errors by Rutgers combined with Nelson’s serving began to propel the Badgers forward.

It was not until a dynamite kill by Thomas that Wisconsin was able to take a substantial lead of 21-15. After this, Kvas served the remaining points, and an electrifying hit from freshman outside hitter Kelli Bates ended the match with a score of 25-15.