The sixth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team ended the first half of the Big Ten Conference season with a perfect 10-0 mark. The Badgers swept Iowa 30-15, 30-21, 30-25 to improve to 16-2 overall and improve their game-winning streak to 22.
For the second match in a row, Wisconsin used strong defense to key its win. The Badgers had 13 team blocks and out-dug the Hawkeyes (3-14, 1-9) 47 to 40. Amy Hultgren led all blockers with seven stuffs while Lori Rittenhouse added four.
In the back row, Erin Byrd led all players with 13 digs while Korie Gardner had 11 and Rittenhouse dug 10.
Offensively, Wisconsin hit .244 percent and held Iowa to only .060 percent. Sherisa Livingston and Byrd each had a match-high 13 kills while Livingston hit .455 percent. The Badgers held the Big Ten?s kill leader Sara Meyermann to only 12 kills.
The Badgers used a balanced scoring attack to break an early 5-5 tie in Game 1. Byrd had a game-high seven kills while Livingston and Hultgren both put down four kills apiece. The Badgers had 20 kills in the game compared to only seven for the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin also hit .405 percent and had five team blocks to hold Iowa to a .030 hitting percentage.
Game two was tied at 13 before Byrd served 11 of the next 12 points to put the Badgers up 25-14. Byrd had two service aces during that stretch and Wisconsin had three team blocks. The Hawkeyes held off five game points for the Badgers before a Rittenhouse tip put the game away.
Iowa battled Wisconsin in Game 3, with neither team leading by more than three points. The Badgers led 26-25 and scored the last four points of the match for the sweep. Two kills each by Livingston and Rittenhouse sealed the deal.
Earlier in the weekend the Badgers also found success, both as a team and individually. Against the Gophers Sherisa Livingston recorded kill number 1,662 to break the mark of 1,661 set by Amy Lee from 1994-97.
Livingston ended up with a match-high 15 kills to lead the sixth-ranked Badgers to a 30-12, 30-26, 31-29 win over 21st-ranked Minnesota.
The Badgers struggled offensively but managed to dominate the match defensively.
Wisconsin had 10 team blocks compared to only three for Minnesota and had a 42-32 dig advantage. Livingston and Lizzy Fitzgerald shared match-high honors with five blocks while Sara Urbanek led all players with 10 digs.
Wisconsin also had 11 service aces, including five from Lori Rittenhouse, which tied her career high. Erin Byrd added four service aces.