The University of Wisconsin volleyball team had yet another successful weekend, defeating both Marquette and Southern Mississippi in the Badger Classic.
Volleyball: Golden Eagles flocking to Field House to face undefeated Wisconsin
Wisconsin welcomed both teams to the Field House for the final tournament of their non-conference season. The Badgers were looking at closing out this period of time with a successful tournament, and that is exactly what they got.
UW has managed to create a lot of momentum this season, winning every game thus far in their season. What is even more impressive is that every single game up until this tournament had resulted in a complete sweep of their opponents, with Wisconsin winning every set they played.
Of course, expecting this kind of dominant play to continue throughout the season would have been unrealistic. Eventually the Badgers would have to give up a set or two.
It would be against Marquette that Wisconsin would lose its first set of the season, with the Badgers falling to the Golden Eagles in the first set of Thursday’s game 19-25. But this loss would generate enough drive within the team, who would proceed to close out their in-state rival in the next three sets, 25-13, 25-21, 26-24.
With the first match of the tournament out of the way, Wisconsin enjoyed a nice night off Friday as the two visiting teams fought it out to see who would be victorious. Marquette swept Southern Mississippi three sets to zero, effectively earning second place in the weekend’s tournament.
Saturday’s final matchup saw the hosting UW take on their final competitor, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. The Badgers cruised to an easy victory, 25-8, 25-10, 25-11. Led by senior Lauryn Gillis’ 11 kills, the Badgers looked impressive, holding Southern Mississippi to a negative hitting percentage and not getting blocked once.
With two more victories under their belt, the Badgers will begin their Big Ten season ranked fifth in the county with a 9-0 record. The only two Big Ten teams in front of them are Minnesota and Penn State.
The Badgers welcome the Michigan State Spartans to the Field House on Friday, and will compete against Michigan Wolverines Sunday night.
