The University of Wisconsin volleyball team (16-5, 9-4 Big Ten) dropped a tough battle against Big Ten rival Minnesota (19-2, 13-0) Halloween night.
The No. 3 Gophers were able to hold on for a 16–25, 25–22, 25–9, 25–19 victory over the No. 5 Badgers at the UW Field House.
During the game, sophomore Dana Rettke had a school-record 30 kills and finished with an astounding .560 hitting percentage. But the Gophers proved too much to handle, and extended their winning streak to 14 matches, remaining undefeated in Big Ten play.
The first set of the match started slow for the Badgers, as they fell behind 6–10 early. The rest of the set was all Badgers. The team finished the set on a 19–6 run, to take the set 25–16, including seven kills from Rettke and a stretch of six straight points thanks to several errors from the Minnesota squad.
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The second set of the match once again started slow for the Badgers, with Minnesota jumping out to a 12–5 lead early on and never looking back. Led by sophomore Stephanie Samedy, Minnesota was able to win the set 25–22 despite a late comeback by the Badgers.
The third set of the match was a back and forth battle much of the way through. With the Badgers leading 13–12, the Gophers needed a momentum shift, and they got one in the form of six straight points, including three kills from freshman Adanna Rollins to give them the lead, 18–13.
The rest of the set continued to be close, with Minnesota prevailing for a 25–19 win and 2–1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, both teams battled hard, with the score tied 10–10 early on. The two teams exchanged points until it was again tied 15–15. Minnesota then found their groove, pulling away for an 18–15 lead which they never relinquished, winning the final set 25–19 for a 3–1 match victory.
Along with Rattke’s record breaking performance, teammate Sydney Hilley finished with 56 assists, making it a point to go to Rattke every opportunity she got. Despite the loss, Wisconsin also managed to finish the match with a better hitting percentage — .296 for Wisconsin and .272 for Minnesota — as well as two more blocks than Minnesota.
The Badgers have a busy week ahead, beginning with a match against No.14 Michigan Sunday at the UW Field House. The game will begin at 1 p.m. and can be watched on the BTN2Go app.
