NCAA Tournament play hit Madison yesterday, as the University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team welcomed in three other opponents for the first and second round of the tournament. Northern Iowa University and the University of Miami kicked things off first, with the Hurricanes using a commanding 2-0 lead to eventually win the match 3-1.
Then, it was UW’s turn to begin their playoff run on their home court at the UW Field House. The No. 1 seed in their region took on Jackson State University, a team who used a magical run in their conference tournament to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Two hot teams faced off, as the Tigers kept the game close early on. Outside hitter Alexis Williams — the player to watch for Jackson State — found her rhythm early. Powerful swings and quality ball placement allowed the Tigers to string together a couple of points throughout the first set.
The Badgers responded after Jackson State pulled within 11-10. UW went on to win eight of the next 10 points — expanding their lead to 19-12. A service ace from libero Gulce Guctekin and four straight serves from middle blocker CC Crawford swung the momentum back to the Badgers.
Outside hitter Anna Smrek put the finishing touches on the first set with a kill, as UW took a 1-0 set-lead with a 25-18 victory.
From there, the Tigers could not find their balance against one of the top teams in the nations. Kills from outside hitter Devyn Robinson and the 2023 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year Sarah Franklin highlighted set two.
Middle blocker Carter Booth was a force on defense as well. Booth collected a team-high eight blocks in the game, and found her momentum in the second set. The 6-foot-7 athlete accumulated a couple of kills, too — allowing the Badgers to take set two with a score of 25-9.
Volleyball: NCAA Tournament bracket analysis ahead of playoff action
Jackson State provided a response in the third and final set, but two four-point runs from UW put this game away.
The Tigers did not have an answer for the height and power up front from the No. 1 seed. Smrek, Franklin and Crawford collected kills in the middle of set three to extend the Badgers lead to 15-9. From there, the teams traded points until UW hit 25.
With a final score of 25-18, the Badgers went on to sweep Jackson State and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara — in her first playoff game in her five-year career – tallied 10 kills for the Badgers. Setters MJ Hammill and Izzy Ashburn proved to have quality nights in the passing game, a key piece to UW’s success in the future. Hammill racked up 25 assists, followed by Ashburn’s 15.
Tonight, UW took on Miami at 7:00 p.m. for a chance to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16. The Badgers swept the Hurricanes earlier in the year in a non-conference matchup, and look to find that same success Friday evening to keep their season alive.
