The win was a dominant outing for the Badgers, a statement win in the Big Ten, and it was all on the road in a very hostile environment at the Devaney Center.
Anna Smrek recently transitioned into a right side hitter for the Badgers and had a huge match with a team-leading 12 kills on .647 hitting.
Hilley and Rettke were out on the court firing up their team, keeping them calm and composed, and they sparked a comeback and retook the lead.
It wasn’t that anything other than the fact that the Badgers are and played insanely high-caliber volleyball.
The Badgers have been looking good and consistent, but the Huskers took its first lead since set one with a 8-7 then 11-7 lead on a 6-0 run.
Smrek came out of the timeout and ended the run, but the Huskers are looking much better now in and they are looking to avoid the sweep.
The Devaney Center quieted has the Badgers went on a 5-0 run to take a 24-17 lead and set up set point.
Smrek is now up to nine kills on .667 hitting, Loberg has seven kills, and Dana Rettke is catching up with five kills now on the match.
Wisconsin just went on a 3-0 run though to take a 15-11 lead after a long rally resulting in a Husker point was overturned on a challenge that the ball was down earlier in the point.
The 6’9 freshman is one inch taller than Dana Rettke , and has been making an impact on the court as of late.
We were tied up again at 22 before Dana Rettke got her first kill of the set — she clearly wanted the ball and Sydney Hilley gave it to her, but she will need to turn it on moving forward.
Smrek, that 6’9 freshman that we haven’t seen much of all season, is leading the Badgers with five kills on .833 hitting.
The Huskers knew that the Badgers would be lethal from the service line, but need to find a way to terminate balls this match while out of system.
The Huskers went on a 4-0 run to get right back into this set and within two points, then tied it up at 15.
Tonight’s matchup will have a big impact on the Big Ten standings, and put the winner in a great position moving forward.
The Huskers have been looking good all around: Madi Kubik has been performing at a high level, they are getting great production out of the middle, and Lexi Rodriguez has been killing it in the backcourt as of late.
That was the year Wisconsin made it to the national title match before falling to Stanford.
We all know Dana Rettke leads this team — she is a powerful force at the net and a big-time leader — so we always love to see her and Lauren Stivrins face-to-face.
I think the Badgers will immediately look to attack the Huskers from the service line, get them out-of-system and off the net.
Here is how Wisconsin and Nebraska match up in terms of team statistics.