Wisconsin volleyball, for the 17th time in school history, is headed to the NCAA volleyball national semifinals.
The top-seeded Badgers defeated No. 2 Oregon in four sets, 25-22, 25-22, 25-27 and 25-18. As you can see, Wisconsin was able to win in straight sets in the beginning before the Ducks fought back to avoid the sweep, winning the third set in extras.
Sarah Franklin led the way offensively, finishing with 20 kills. Temi Thomas-Ailara added 11 kills while Anna Smric finished with 10 kills.
This is the scene where Wisconsin officially stamped its ticket to Tampa:
“We will see Wisconsin in the Sunshine State” ☀️#NCAAWVB × ðŸŽ¥ ESPNU / @BadgerVB pic.twitter.com/tpUtqWPXo5
– NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 10, 2023
Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield spoke after the game, and here is a brief excerpt of what she had to say:
“Congratulations to Oregon on a great year and a great game,” Sheffield said. “This was a complete team effort on our part. We never gave up tonight, and the amount of fighting to keep the ball off the ground, and give ourselves a chance to stay on the march, was the best I’ve ever seen.”
Wisconsin is now 30-3 on the season, the sixth time it has reached 30 wins in program history. The Badgers also finished 17-0 at home, the first time in school history during a non-coronavirus season at UW Field House.
Next up for Wisconsin is Texas, which defeated Stanford 3-1 on Saturday. Nebraska also reached the semifinals and will face Pitt.
Are you not entertained?#NCAAWVB #SCtop10 × ðŸŽ¥ ESPNU / @BadgerVB pic.twitter.com/0e2Yoy80Kx
– NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 10, 2023