The No. 1-ranked Wisconsin Badger volleyball team continued their impressive run, defeating No. 21 Arkansas for the second time in 24 hours. After a nail-biting five-set game the previous night, the Badgers breezed to a sweep in their win on Thursday with scores of 25-22, 25-16, 25-17.
Signing off for the night! 🫡 heading home with a sweep pic.twitter.com/habwKxt2NP
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 1, 2023
Wisconsin Badgers Owned the Evening
The Wisconsin Badgers put up an all-around performance against the Razorbacks. Statistically, the Badgers outplayed the Razorbacks by a wide margin, recording a .345 hitting efficiency, in contrast to Arkansas’ .160. Standout players for the night were Sarah Franklin with 12 kills, Devyn Robinson with 11, and Anna Smrek contributing 10. On the Razorbacks’ side, only Jillian Gillen made it to double figures, achieving 15 kills.
It wasn’t just their offensive attack, as their defense stepped up as well. Senior MJ Hammill showcased her talent with a team-high 12 digs. Franklin, Izzy Ashburn, and Gulce Guctekin followed closely, each recording 11 saves, while Julia Orzol added another 10 digs. The team play allowed the Badgers to outpace Arkansas 67-38 in passing. Moreover, both Hammill and Ashburn recorded double-doubles, complementing their defensive contributions with 21 and 20 assists, respectively.
Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball Head Coach, Kelly Sheffield, summed it up, saying, “Massive difference from last night to tonight… Last night it was a lot of waiting for the ball to come to us. Tonight we were going and pursuing and getting our transition on.” He also praised the contributions from Izzy and MJ.
A significant improvement from the previous night was the Badgers’ serving strategy. Having managed only two aces on Wednesday, they upped their game, achieving five aces on Thursday, with Guctekin and Orzol delivering two each.
Make that FIVE aces tonight, with a GG leap too! pic.twitter.com/6xBbwawnJ7
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 1, 2023
Early Troubles for the Badgers
The game did start on a shaky note for Wisconsin as they trailed 7-3. However, a dominant 5-0 serving run from Franklin switched the momentum, and the Badgers never looked back. With kills from Robinson, Smrek, and Thomas-Ailara, the first set was in the bag.
Absolute beauty from @Devyn_Robinson 🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/7mQkV55dY7
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 1, 2023
The subsequent sets were textbook examples of why Badgers volleyball is ranked number one in the nation. A dominating 25-16 win in the second set and an assertive finish in the third confirmed what most in the volleyball world already knew.
Echoing Coach Sheffield’s sentiments, Graduate student Temi Thomas-Ailara remarked, “*I think today we really talked about having a fast start and attacking the other team… And tonight we attacked them.”
As the Badgers open their season 4-0 for the eighth time in 11 years under Coach Sheffield, other notable achievements include Senior Sarah Franklin’s 19th career double-double, Senior MJ Hammill’s eighth career double-double, and Grad student Izzy Ashburn nearing the UW career record for service aces.
Junior Julia Orzol also continues to impress, with her fourth 10-or-more digs this season. It’s a great note to end on as they bring their 4-0 start back home for a game Sunday against No. 25 Tennesee.
