The Wisconsin volleyball team took to the court in their first glimpse of the 2017 season. The Badgers showed why they are the #2 recruiting class in the country with five freshmen showing off their talents by putting up big numbers.
After spending the last four years watching and learning from Lauren Carlini, Sydney Hilley took to the job of replacing her on the court. Hilley is the third-ranked freshman in the country, setting the White team to a 3-0, (25-22, 25-13, 25-18) sweep over the Cardinal squad. In the match, Hilley dished out 40 assists, two kills, four digs and one block.
Other freshmen showing off their skills were Danielle Hart, Grace Loberg, Dana Rettke and Mariah Whalen. Loberg and Whalen led all hitters with 12 kills, while Retke and Hart added 11 and nine, respectively. Hart and Loberg fluffed their stats even further, with both players hitting over .500 – Hart with a .533 hitting clip and Loberg with a .526 hitting percentage.
M.E. Dodge picked up a match-best 12 digs at the scrimmage while Rettke led all blockers with four.
Overall, both sides of the court combined for nine service aces with Whalen, Dodge and Sarah Dodd each contributing two apiece.
Sitting out to start the year was Molly Haggerty, who has been struggling with a herniated disk in her lower back. She had surgery in the offseason and is slowly making her way back onto the court.
The Badgers will officially begin their 2017 campaign as they host the fourth-annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Friday and Saturday. Representing the Big Ten are Wisconsin and Minnesota while North Carolina and Louisville will for the ACC.
Badger volleyball is back‼️https://t.co/pPelQOI3OJ
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) August 19, 2017
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