#6 Wisconsin def. #14 Michigan 3-2 (18-25, 25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 15-11)
- Wisconsin moves to 15-4, 8-3 Big Ten; Michigan falls to 18-4, 7-4 Big Ten
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Box Score
It was a match of runs, with the teams trading late rallies over the first four sets. In the end, Wisconsin was too strong from start to finish in Set 5 to claim the road victory and hand Michigan just its second home loss of the season.
Dana Rettke just missed a double-double with 21 kills and nine blocks on a .571 hitting effort to pace Wisconsin in a five-set road victory. Tionna Williams and Grace Loberg added 11 putaways apiece. Loberg hit -.021 for the match, but added in 11 digs and two aces. Tiffany Clark notched a match-high 33 digs, a Wisconsin 25-point rally scoring record and the most by a Badger since Annemarie Hickey‘s 33 saves at N.C. State on Sept. 2, 2011.
Carly Skjodt downed 27 kills and added 16 digs and three aces for Michigan, while hitting at a .268 clip. Paige Jones followed with 18 kills and Kiara Shannon added eight to go with seven stuffs. MacKenzi Welsh turned in a 49-assist, 15-dig double-double and four blocks.
The teams combined for 25 blocks with Wisconsin boasting a slight 13-12 edge as well as a .218 to .158 advantage in hitting efficiency. Michigan, meanwhile, was better from the service line (6-3 in aces).
Wisconsin jumped out to a 4-1 lead in Set 5 as Rettke chalked up three kills and a block. Michigan was within two at 7-5 after two Skjodt putaways, but soon trailed by five at 11-6. The Wolverines called timeout and got a kill from Ellie Brooks out of the break, but Rettke downed three kills to bring the Badgers to a match-point try at 14-8. Rettke rotated out of the lineup and kills by Skjodt and Shannon kept Michigan alive and forced a UW break. After a block cut it to three at 14-11, Williams issued the final blow at 15-11.
Ah, sweet sweet victory! BADGER PRIDE!
UW takes set five, 15-11 and the match, 3-2! #OnWisconsin #RiseAsOne pic.twitter.com/OBy2e1QSNb
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) October 27, 2018
In Set 1, Michigan outhit Wisconsin .262 to .100 and came back from a five-point mid-set deficit for the 25-18 win. The Badgers built a 14-9 advantage with help from three Williams kills and four blocks, three by Rettke. The Wolverines were within one at 15-14 with kills by three different players and a block by Kiara Shannon. Michigan continued on to take a 19-17 lead with a 4-0 run including kills by Shannon and Skjodt. Molly Haggerty stopped the rally, but the Wolverines closed out the set with six straight points, including three kills and a block by Jones. All told, Michigan outscored Wisconsin 16-4 down the stretch.
In Set 2, the Badgers made just two hitting errors, posting a .448 clip for the set, while Michigan was riddled with errors, making eight miscues in a .125 hitting effort. After falling behind 4-3, it was all Wisconsin in the set as the Badgers cruised to a 25-16 win. UW scored four in a row to grab the lead at 7-4 behind two kills and a block by Rettke. It was a one-point game at 10-9, but the Badgers rattled off six straight points to pull away for good. Another 4-0 run, including a kill and two blocks by Rettke, boosting the margin to 10 at 20-10. Trailing 24-13, Michigan kept the set going with two kills by Jones and one by Skjodt before a service error capped the stanza.
Michigan continued to struggle offensive, managing just a .049 effort in Set 3, but the home side boasted a three-point edge as late at 21-18 before falling 25-22. Wisconsin led 11-7 with help from three kills and a block by Williams. The Wolverines worked their way back to ties at 12, 13 and 16, before going up 17-16 on a kill by Skjodt. Two putaways and a block by Jones gave Michigan a 20-17 edge. The Badgers turned the tables, notching eight of the last 10 points to steal away the win. Two Rettke kills and three Michigan errors set up a final kill by Duello.
Michigan started the set down 8-1 and faced a 21-17 deficit late in Set 4, but rallied with the final eight points to grab the 25-21 and force the decisive fifth set. Four Wolverine miscues helped Wisconsin to the early advantage, but the home side was back within one at 9-8 on an ace by Maddy Abbott. The Badgers led by four at 16-12 as four different players notched kills. Two service errors and two Duello putaways pushed the score to 21-17 prompting a Michigan timeout. From there, it was all Wolverines as three UW miscues set up an ace and a kill by Skojdt which capped the comeback win. Two blocks and three aces aided the Wolverines in the victory.
Next up, Michigan plays host to Minnesota on Saturday, while Wisconsin heads down the road to East Lansing for a Saturday match with Michigan State.
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