Wisconsin volleyball team sweeps TCU to advance to its 10th straight Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament
MADISON – Considering the circumstances, Wisconsin’s volleyball team couldn’t have played much better.
The Badgers scored their second sweep of the NCAA tournament defeating TCU, 25-9, 25-11, 25-23, in front of an announced crowd of 7,229 Saturday night at the UW Field House.
The victory gives the program its 10th straight Sweet 16 berth. Up next will be Big Ten rival Penn State on Thursday at the Field House. The starting time has not been announced.
The defending national champion Badgers storm into the second weekend of the tournament after dominant play from not only their hitters and blockers, but also at the service line and in serve receive.
Wisconsin (27-3) had only four hitting errors and one error in serve receive. Sophomores Julia Orzol and Sarah Franklin and junior MJ Hammill had serving runs of five points or more.
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“This is such an exciting time of year to have the opportunity to earn another week to practice with such a special group,” senior setter Izzy Ashburn said. “Every team is just fighting for that right now and every team is a good team, so you have to come out ready, you have to come out prepared, playing our best volleyball right now and continuing to grow.
“That’s what we did tonight. We executed what we wanted. I thought a lot of our hitters played a real aggressive game and that started with the way they passed.”
Wisconsin's hitters were on top of their games vs. TCU
Wisconsin hit .395, its second-highest percentage of the season. UW had four players take 10 or more swings. Three of them – sophomore Sarah Franklin (13 kills, .464), junior Devyn Robinson (six kills, .417) and senior Danielle Hart (four kills, .300) – hit .300 or better. Sophomore Anna Smrek was on the mark as well with six kills and zero errors in nine attacks for a .667 hitting percentage.
TCU, which finished 17-11, had 28 hitting errors and a .051 hitting percentage.
“Clearly we came out and were on top of our game,” UW coach Kelly Sheffield said. “We can be a tough team when that happens.”
Badgers went on big runs in the first and second sets
Robinson and Franklin set the tone in the first set and Orzol closed it out with nine straight points from the service line, a run that included her only ace of the night.
In the second set, Franklin served a run of nine straight points. The stretch gave UW a 15-6 lead. This was the Badgers' best blocking set. They had eight blocks and four points during Franklin’s run were won in this fashion.
Those runs put the Horned Frog in the unenviable position of attempting to dig their way out of a 2-0 hole. The third set was their best of the day, but after leading, 9-8, UW managed to stay at least a couple of points ahead of the Big 12’s third-place finisher.
Wisconsin beats TCU for second time this season, will face Big Ten rival Penn State in Sweet 16
A block from junior Caroline Crawford set up match point, and Franklin and Smrek capped the night with a block that secured the team’s 20th straight victory.
This was also the Badgers’ second win over TCU. They swept the Horned Frogs in the season opener.
“The confidence is a lot higher," TCU coach Jason Williams said when asked about the difference between UW then and now. "The hitter-setter connection is a little cleaner than it was early on. They’ve got a really good shot to keep winning.”
To advance next week, the Badgers will have to defeat Penn State for a third time this season. The teams went the distance on Nov. 19 before UW won in a match that took 2 ½ hours.
Matches like the one Wisconsin played Saturday, however, leave the impression that it is up for the challenge any opponent might pose.
“I just think it’s really exciting to be here with this team and gritting it out every single weekend and being able to earn that,” Franklin said. “I’m excited for what’s to come and for how much more we can do for the rest of this postseason.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball advances to Sweet 16 in 2022 NCAA Tournament
