No. 16 Badgers fall at top-ranked Penn State 

In the Big Ten, every match is a battle, especially when you enter the season with a target on your back as the reigning conference champions. Facing its toughest competition yet, the No. 16 Wisconsin volleyball team fell to No. 1 Penn State 25-21, 25-16, 25-20 in the Big Ten opener on Wednesday night at Rec Hall.

 

Despite the loss, the Badgers (8-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) gained valuable experience as the team prepares to face the rest of the stacked Big Ten. Last season, Wisconsin also fell in three sets to the Nittany Lions, but went on to win 19 straight matches to claim the Big Ten title.

 

Refusing to go down without a fight, the Badgers stayed with the top-ranked Nittany Lions but not could not squeak out a set victory. Penn State has now won 42 straight sets.

 

Wisconsin hit .196 (39 kills - 18 errors - 107 total attempts), while Penn State hit .376 (46-11-93).

 

To start the match, redshirt junior Romana Kriskova and sophomore Lauryn Gillis proved the Badgers were ready to seek revenge for last season’s NCAA Regional Final by each firing off a kill. Strong defense by both sides kept the score tight, but a kill by freshman Tionna Williams put the Badgers up 12-9. After Wisconsin battled to a 15-14 lead, the Nittany Lions went on a 4-0 run as the Badgers struggled to defend the powerful Penn State attack. A kill by junior Haleigh Nelson reignited the Badger offense to come as close as 23-21, but the Nittany Lions closed the set with two straight kills.

 

Penn State grabbed a quick 8-2 lead to begin the second set. A kill by sophomore Kelli Bates lit up the Wisconsin bench, but the slow start proved to be too much for the Badgers to overcome.

 

With the match on the line, the Badgers came out with renewed energy to start the third set. After the Badgers took a 10-9 lead behind improved communication, the Nittany Lions readjusted on defense to go on a 5-0 run. Nelson snapped the Penn State streak with a kill to keep the Badgers in it, but numerous attack errors prevented Wisconsin from mounting the critical comeback. Down 24-18, the Badgers stayed alive thanks to a Gillis kill and Penn State attack error, but the Nittany Lions sealed the victory with a final kill.

 

Nelson led with 10 kills, followed by Bates with nine and Williams with eight.

 

Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Carlini tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 36 assists and 10 digs.

 

Penn State outblocked the Badgers 7-5 and outdug UW 44-34. Nelson led with three blocks, while Bates, Williams and Kriskova tallied two each.