UW Badgers women’s volleyball sweeps Northern Illinois

(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON –  The Wisconsin volleyball team swept Northern Illinois (25-18, 25-18, 25-13) in its lone home match of the spring, cruising to a 3-0 victory behind a quality team effort at the UW Field House on Friday night. 

Newcomers Eva Travis and Jaela Auguste continued to be the staples offensively, each tallying 10 kills to guide the Badgers on the offensive end. The two combined for one attack error in 27 attempts, swinging .714 (20 – 1 – 27) on the evening. UW turned in a .525 hitting percentage (49 – 7 – 80) in Friday night’s battle.

Wisconsin jumped out to a quick start in set one of the match, leading 13-5 after 18 rallies. Auguste and Travis each made their presence felt early, racking up nine kills.

The Huskies provided a response to bring it within 17-14, but UW went on to rattle off a 4-0 burst behind the serving run of newcomer Audrey Flanagan. The freshman secured the final point of the set with a kill as well, earning a 25-18 victory in set one. 

Set two witnessed a back-and-forth affair, as the Badgers created some separation down the stretch to earn another 25-18 win. Freshman Halle Thompson enjoyed a strong showing, tallying the final kill of the set, as the freshman finished with seven in two sets of action. 

The Badgers pulled away quickly in set three, rattling off 11-straight points to take a 21-10 advantage behind the serving run turned in by libero Kristen Simon. Thompson concluded the match with a kill, improving UW’s record to 3-0 over the course of the spring season. 

Setter Charlie Fuerbringer continued to lead the way from the front row, accumulating a team-best 38 assists. Simon followed it up on the defensive end with 11 digs to pace the Badgers. 

Middle blocker Natalie Wardlow and Flanagan rounded out the offense with 13 combined kills on a .452 hitting percentage (14 – 3 – 28). 

UW wrapped up the exhibition with a 25-22 win in a bonus set to close out their time in Madison for the spring season.