The No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers opened up conference play on Friday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and did so emphatically with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-12 sweep at the UW Field House.
The first set started quite competitively, as the Scarlet Knights actually took an 11-8 lead after a 3-0 run. But, the Badgers had a run of their own, going on a 9-2 streak to take a 17-13 lead. From there, it was all Wisconsin, who finished the set off on an 8-2 run to take the 1-0 lead.
In the second set, it was Wisconsin
who took an early control, as three straight kills, an attack error, and a service ace put them up 11-6 early. Even with a 4-0 Rutgers run in response, the Badgers led comfortably for the remainder of the set, never relinquishing their lead en route to another 25-17 set win.
In the third set, the Badgers started off scorching hot, taking the first five points, primarily via Rutgers errors. From there, the Scarlet Knights never stood a chance as Wisconsin ran away with a 25-12 set win for the sweep, marking their seventh straight victory and their first of the Big Ten season.
It was a strong team effort for the Badgers, with Mimi Colyer leading the way with 10 kills. Carter Booth and Una Vajagic each had seven, with the former also having four blocks. Defensively, Alicia Andrew led the way with seven blocks, while freshman Madison Quest added four of her own.
The 8-1 Badgers will now move on to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday, heading on the road to continue Big Ten play. Iowa has started the year 10-3, including a 3-0 win over the Maryland Terrapins earlier this week.
