After sweep of TCU, will Wisconsin's volleyball team become No. 1 in the nation?
The Wisconsin volleyball team completed the first weekend of the season with one victory over a ranked opponent and another over a team receiving votes in the poll.
Will the Badgers be rewarded for their work?
UW entered the season ranked No. 2 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The nation's No. 1 team, Texas, lost its season opener Friday before sweeping Loyola Marymount on Saturday, creating the chance for a change at the top of the rankings.
Wisconsin did its part Saturday with a 3-0 victory over TCU in a Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge match played at Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The victory followed a 3-1 win over No. 15 Baylor on Friday.
The match vs. TCU, which received votes in the preseason poll, was the third between the teams in the last year. Wisconsin swept the previous two meetings, beating the Horned Frogs in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge last year and in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday, the Badgers won, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21, as coach Kelly Sheffield tested a different lineup than he used in Game 1. Graduate transfer Temi Thomas-Ailara, who had 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage Friday, didn’t play. Instead, junior Julia Orzol, the Game 1 libero, started at outside hitter. Sophomore Gulce Gucteckin, a defensive specialist Friday, returned to the starting lineup at libero and finished with 10 digs and three assists.
"That is one of the flexibilities we have," Sheffield said in a postgame interview on the Big Ten Network. "'We've got some people who can do some different things."
Senior right-side hitter Devyn Robinson did the heavy lifting offensively. She posted 15 kills and a .545 hitting percentage with four blocks.
“With how they defend we thought she would be someone we would be getting the ball to quite a bit,” Sheffield said on the Badgers’ postgame radio show. “Fifteen kills, three errors in 22 attempts. … One of the things I told her is I thought she was really patient.”
Junior outside hitter Sarah Franklin posted 11 kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Orzol (eight kills, 11 digs), junior middle blocker Anna Smrek (six kills, two blocks) and sophomore middle Carter Booth (seven blocks) were also productive.
With setters Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill combining for 37 assists, Wisconsin hit. .344. The Horned Frogs, who played without standout Audrey Nalls due to injury, hit .120 with no players reaching double-digit kills.
The Badgers led by as many as eight points in an impressive first set. They pulled away midway through the second set, closing that portion of with a 10-4 run. UW didn't relinquish the lead in the final set after a run of three kills by Robinson in a 4-0 run gave the team an 11-15 edge.
Was the performance along with the team's play Friday enough make it the nation's No. 1 team? The Badgers will find out when the next poll is released Tuesday.
UW received 40 more points in the preseason ranking than No. 3 Stanford, but the Cardinal received more first-place votes (13-7).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball sweeps TCU, could take over No. 1 spot in poll
