This time the Wisconsin Badgers' top-ranked volleyball team cruises by No. 21 Arkansas
Arkansas had its chance to upset the Wisconsin volleyball team Wednesday night.
Thursday the Razorbacks simply didn’t have a chance.
The Badgers, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, swept No. 21 Arkansas in front of 2,740 at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The victory came less than 24 hours after UW needed five sets and 2 hours 49 minutes to dispose of the Razorbacks.
Thursday the 25-22, 25-16, 25-17 victory took just 1 hour 45 minutes.
"I think today we really talked about having a fast start and attacking the other team and be ready on the attack,” outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara said on the Badgers postgame radio show. “They were on the attack last night and we were kind of on defense and I think today we attacked them.”
The performance featured a .345 to .160 advantage for the Badgers in hitting percentage, a defensive effort highlighted by a 67-38 edge in digs and offensive outburst that featured five players wiht at least eight kills. UW was also sharper from the service line, cutting down on its error and getting more aces (5-2).
Junior Sarah Franklin finished with a team-high 12 kills with a .270 hitting percentage and 11 digs. Senior Devyn Robinson added 11 kills (.409) followed by junior Anna Smrek (10, .562), Thomas-Ailara (nine, .217) and sophomore Carter Booth (eight, .636).
Setters MJ Hammill (21 assists, 12 digs) and Izzy Ashburn (20 assists, 11 digs) recorded double-doubles for the second straight night.
The Badgers dominated after a close first set, which ended with an 8-3 run sparked by four straight service points by sophomore Gulce Guctekin and two kills and a block by Robinson. UW led by nine points in the second and third sets, getting better the longer the set lasted.
The match was a good tune-up for the home opener at 1 p.m. Sunday vs. No. 24 Tennessee. Before the match the program’s 2022 Big Ten championship banner will be unveiled.
If Wisconsin matches its approach for that match to what we saw Thursday, the team will be tough to beat.
“We honed in our scouting report, on our details, on serve receive, getting back to Badger volleyball,” Franklin said. “That was the No. 1 thing coming into this match.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top-ranked Wisconsin volleyball cruises to sweep of No. 21 Arkansas
