Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Maryland, improves to 17-0 for best start in program history

MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team made history Sunday. The plan is that it won’t be the last time.

The top-ranked Badgers swept Maryland Sunday in front of a sellout crowd of 7,229 at the UW Field House. The win raises their record to 17-0, the best start in program history, and 8-0 in the Big Ten.

The previous mark of 16-0 was set during the 2020 season that was played in the winter and spring of 2021. That team went 16-0 on the way to reaching the national championship game

This year’s team isn’t focused on that big ticket item. Instead, its focused at the moment has turned to Ohio State, UW’s opponent Wednesday night.

“We love the next-game challenge,” junior outside hitter Sarah Franklin said. “As soon as we finish a game it’s ‘Alright, who’s next. What are we doing? How are we getting back into the gym to get better’ because we always look back on games and we’re like 'We can get a couple of more points here, smooth out the errors there.

“I think it’s really fun for us to be able to go back in each game to smooth everything out to continue to press to see how good we can be.”

Sarah Franklin has another .300 hitting performance

The 25-15, 25-12, 25-16 victory over the Terrapins was fueled by another productive afternoon by Franklin and junior Anna Smrek. And with the Badgers' passing on point and the defense contesting every ball before it hit the floor, they managed their seventh match hitting .300 or better while holding Maryland (13-7, 3-5) to a 0.29 hitting percentage. That is the lowest Wisconsin has held an opponent this season.

Franklin (18 kills, .318) raised her hitting percentage to .341 in Big Ten play. Smrek (11 kills, .500) reached double-digits kills for the third straight match.

Graduate student Izzy Ashburn recorded a career-high 35 assists and with 11 digs posted her ninth career double-double. Junior Julia Orzol finished with 15 digs along with Franklin and defensive specialists Gulce Guctekin and Joslyn Boyer was critical to a smooth passing day for the team.

“I thought the kid that is sitting right next to me had a special match,” UW coach Kelly Sheffield said of Orzol. “It was a lot of balls that were coming her way that she controlled and scrambled and just fought to keep off the ground.”

UW rewarded for its hustle on defense

The mark of the match was its rallies. Countless times UW players hit the deck or extended themselves to make saves. Many of the plays eventually led to points.

Franklin finished a couple of those plays.

“It’s a lot of fun to come off a block and turn around and see Ozzie in the back row in the air digging a ball," she said. "It just makes me want to work hard to get a (transition attempt) and get a kill for that. It builds momentum.”

The team was so sharp that it didn’t miss All-American right-side hitter Devyn Robinson (shoulder) and setter MJ Hammill (head), who both missed their second straight game due to injury.

The sweep extended the team's streak of consecutive sets won to 27, the longest streak in Division I this season. Twenty-four of those sets have come in Big Ten play, just two short of the program record for conference play. The Badgers overall record of 33 for consecutive sets won was set by the 2000 team.

“If you ask some of us, we probably wouldn’t know how many sets in a row we’ve won,” Orzol said. “I don’t think we pay too much attention to the numbers. … It’s always what’s next. I feel like that is the biggest thing.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball beats Maryland, 17-0 start best in Badger history