MADISON, Wis. -- Picking up its fifth-straight sweep and eighth-straight win, the No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team rolled past Iowa 25-20, 25-11, 25-14 on Saturday night.
 
In front of the fourth sold-out crowd of 6,012 at the UW Field House this season, the Badgers (20-6, 12-4 Big Ten) gave the fans plenty to cheer about with a season-best .424 hitting percentage (49 kills - 10 errors - 92 total attempts).
 
"We're getting better and I thought we had a good match against a team that's tough to play against," UW Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. "They served tough. They run an offense that's very, very difficult to defend. I thought we played well tonight."
 
With a match-high 13 kills, sophomore Kelli Bates couldn't be tamed as she overwhelmed the Iowa defense all night. Junior Haleigh Nelson followed with 11 kills and sophomore Lauryn Gillis recorded 10.
 
"I thought this kid right here (Bates) was fantastic tonight and I know that she's a competitor," Sheffield said. "Last time, we played these guys it wasn't her best match and you could tell that that was something that was important to her to come out and play well and I thought she was great."
 
Plagued by defensive struggles, the Badgers let the Hawkeyes stick around to start the match. UW was unable to make any significant runs but managed to control the first set. After tying it at 7-7, one kill apiece from freshman Tionna Williams and junior Lauren Carlini put the Badgers in the lead for the remainder of the set at 9-7. The Hawkeyes came as close as 11-10, but a 4-1 Badger run sparked by a block from Nelson and redshirt junior Romana Kriskova gave Wisconsin much-needed momentum to close out the set.
 
A Williams kill followed by a Hawkeye error forced Iowa to take a timeout while down 19-15, but five kills from five different Badgers closed the set. Nelson's second ace brought set point at 24-19, but an ensuing UW service error extended the set. Closing the set was Williams, who fired off a kill to give the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
 
The Badgers came out firing to start the second set and never eased up. After UW raced to an 8-1 lead behind two kills apiece by Nelson and Bates, Iowa called a timeout but the Badgers could not be slowed. Five kills in six points by Bates brought the score to 16-6 as the Hawkeyes had no answer to the sophomore's explosive hitting. Back-to-back Hawkeye kills made it 17-8, but Iowa would record only one more kill in the set thanks to an improved Badger defense. Two straight swings by Gillis made it set point at 24-10 and a Carlini kill after a UW service error sealed the set victory.
 
With a .654 hitting percentage in the second set, UW was unstoppable. All five Badgers that attempted kills hit .500 or better, including a perfect five-for-five line by Gillis.
 
With Wisconsin's fifth-straight sweep within reach, UW fired on all cylinders throughout the third set to dismantle the Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes came as close as 11-9 after two straight Badger errors, but a 4-0 run fueled by a kill and ace from Bates gave UW a comfortable 15-9 lead. Nelson's third service ace of the match followed by a block from Williams and freshman Madison Duello put Wisconsin up 19-10. Three straight Badger kills and a Hawkeye error forced the Iowa timeout at 23-12, but a Hawkeye error after a kill coming out of the timeout brought match point at 24-13. After a kill by Jess Janota kept the Hawkeyes alive, freshman Julia Saunders fired off a kill to complete the sweep.
 
Holding Iowa to just .106 (25-15-94), the Badger defense shined in all areas of the court as UW outblocked Iowa 8-2 and outdug it 44-30.
 
Senior Taylor Morey tallied a match-high 16 digs followed by freshman Amber MacDonald with eight and Bates with seven.
 
At the net, Nelson led with four blocks and Kriskova put up three.
 
Junior Lauren Carlini put up a match-high 36 assists. The setter also chipped in four digs, three kills and one block.
 
"I think we feel it kind of within the team that we know we're getting better," Bates said. "This is what should be happening going into the postseason is we should be hitting that peak and everybody should be playing their best.
 
"I think we're definitely in that right direction and I think things are definitely coming together in our favor."
 
Up next, the Badgers hit the road to face No. 16 Illinois on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (CT) in Huff Hall live on the Big Ten Network. UW won its first meeting against the Illini this season in a 3-1 upset victory.