Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – Seniors Kelli Bates and Lauryn Gillis teamed up to lead the fifth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team to its first Big Ten Conference win of the season. The Badgers swept No. 20 Michigan, 25-11, 30-28, 25-13, at the UW Field House Sunday afternoon.
 
Wisconsin (10-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) was unstoppable in the first set, hitting .500 (12 kills – 2 errors – 20 attempts). UW hit .359 (44-11-92) for the match and held the Wolverines (10-4, 0-2) to .079 (32-24-101), their lowest percentage of the season.
 
Bates led all players with 12 kills while adding seven digs and three blocks. Gillis also scored double-digit kills, earning 12 putaways. The 6-1 outside hitter added three digs, including two late in the second set, and two blocks.
 
Freshman Dana Rettke was a force to be reckoned with behind the service line. The middle blocker collected a career-high five aces. The Badgers scored six aces and held Michigan to two.
 
Rettke also earned a match-high and career-high nine blocks as UW out-blocked the Wolverines 13-6. Redshirt sophomore Madison Duello tied her career high with eight stuffs.
 
The Badgers earned a 36-30 advantage in digs. Sophomore M.E. Dodge had a team-high nine digs with Bates and Sarah Dodd each adding seven.

Notables

• Freshman Dana Rettke set a career high with five service aces, including four in the third set. Her total ties for second on the UW three-set match record list under 25-point rally scoring. The 6-8 middle blocker also recorded a career-high nine blocks.
• Redshirt sophomore Madison Duello tied her career best with eight blocks.
• Senior Kelli Bates tied her career best, hitting .500 (12-1-22).
• The Badgers have now won eight straight matches over the Wolverines.
• Wisconsin picked up its eighth sweep of the season.
• Michigan hit a season-low .079 (32-24-101).
• Sophomore Sara Dodd had seven digs in the match to go over 100 saves for her career.

 

Badger BLOCK

 

Quotable

"I thought we rebounded from Friday really, really well. We came back in to practice yesterday and watched film, and I thought we had the energy that you like to see from your team coming back whether it's a win or a loss, just ready.
 
"Today I thought we had laser-like focus all the way through, from the get-go, even throughout game two. Coming out of the locker room, up 2-0, and again, laser-like focus in the third set. I thought we showed an awful lot of maturity coming back from Friday night, and I thought that lasted all the way throughout the match."

- Head coach Kelly Sheffield 

"The Big Ten is just different. You always have to be ready to battle. We beat Michigan today in the first set, then came back big in the second set. You can't really take a point off in the Big Ten and that just shows that. In the third set we just locked back in and handled them there. 
 
- Senior Lauryn Gillis

It was over when

With the second set coming to a close, the Badgers and Wolverines were knotted up at 22 apiece. Two straight points from U-M gave the visitors match point at 24-22. Lauryn Gillis sprang to life with back-to-back kills, evening the match at 24 all.
 
Wisconsin and Michigan traded match points before tying the frame again at 28-28. A UM attack error and a kill from Kelli Bates sealed the deal, lifting Wisconsin to a 30-28 victory in the period.
 
The Badgers held off four set points by Michigan while UW converted its third set point.

Up next

The Badgers travel to Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday for a 7 p.m. match with the Hawkeyes from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Wisconsin continues its road trip, taking on No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.