No. 11 Badgers fall to No. 1 Nebraska

Friday, October 31

Madison, WI

8 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

15-4,8-3Big Ten

Nebraska

21-0,11-0Big Ten

Nebraska

Wisconsin

No. 11 Badgers fall to No. 1 Nebraska

October 31, 2025 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Post-Match Presser

UW struggles in ranked battle

By: Maddox Durst

MADISON, Wis. - The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 1 Nebraska (22-25, 19-25, 13-25) in their Halloween battle, as the Cornhuskers handed the Badgers their third conference loss of the year.

Nebraska (21-0, 11-0) extended their undefeated season with the help of a strong showing in the first set, winning five-of-six rallies early on to get out to a 7-4 advantage.

After going back-and-forth throughout, the Badgers (15-4, 8-3) rallied back with the help of middle blocker Natalie Wardlow's prowess behind the service line, as the freshman racked up three aces in set one to help tie the match at 18-18.

The Cornhuskers responded by taking four of the next five points via a handful of kills, as their offense finished with a .349 hitting percentage, the highest Wisconsin has allowed in the season.

Middle blocker Carter Booth brought it within one with a kill, but Nebraska was able to finish it off with a 22-25 set one victory.

It was more of the same for the Cornhuskers set two, as they put together multiple 3-0 runs to eventually pull away from the Badgers—taking a 2-0 lead with a 19-25 victory.

Nebraska utilized a pair of 6-0 bursts in set three to complete the sweep over Wisconsin, notching their fourth-straight win over the Badgers.

Outside hitter Mimi Colyer led the way for UW with 14 kills, tallying double-digit kills in her 18th match this year. Defensively, libero Kristen Simon continued her quality play, notching double-digit digs for the 10th consecutive match with 10 digs.

Wardlow ended Friday night with four service aces, good for a new career-high.

Right side Grace Egan rounded out the performers for the Badgers, finishing with a hitting percentage of .471 (9 - 1 - 17), good for her second-highest mark on the season.

Straight from the Court
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on the serving effort tonight): "I thought we put a lot of pressure behind the service line in quite a few of our rotations. We're going after them, I think we're capable of being an elite serving team. I thought there were some rotations tonight where we were that, against one of the best passing teams in the country."

(On the energy of conference play): "Every match counts the same in the Big Ten, but the energy in the buildings are just different. Whether it's here or on the road, there's a different type of juice in the building. That was the first time for most of our players of experiencing what I think is the best rivalry in our sport. We'll learn from it, we'll grow from it, and move forward."

Outside Hitter Mimi Colyer (on freshman Natalie Wardlow): "I think Nat's a little firecracker when she gets going. I think we all have so much trust in her to get back there and put a good ball in. We do not like passing against her in practice — she knows she's one of our best servers. It's been so fun to watch her grow in that area and grow in her confidence when she gets back behind that service line. We just have the utmost confidence in her when she gets back there."

Libero Kristen Simon (on the team's defensive effort): "Obviously, they're a great team, they're going to get their digs. It's just recollecting yourself and just going out swinging again. It's finding ways to keep finding space on the court, and it's just the mentality — got to keep playing and keeping the ball alive."

Notes:

For the 10th-straight match, libero Kristen Simon tallied double-digit digs. Simon led the team with 10 digs.
Senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer paced the Badgers with a team-high 14 kills. She has now totaled double-digit kills in every match but one this season.
This marks just the third match this season where the Badgers have been outblocked. Wisconsin totaled 3.0 blocks to Nebraska's 9.5.
Freshman Natalie Wardlow set a career-best with four service aces.
Redshirt sophomore Grace Egan hit a season-best .471 against the Huskers. Egan chipped in with nine kills on 17 swings (9-1-17).
Nebraska has now won four-straight over Wisconsin and improves in the overall series 24-13-1.

Up Next: The Badgers hit the road to complete their weekend slate, as they will take on Ohio State at the Covelli Center on Sunday, Nov. 2. First serve is set for 11:00 a.m. CT and the match will be televised on Big Ten Network.