Wisconsin Badgers
12-5,6-1Big Ten
Maryland
12-6,2-5Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 18 | 23 | 18 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
No. 6 Badgers sweep Maryland
October 16, 2026 | Volleyball
UW picks up its second conference sweep
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team swept the Maryland Terrapins in straight sets (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) at the Field House on Friday night behind a strong hitting performance.
The Badgers (11-5, 5-1) combined for a .344 hitting percentage while tallying 11 blocks, holding Maryland (12-6, 2-5) to a .155 performance. Freshman middle blocker Lynney Tarnow notched a new career-high in blocks, tallying eight on the night.
Freshman Decelise Champion led the Badgers with 17 kills on a .552 hitting percentage, also contributing six digs and five blocks. Halle Thompson added seven kills and nine digs, as Jaela Auguste and Eva Travis chipped in six kills each.
Wisconsin opened the match strong, jumping out to a 8-2 lead behind strong hitting. The Badgers combined for a .500 hitting percentage (15 - 3 - 24) to cruise through the first set 25-18 with five different Badgers tallying kills.
In the second set, UW charged back from an early deficit, finding momentum off a pair of 3-0 runs thanks to a pair of kills from Champion to grab an 11-8 lead. Thompson pitched in her own pair of kills to help lift the Badgers to a narrow 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout.
The two teams traded points down the stretch before Maryland used a 3-0 burst to grab a 21-18 lead heading late into the set. The Badgers swiftly responded, however, claiming five of the last six rallies to win the set 25-23 and grab a 2-0 edge into the third frame.
The Badgers recorded three consecutive blocks down the stretch in the third set to build a 4-0 run for an 18-10 lead. Maryland found a late push, claiming four straight rallies before a service error sealed the set, 25-18, lifting the Badgers to the match win. Champion continued her success at the net, recording six of her 17 kills in that frame to help pad the win.
With the win, Wisconsin remains undefeated at the Field House this season and improves to 5-1 in conference play.
Straight from the Court:
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on the defensive performance):
"These two [Simon and Bardaro] right here, I thought, did a fantastic job with our first contact and owning that part, and kind of set the tone from there."
"It was an efficient evening from her [Decelise]. She was working the court; you know, she wasn't hitting one shot or two shots; she worked the entire court. She worked different depths of the court. Charlie was putting her in a lot of different situations, and when the ball wasn't there for her in her wheelhouse, she was being smart of where she was hacking."
Sophomore Kristen Simon (on Maryland's offense):
"They run a very fast offense, so it was just taking our game plan and implementing that into our game and seeing what they are doing on their side and really just taking away the shots that they wanted to hit."
Freshman Anna Bardaro (on the defensive performance):
"We're working a lot on defense and don't hesitate on the balls. I think we start in a good mood, then during the game, we start to lose these things, but like at the end on the third one I saw, like everyone was trying to go to take the ball. I can start to see the work that we are doing."
Notes:
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With the 3-0 sweep, Wisconsin improved to 15-1 all-time against Maryland and 9-0 when playing in Madison.
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The Badgers totaled a .344 hitting clip (42-10-93), hitting .300 or better for the eighth time this season.
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Wisconsin reached double-digit blocks for the fifth time this season with 11.0, led by freshman Lynney Tarnow who totaled a team-best eight.
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Freshman Halle Thompson got her third start of the season, and first since Auburn on September 3. Thompson collected seven kills on 19 swings.
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Libero Anna Bardaro tallied her 13th match with double-digit digs. Bardaro had a match-high 15 digs against the Hawkeyes.
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Opposite Decelise Champion set a career-best hitting percentage against the Terrapins, swinging a .552, with a 17 kill performance. This also marks her sixth match with double-figure kills.
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Middle blocker Lynney Tarnow set a new career-high with eight blocks against Maryland. She previously totaled six blocks four times this season and most recently at Minnesota on October 4.
Up Next: Wisconsin hits the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday, Oct. 18. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. with the match airing on Big Ten Network.
