Wisconsin Badgers
Butler (Exhibition)
Badgers sweep Butler in final exhibition match
August 14, 2026 | Volleyball
UW wraps up exhibition slate with strong showing from the service line
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team swept Butler in straight sets (25-14, 25-10, 25-13, 30-28) to close out its exhibition slate on Friday evening. Tonight's exhibition match included an additional fourth set guaranteed.
Grace Egan led the Wisconsin offense with nine kills and four aces through the first three sets. Lynney Tarnow added seven kills of her own, as Eva Travis and Audrey Flanagan each added five. Charlie Fuerbringer stuffed the stat sheet with 32 assists and nine digs in a near double-double to close out the night.
Senior Grace Lopez saw front row action this match, tallying two kills and helping bolster the Badgers' performance from the service line with four aces. Wisconsin combined for 14 aces on the night to help secure the sweep. Fellow senior Grace Egan also had four aces.
Wisconsin opened the first set with a series of 3-0 runs thanks to kills from Egan and Tarnow. Lopez notched four of her four aces in the first set alone, helping the Badgers seal the 25-14 win.
The Badgers came out of the gates in the second and third sets, grabbing the early lead and never looked back. Fuerbringer continued to provide a spark, adding nine assists in the third set to help the team cruise to the 25-14 win to secure the sweep.
Wisconsin closed out the night by grabbing the additional fourth set win, 30-28, led by Flanagan who notched nine kills just in that final set.
Straight from the Court:
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on closing out the four sets):
"The ability to never give up on yourselves or the team is a quality that a lot of teams look to have. I thought we did a good job with the energy, the crowd behind us and just digging in there."
Sheffield (on Egan's versatility):
"Egan can impact the game in a lot of ways. She played opposite for two sets tonight and played on the left side for one set. She's got that ability of going back and forth."
Kristen Simon (on the Field House energy):
"The crowd always does a really good job pouring into us. Their energy means so much to us at every point, especially when they get up on their feet. It really fires us up a lot and keeps us going."
Up Next: Wisconsin kicks off its regular season against No. 3 Kentucky at the AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee on Friday, Aug. 21. First serve is set for 8 p.m.
