After defeating Milwaukee and California in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Wisconsin volleyball team advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2006. The team will face off against Florida State Friday December 13th at 4 p.m.
“It’s cool. I don’t know if there’s a better way of saying it,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said. “We’re going to go there, we’re going to give it our best shot.”
The Badgers swept Milwaukee in a 3-0 victory Friday night, advancing them to the second round against California Saturday night. Wisconsin pulled off another sweep, defeating the Bears 25-19, 25-18, and 25-21.
“I think a lot of people were not expecting us to get this far and do as well as we have so far. So we’re just going to continue to keep proving people wrong and we know that it’s do-or-die,” Freshman Lauren Carlini said. “It’s just a complete team effort that is going to make us win in the end.”
Wisconsin’s offense was on fire Saturday night with a .404 attacking percentage. Juniors Ellen Chapman and Deme Morales led the offense with 14 and 10 kills, respectively.
California, whose players are known for their height and deep attacks, was no match for Wisconsin’s defense. The Badgers out-dug the Bears 45-38, with senior Annemarie Hickey leading with 18 digs.
“We just battled our hearts out there and we just really wanted to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that we can do this,” Hickey said.