Wisconsin’s volleyball team opened the season, splitting its first two matches at home over the weekend.
The Badgers, who entered the season ranked eighth in the nation, hosted the Opening Spike Classic at the Kohl Center featuring #14 Kansas, #12 Creighton and #5 Texas.
The Badgers defeated Kansas in a five-set thriller Friday night to open the season before suffering a loss at the hands of the Texas Longhorns Sunday afternoon.
The Badgers were swept 3-0 by Texas and seemed out of sync much of the afternoon.
The Longhorns capitalized on uncharacteristic errors by the Badgers, who struggled to find any soft spots in the Longhorns’ defense. The Badgers suffered twice as many service errors as Texas and, even on the attack, had 26 errors compared to only 10 for their opponent.
“We had way too many overpasses,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “Defensively, they were awfully good in the backcourt…making some unbelievable digs on some great shots and they were able to win those rallies.”
The Badgers were led by redshirt sophomore Grace Egan, who had 16 kills and 3 blocks, bouncing back from a tough outing for her in the Kansas opener.
“Going into the match, I just got to watch film and see what I did wrong and see that I’m better than that,” Egan said of her preparation between contests. “Teammates and coaches were like, “Remember who you are, go back out there and light it up.”
Egan used her elite athleticism to deliver skywalking overhangs and spikes. Her trademark scream echoed through the Kohl Center whenever she served and was spectacular during a Wisconsin first-set rally.
Texas took a commanding 15-9 lead early in the first set, with Wisconsin looking overmatched. The Badgers, led in large part by hard hitting from Ana Vajagic and Egan, brought the Kohl Center to life with a big comeback.
Wisconsin was able to force extra points in the first set, which Texas ultimately won 29-27.
The second set was nip-and-tuck until a score from Vajagic, which would have tied the set at 20, was reversed, giving Texas a 21-19 lead. Texas won the second set 25-20.
The Badgers looked out of gas in the third set, with Texas running up a 20-9 lead before finishing off Wisconsin 25-14.
“We had our chances in the first set to close that sucker out,” Sheffield said. “In the second set we made some mental mistakes. It got away from us in the third set.”
Many of the players seemed flat and discombobulated compared to Friday’s efforts. Senior transfer Mimi Colyer, who dominated Kansas, held her own against Texas with 14 kills but missed the mark on many of her shots.
“Nobody likes losing, especially on this team,” Colyer said. “This gives us a chance to go through this loss and implement the changes we saw through this loss.”
The Opening Spike Classic itself was a success, drawing 11,678 fans to the Kohl Center for Sunday’s contest against Texas.
The Badgers return to the UW Field House, where the team has been virtually invincible over the last five years, for their next contest on Sept.4 against UC-Davis at 7pm.
“We have a plan already on what we’re going to do,” Egan said. “We’ll be watching film and being in the gym. We’re gonna learn from it.”
