(UW ATHLETICS) LOS ANGELES – The No. 8 Wisconsin volleyball team swept the UCLA Bruins (25-17, 25-22, 25-17) in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon.
Senior Eva Travis had season-best match, recording 11 kills behind a career-high .647 hitting percentage (11-0-17) while adding six digs and four blocks. Freshman Decelise Champion contributed a match-high 15 kills, and added eight blocks and seven digs.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer led the Badgers to a .354 hitting percentage (45 – 10 – 99), notching 32 assists on the evening. Libero Anna Bardaro added 10 digs, marking the 16th match this season that the freshman has recorded double-digit digs.
Wisconsin (16-6, 10-2) and UCLA (15-8, 6-6) traded points in the match’s opening minutes before a pair of blocks from Champion built a 5-1 run to give UW a 15-10 lead into the media timeout. The Badgers didn’t post a single error in that frame, combining for a .688 hitting percentage.
The teams continued to trade rallies down the stretch, before the Badgers used another 3-0 run to close out the set, 25-22.
UW exploded for a 12-2 run in the second set, charging to a 17-8 lead behind a strong blocking presence and four kills turned in by Travis. Champion also turned in five kills on five swings early in that frame to pad the Badgers’ lead.
A 5-0 run that featured a pair of blocks and Travis’ 10th kill of the evening helped Wisconsin to the 25-17 set win and 2-0 advantage heading into the third and final set.
Neither team could find much separation early in the third frame, as a solo block from Champion gave Wisconsin a narrow 15-14 lead into the media timeout.
The Badgers rattled off eight-straight points down the stretch to build a 21-14 lead and didn’t look back from there, claiming the set 25-17 and earn the sweep over the Bruins.
Wisconsin used a strong presence at the net to finish with a .354 hitting performance, also chipping in its second-best block count of the season with 14 to hold UCLA to a .142 performance (39-23-113).
With the win, the Badgers extend their unbeaten streak over unranked opponents to 90-straight matches.
Notes:
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The Badgers improve to 7-2 all-time over UCLA and 2-0 when playing in Los Angeles.
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Wisconsin held UCLA to a .142 (39-23-113) hitting percentage and the sixth match of the season where the Badgers held its opponent under .200.
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Sophomore Natalie Wardlow got her seventh start of the season at middle blocker against the Bruins. This is Wardlow’s first start since September 13 at Texas. Wardlow tallied four kills and added six blocks.
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Outside hitter Eva Travis clipped a career-best .647 with a 11-0-17 performance. The 11-kill performance marks her ninth match of the season with double-figure kills.
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Wisconsin tallied 14.0 blocks, their ninth match of the season with 10.0 blocks or more, and marks the team’s fourth-consecutive match with 10.0 blocks or more. The 14.0 blocks also marks the second-most blocks as a team so far this season.
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Freshman Decelise Champion led the Badgers with 15 kills while also hitting .344 (15-4-32). Champion now has nine match with double-figure kills. She also matched a career-best 8.0 blocks where she last achieved at Texas A&M on September 11.
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Libero Anna Bardaro reached double-figure digs for the 16th match this season.
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Wisconsin extends it’s win-streak over unranked opponents to 90 after the 3-0 sweep over UCLA.
Up Next: Wisconsin returns home to take on the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, Nov. 5. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. with the match airing on B1G+
