MADISON, Wis. — The Badgers passed their first test of the NCAA Tournament with flying colors on Friday, setting up a second round match with a familiar foe.
Wisconsin will take on TCU on Saturday at the UW Field House, their second time facing the Horned Frogs this year.
In a full-circle moment, both teams began their season against each other on August 26 in Fort Worth. Just a few months later, Wisconsin are hosting TCU and one team’s season will come to an end.
The last meeting between these two went in the Badgers’ favor. Wisconsin got the sweep, with TCU never reaching the 20 point mark in any of the three sets.
Wisconsin’s success was largely due to the clinical nature of their attack. The Badgers committed just 4 attack errors compared to TCU’s 28. Sarah Franklin went on a kill streak, recording 12 on 27 attempts.
The Badgers also had a party at the net, recording a staggering 14 blocks. Anna Smrek recorded 9 block assists and Devyn Robinson added 7.
The Badgers were slightly less precise when beginning points, committing 9 service errors to TCU’s 8, however three separate Badgers each recorded a pair of aces.
The Horned Frogs come into Saturday’s contest on a six-match winning streak, including an upset victory in the first round over 8-seed Washington. It took four sets, but TCU proved too much for the Huskies.
TCU capitalized on Washington’s errors, and even won the match point on a service error by the Huskies. The Frogs weren’t spotless however, committing 20 attack errors of their own and 7 service errors.
Wisconsin enters the second round riding an incredible 19-match winning streak. The Badgers dominated their first round matchup with Quinnipiac, getting the sweep and allowing just 28 points. The Bobcats scored 15 points in the first set, but only 13 points in the next two sets combined.
Quinnipiac’s attack did themselves no favors, recording more attack errors than they did kills. Wisconsin recorded 7 aces and 10 blocks, and Devyn Robinson led the way with 11 kills.
With two teams riding high, Saturday’s match will be full of energy and exciting play.
The action begins at 6 p.m. CT at the UW Field House. The winner will play either Central Florida on Penn State in the Regional Semifinal on Dec. 8.
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