Seniors Kelli Bates and Lauryn Gillis teamed up to lead the 5th-ranked Wisconsin women’s volleyball team to its first Big Ten Conference win of the season. The Badgers swept No. 20 Michigan, 25-11, 30-28, 25-13, at the UW Field House on Sunday afternoon.
Wisconsin (10-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) was unstoppable in the first set, hitting .500 (12 kills – 2 errors – 20 attempts). UW hit .359 (44-11-92) for the match and held the Wolverines (10-4, 0-2) to .079 (32-24-101), their lowest percentage of the season.
Bates led all players with 12 kills while adding seven digs and three blocks. Gillis also scored double-digit kills, earning 12 putaways.
Freshman Dana Rettke was a force behind the service line. The middle blocker collected a career-high five aces. The Badgers scored six aces and held Michigan to two.
Rettke also earned a match-high and career-high nine blocks as UW out-blocked the Wolverines 13-6. Redshirt sophomore Madison Duello tied her career high with eight stuffs.
The Badgers travel to Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday for a 7 p.m. match with the Hawkeyes from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Wisconsin continues its road trip, taking on No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.