Molly Haggerty
The 7th-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team grabbed sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with a four set (25-22, 23-25, 30-28, 29-27) win over the Minnesota Gophers on Thursday night.
The Badgers (18-5, 14-1) won their second straight Border Battle match and notched their first win in the Maturi Pavillion since 2014.
The Badgers were led by Molly Haggerty with a season-high 24 kills. Dana Rettke followed with 21 kills and Grace Loberg pitched in with 19 as Wisconsin hit .313 (82 kills – 21 errors – 195 attempts) while holding Minnesota to .284 (64 – 16 – 169).
The lone blemish on the match for Wisconsin was a 13-4 tally in service errors, but the impressive offensive attack was enough to push the Badgers past the Gophers into sole possession of the Big Ten’s top spot.
The Badgers swept the Gophers for the first time since 2014, when UW won its last Big Ten Championship.
Wisconsin will look to maintain the Big Ten’s top spot as Michigan State comes to the UW Field House on Saturday (7 p.m.).