Wisconsin moves on with 3-1 win
Coming off of a five set win over Tennessee on Thursday night, Michelle Collier’s Jackets looked to advance to their second straight Sweet 16. Tech looked to knock off second-seeded Wisconsin and win for the second time in two nights at UW Field House. The Jackets entered Friday’s matchup having played five straight five-set matches, including a home tilt against Stanford and a road matchup with top overall seed Pitt.
A small but loud crowd of Jacket fans crowded behind the Institute’s bench as the 7500 seat venue filled with Badger faithful. Tech played a tough game that Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield described as “gritty,” but ultimately fell in four sets in Madison.
The Badgers finished third in the Big Ten, two games behind national one-seeds Penn State and Nebraska. Wisconsin boasts four Big Ten titles and four Final Four appearances since 2019, including a 2021 national championship. The Badgers are led by 6’9” senior Anna Smrek, who paced the team with 14 kills in their opening round sweep over Fairfield.
Collier praised the effort this season: “An amazing season for us, something to be really proud of, getting back into the tournament. It’s not easy.” Senior Bianca Bertolino reflected on her time at Tech, saying through tears, “They were the best four years of my life. It was amazing going through the ups and downs.” Senior Lauren Sanden added, “I have friends and teammates for life.”
Wisconsin’s coach praised Bertolino and Tamara Otene, saying, “Their outsides are a handful, to take 60 swings each last night and over 50 tonight is really impressive.” He also lauded the game as a whole, opening the UW press conference with a long pause before saying, “NCAA volleyball at its peak right there.”
How it happened
Set 1 (27-25 Tech) (1-0 Tech)
The opening frame kicked off with four ties in a row, with the two squads trading points before an 8-3 Badger run that led to a Jacket timeout. Tech recorded five total errors before the break, but regrouped with cleaner play and chipped away at the lead before a blistering serve by Bertolino forced a Wisconsin timeout with the hosts leading 22-19.
A 6-1 Jacket run around the break tied the set at 23, and Tech weathered the first two set points before taking the first set 27-25. Despite 11 total errors and being outblocked 5-0, a strong attack that produced 20 kills gave the Jackets a one set lead in Madison.
Stats via Wisconsin
Set 2 (25-20 Wisconsin) (1-1)
Wisconsin opened set two with an ace before a long rally by Tech was finished off with a strong Bertolino kill. The game’s first review upheld a Tech kill before the first Jacket block of the night knotted the third of five straight ties in another back and forth start. Wisconsin began to build a lead, but Otene’s 10th kill of the night capped a 4-0 Tech run to take back the lead.
The Badgers responded with a 3-0 run and later opened a 22-16 lead after a Tech service error and two straight Wisconsin aces. The Jackets again fended off a couple of set points before a blast by Smrek tied the match at one set apiece. Tech found more success at the net, outblocking the Badgers and finding more holes in their front line, but late errors sank the second set.
Stats via Wisconsin
Set 3 (25-23 Wisconsin) (2-1 Wisconsin)
Otene grabbed a double double with her tenth dig on the opening point of set three, but Wisconsin followed that effort with a 6-0 run, forcing an early Tech timeout. The Jackets chipped away at the deficit, drawing within two on multiple occasions before finally tying the set at 22 and sending the hosts into a timeout.
The teams swapped kills out of the break, but Wisconsin took the match lead with a 25-23 third set win. Bertolino found her form in the frame with six kills after recording six in the first two sets combined. Tech’s error count dropped for the second straight set, but the Badgers’ .268 hitting percentage was their best of the match and gave them their first frame with more kills than the Jackets.
Stats via Wisconsin
Set 4 (25-21 Wisconsin) (3-1 Wisconsin)
In an effort to keep blood pressure high, the fourth set again opened with several ties in a row, with the first multipoint lead going to Wisconsin at 9-7. There were 10 ties between 1-1 and 11-11. Wisconsin played an exceptionally clean set, but Tech stayed close and knotted the score at 20 late in the set.
The Badgers responded with a 5-1 run to close out the match and move on to the Sweet 16. They will face the winner of Texas A&M and Arizona State. Collier’s team falls after a fifth straight season with at least one NCAA tournament win.
Stats via Wisconsin
Takeaways
Anna Smrek is really tall. Wisconsin’s length at the net was apparent with their significant block margin (14-6 for the game) led by Smrek and Carter Booth, both of whom are at least 6’7”.
Self-inflicted mistakes sank the day. 27 attacking errors, 8 service errors, 4 receiving errors. Wisconsin only recorded one attacking error the entire final set.
UW Field House is massive for a volleyball-focused venue. The jumbotron at midcourt took a couple hits from balls that ricocheted into the sky after hard attacks, and fans stretched into the rafters high above the court. The UW broadcast called the venue “the toughest place to play in the nation,” and reporting from press row it is verifiably loud.
Five straight five-set matches, including one 24 hours before this match, is a lot of volleyball in a short span. Tech fought hard late into long sets and almost had their sixth straight match go the distance. Sanden acknowledged the fatigue, saying, “They had a really good block so it was tough on our hitters to keep swinging point after point, but I thought that we pushed through after a lot of volleyball.”
Bertolino’s serves are crowd pleasers even outside of O’Keefe — oohs and ahs were audible every time one of her strikes whistled over the net.
Match Leaders
Kills: Tamara Otene (GT) – 21
Assists: Charlie Fuerbringer (UW) – 49
Digs: Charlie Fuerbringer (UW) – 21
Points: Tamara Otene (GT) – 21.5
Hit % (min. 10 attempts): DeAndra Pierce (GT) – .500
Blocks: Anna Smrek (UW)/Carter Booth (UW) – 8