The Wisconsin Badgers had a successful week during the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, as they beat both the No. 17 Florida Gators and the Auburn Tigers at the UW Field House, which included their first sweep of the season.
After a tough outing at the Opening Spike Classic where the Badgers were undermanned, Wisconsin was looking to start strong at the Field House, and its first match against Florida was a thriller.
In front of a sold-out crowd, the Badgers beat the Gators 25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26, 15-13 in five hard-fought sets, with freshman Audrey Flanagan leading the way with 18 kills, nine digs, and three blocks. Grace Egan had 17 kills as well, as Wisconsin finished the match with 71 kills to Florida's 57.
The Badgers still had a good number of errors (27), but it was a strong collective effort from the team. Fellow freshman Lynney Tarnow also added 16 kills, while Charlie Fuerbringer had 55 assists and 15 digs.
Wisconsin had a much smoother game on Thursday when they faced Auburn, as they swept the Tigers 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 to record their first sweep of the season.
This time, it was another freshman who led the way with kills, as Halle Thompson had 11 kills and 11 digs, while transfer Eva Travis had 10 kills as well.
Wisconsin had 46 total kills, to Auburn's 33, and committed 14 errors, while hitting .305 to Auburn's .196. Charlie Fuerbringer had her second double-double of the week with 36 assists and 12 digs.
In this one, Wisconsin got off to a hot start in the first set and never trailed, despite a late run from Auburn. The second set was quite tight to start, with both sides tied at 13 halfway through the set. But the Badgers had a 6-0 run and were in control to end the set, winning 25-17.
In the third set, Auburn took an early lead, but the Badgers rattled off five points in a row to respond, and the two sides went back and forth, tying up at 17 apiece. But Wisconsin ended the set on an 8-3 run, securing the sweep and capping a successful week at the Field House.
Next up, the Badgers play the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies in College Station next Friday before facing the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Sunday in another pair of tough matches. They've been tested quite a bit to open the season, and we'll see how they respond in two more exciting matchups.
