Kelly Sheffield came away from Wisconsin’s road win at Iowa talking less about the scoreline and more about the parts of the game that usually get buried underneath it.
The Badgers opened Sunday afternoon with a fast start, then lost their rhythm in the second and third sets before grinding out the third-set win. They dropped the second set 28-26, and while it wasn’t a clean performance overall, Sheffield said the piece that stood out most was how his team defended.
"This match was about our defense," Sheffield said after the match. "We were really, really good defensively. We were making great efforts in the backcourt and working hard in transition."
That showed up in plenty of places. Jaela Auguste delivered a career-high 20 kills, a number that will jump off the page no matter what else happened. Charlie Fuerbringer piled up 55 assists, while Decelise Champion and Lynney Tarnow also finished with double-digit kills.
Still, the night belonged to the backcourt as much as anyone at the net. Wisconsin had just one reception error against Audrey Flanagan, who handled 30 receptions and still posted a huge percentage.
She also added seven digs. Kristen Simon had 19 receptions, Anna Bardaro had 11, and Bardaro led the team with 15 digs.
Iowa clearly kept testing Flanagan, but the true freshman held up. That kind of steadiness was a big reason Sheffield kept returning to the theme of transition defense and effort.
Wisconsin also finished with seven total blocks and limited Iowa to a .223 hitting percentage for the match. The Badgers only really slipped in one set, the second, when Iowa hit .405. Wisconsin’s other set opponents hit .077, .212 and .120.
For Sheffield, that defensive effort connected directly to what he has wanted to see since the Nebraska match. Nebraska, the No. 1 team in the AVCA poll, owns the nation’s best defense and is undefeated for a reason. After Wisconsin was swept by the Huskers, Sheffield said the Badgers have the talent to get to that level, but it has to be earned in practice.
Now Wisconsin gets another test with No. 20 Washington next on the schedule.
The bigger question from here is whether the Badgers can keep this level of defense going - and whether Grace Egan can return. She has been in uniform and on the bench for the last two games, but is not fully recovered yet.
In Other News...
Wisconsin O-Line Frustration Just Turned Into A Bigger Badgers Problem
Wisconsins offensive line left the loss to UCLA with more than just the usual postgame disappointment. The frustration was visible, and Kevin Heywood did not hide it afterward, publicly taking aim at a teammates performance while making it clear that most of the unit had done its part. For a group that has long been expected to set the tone for the offense, the disappointment was as much about execution as it was about the way the room looked coming out of the defeat.
The attention now shifts to PJ Wilkins, whose place in the lineup has already been a moving target. He had been benched before returning to the starting five because of injury, and the bigger question for Wisconsin is how coaches handle the mix of accountability and motivation from here. When an offensive line starts airing its frustrations in public, it usually means the concern goes beyond one game, and the Badgers will need to find a way to keep the group aligned before the problem gets any larger. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Heads Home With One Big Concern Before USC
Wisconsin left its Week 7 loss to UCLA with more questions than answers on offense, and the biggest ones came in the same old places. Penalties stalled drives, pass protection broke down, and the offense never found much rhythm, turning what should have been a chance to settle in after the early stretch of the season into another frustrating outing on the road.
There were bright spots buried in the grading, including strong work against the run from Junior Posa and solid coverage from Marvin Burks, but the larger picture was tougher to ignore. Wisconsin absorbed too much pressure, missed too many tackles and heads into a matchup with USC needing cleaner play across the board if it wants to keep from seeing the same problems repeat themselves. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Another Road Test As One Key Question Follows This Defense
USC heads into Camp Randall with a little more momentum than it had a few weeks ago, and the defense deserves much of the credit. The No. 16 Trojans just knocked off Penn State 31-23, extending a two-game winning streak and giving Gary Pattersons unit another reason to believe it can travel, at least for one more Saturday night. Now the challenge shifts to a Wisconsin team that is 4-2 and coming off a loss to UCLA, with the Badgers hoping to make life difficult in front of their home crowd.
Oddsmakers have made USC a slight favorite, which says plenty about how tightly this matchup is being viewed despite the Trojans recent surge. The bigger question is whether the improved defense can hold up in a true road test, because Wisconsin has a way of turning games into a grind and forcing opponents to stay sharp snap after snap. For USC, this is the sort of measuring-stick spot that can reveal whether the recent progress is real or just a short-term spike. [Read more 🡒]