Badgers headed to NCAA championship, after upset of No. 1, undefeated Louisville
CANTON, Ohio — The No. 1 team in the nation just lost for the first time this season, thanks to the University of Wisconsin volleyball team.
The fourth-ranked Badgers are headed back to the NCAA championship, after beating Louisville 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9) on Thursday night.
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday (on ESPN2), Wisconsin (30-3) looks for its first-ever championship, matching up against 10th-ranked Nebraska — a team they swept this season 3-0 on Oct. 27 and 3-1 on Nov. 26.
Nebraska (26-7) upset third-ranked Pitt (30-4) 3-1 in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the Cornhuskers beat the No. 2 seed Texas. Now, they play fourth-seeded Wisconsin.
This was the Badgers’ third-consecutive trip to the Final Four and will be their fourth-ever trip to the championship. UW lost in the semifinals last season to Texas, 3-0. In 2019, Wisconsin upset No. 1 Baylor 3-1 in the semifinals, before being swept for the title against Stanford.
In the UW win Thursday, Anna Smrek, a 6-foot-9 freshman, was nearly unstoppable with 20 kills — hitting at a .704 clip. She had just one error on 27 attacks.
Teammate Dana Rettke, Wisconsin’s 6-8 middle, added 14 kills, while Sydney Hilley had 58 assists, 11 digs. Libero Lauren Barnes led Wisconsin with 19 digs.
Rettke and Hilley were first-team All-Americans this season, while Barnes was second team.