Wisconsin volleyball defeats Illinois in Big Ten play

The University of Wisconsin volleyball team quickly buried the sting of a recent result.

The No. 7 Badgers, defeated by No. 2 Nebraska on Friday, bounced back with a 25-16, 26-24, 25-17 victory over host Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Champaign.

Wisconsin (16-5, 10-2 Big Ten) used a .364 hitting percentage and 13 kills each from Sarah Franklin and Anna Smrek to defeat the Fighting Illini (15-7, 7-5).

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Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer set a career high with 43 assists in a three-set match.

Franklin and Smrek fueled the first set with five kills each as the Badgers hit .440.

In the second set, a 6-1 run helped Illinois take an 11-10 lead, marking the Illini's first lead of the day. Illinois eventually took a 24-22 lead, but the Badgers fended off two set points and went on a 4-0 run to win the back-and-forth set.

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From there, Wisconsin took command of the third set with a 19-7 lead. Illinois scored the next six points, but the Badgers quickly restored order to cap the win.

Julia Orzol and Lola Schumacher had 12 and 11 breakaways, respectively, to overtake the Badgers. Fürbringer added nine digs.

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Carter Booth delivered 10 kills for a .600 batting average against the Illini, who were limited to a .206 batting average.

The Badgers next face Iowa on Friday night at the UW Field House. On Saturday, Wisconsin hosts No. 3 Penn State in a nationally televised afternoon game (NBC) at the Field House.