(UW ATHLETICS) AUSTIN, TEXAS – The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team fell to the No. 9 Texas Longhorn in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 16-25) at the Moody Center Sunday afternoon.
Senior Eva Travis led the Wisconsin offense with a season-high 17 kills on a hitting percentage of .289. Senior Grace Lopez stuffed the stat sheet with nine kills, while also pitching in nine digs and two blocks.
Junior Charlie Fuerbringer continued to be a table-setter for the Badgers, chipping in a team-high 42 assists and 15 digs, good for her 22nd career double-double. Libero Anna Bardaro recorded a team-high 17 digs.
In the first frame, Wisconsin caught a spark late after trading points with Texas early. The Badgers put together a 4-0 run in the middle of the set, highlighted by a service ace from Isabelle Hoppe, to level the score at 16 apiece.
From there, the Badgers combined for a 7-3 run that was capped off by a pair of kills from Wardlow and Flanagan to seal a set one victory, 25-21. Travis also pitched in two kills late, putting together a strong showing at the net to pace the Badgers with eight kills on a .636 hitting percentage in the first set alone.
The two teams continued to trade points to open the second set, sitting at seven apiece after a kill delivered by Lopez. From there, the Badgers found a 3-0 burst to gain a two-point advantage thanks to another Lopez kill, but Texas responded late in the set to seal the win, 25-21.
In the third set, Texas continued to find their rhythm, rattling off six points before picking up another five consecutive to build separation. Wisconsin provided a 3-0 run of its own highlighted by a block, but Texas closed out the set 25-20 to take the advantage.
Texas continued to attack on the offensive end in set four, putting together two separate 4-0 runs to seal the 3-1 match win.
The Longhorns’ added seven service aces, and their physicality up front forced the Badgers into a hitting percentage of .197 (52 – 22 – 152) compared to Texas’ .250 (58 – 18 – 160). Wisconsin finished with 22 attack errors, in addition to eight blocks turned in by Texas.
Notes:
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Wisconsin moves to 5-9 all-time against the Texas Longhorns after Sunday’s loss, and 2-4 when playing in Austin.
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Setter Charlie Fuerbringer tallied her 22nd career double-double with a 42 assist, 15 dig performance against the Longhorns.
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Libero Anna Bardaro recorded her fifth double-figure dig total with 17.
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Right side hitter Grace Lopez tallied a season-best nine kills. She also add 9 digs and two blocks.
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Outside hitter Eva Travis led the Badgers with 17 kills, a new season-high.
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Middle blocker Jaela Auguste saw action on the court, entering in the fourth set, playing for the first time since August 22 against Louisville. Auguste had four kills on seven swings.
Up Next: Wisconsin returns to the UW Field House to take on Marquette on Thursday, Sept. 17. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. with the match airing on Big Ten Network.
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