The Marquette volleyball team’s season came to an end Friday night in Ames, Iowa, after the Golden Eagles fell to No.11 University of Wisconsin-Madison 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-11) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
This was the seventh consecutive season the Golden Eagles have made it to the tournament, but second straight year Marquette has lost in the first round.
The Badgers were able to silence the Marquette attack, by holding the Golden Eagles to a .184 hitting percentage and allowing just two players (Allie Barber 10, Anna Haak 11) to have double-digit kills.
In the first set, Marquette stayed neck and neck with the Badgers. Coming out of a media timeout, the Golden Eagles used three unanswered points to take a 17-15 advantage. However, the lead would be short lived, as Wisconsin would go on to rattle off five unanswered points of their own to take a 20-18. Marquette would force the set to go into extra points, but the Badgers took the first set 27-25.
Wisconsin jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the second set and would never relinquish that lead for the rest of the frame, taking the second set 25-21.
By the third set, all momentum was in Wisconsin’s hands as they would open the frame on a 5-1 run. The Badgers would go on to easily take the set 25-11.
The Badgers had three players with 10-plus kills, as Kelli Bates, Grace Loberg and Dana Rettke all finished with 11. Additionally, Sydney Hilley had 42 sets and Tiffany Clark contributed 19 points.
Marquette concluded their season with a record of 22-10.
