Wisconsin Badgers has become the fifth team to secure its spot at the NCAA Sweet-8. In a rivеting clash during thе third round of thе NCAA Womеn’s Vollеyball Championship, thе womеn’s tеam of Pеnn Statе volleyball wеnt hеad-to-hеad with thе formidablе Wisconsin. The entertainer was nothing short of impressive, with both teams putting forth a commendable display of skill and dedication.
The match, characterized by its unpredictability, finally saw the Badgers emerge victorious after a nail-biting 4-set showdown. Considering that the Badgers were already rallying fans ahead of their third-round clash, they seemed to be pretty on top of their game as they took down Penn State after dropping the second set.
The Badgers display grit to edge closer to the top
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The Wisconsin Badgers took the game 25-11, 28-30, 25-12, and 25-18. With 15 and 10 kills respectively, Sarah Franklin and Carter Booth helped the Badgers edge past the Big Ten powerhouse. In their latest post on X, the Badgers shared the news of the victory with a sonorous statement “ELITE is just as sweet.” The emotions can be seen in the photo gracing the post as Temi Thomas-Ailara seems to be mirroring the feelings of the entire team.
ELITE is just as sweet. pic.twitter.com/qzjg3SVytO
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) December 8, 2023
The Badgers volleyball team found itself in a prеcarious position against Penn State, as thе two powеrhousеs battlеd fiеrcеly for the covеtеd spot in thе nеxt round of thе playoffs. The grueling nature of the competition was evident in the fact that it took a full four sets to determine the winner.
Julia Orzol amassed 16 digs to keep the Badgers in the game while Izzy Ashburn racked up 22 assists to give the team an edge over Penn State. Sarah Franklin registered the most points from the Badgers with 17.
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The NCAA championship shaping up nicely
Looking at other matches, No. 2-seeded Louisville triumphed over Creighton and became the first team to enter the Sweet 8. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Panthers have also made it to the next round of the playoffs after decimating Washington State with another clean sweep. Meanwhile, the Nebraska Huskers and the Arkansas Razorbacks have also secured their places in the round of Sweet 8.
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The Huskers made a clean sweep over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets while the Razorbacks dropped two sets to Kentucky. With both the Badgers and the Huskers advancing, spectators are on the edges of their seats to witness another fiery matchup between the arch-rivals anytime soon.
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