Any volleyball fan could almost predict a 1-1 start to the season, and most would have predicted the loss to Kentucky and the win over Louisville. Though there were hopes Wisconsin could catch the Wildcats off guard and steal that one, instead the team was swept 3-0. That evening, the team went back to film and figured out how to attack Louisville, which was coming off a sweep of Texas A&M, the defending National Champions.
Wisconsin was staring down the barrel of an 0-2 start to the season, but the Badgers were ready and attacked the Cardinals relentlessly to grab their own sweep. It really was a great example of the floor and the ceiling for this Wisconsin team. Getting swept, then turning around and doing the sweeping, but against top-10 teams. Yet, two other stats also reveal how good this team can be, but also where the floor is.
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1. The amount of errors
Against Kentucky, Wisconsin had a staggering 21 attack errors, mostly from the hitters. Eva Travis had eight, Audrey Flanagan had six, and Grace Egan had four. Add in the nine serving errors and two receiving errors, and it was a box score stuffed with issues. Then, against Louisville, Wisconsin only had 11 attack errors, five serving errors, and one receiving error. A startling difference, and it clearly mattered.
Audrey Flanagan, the star freshman outside hitter, may showcase the best line for the floor and the ceiling for this team. Against Louisville alone, she led both teams with 13 kills but also led Wisconsin with five attacking errors (Brooke Bultema had the most for both teams with seven). She was the best player on the court at times but is clearly still getting used to college volleyball.
Charlie Fuerbringer, after the game, reminded TV viewers that Flanagan was playing high school volleyball just a few months ago. That's a great example of the ceiling of this team and how, as the season goes along, the young player's mistakes will continue to get cleaned up.
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2. Serving control
Being able to control the serve and get points via the serve is something that Kelly Sheffield's Badgers pride themselves on. Against Kentucky, Wisconsin shot themselves in the foot nine times with service errors. That's giving the other team nine free points, not to mention the not-great serves that aren't recorded in the box score. The Badgers only had four aces, and two were from Grace Egan.
Then the light switch came on against Louisville. The Badgers were on fire, and once again Egan led the way with three aces, but Kristen Simon had two, Audrey Flanagan had two, and Grace Lopez had one. That's a big difference, and it's noticeable between the two matches.
The Badgers have a really high ceiling this season; it's incredible to watch, but there will be some young player bumps along the way. There are 11 freshmen, and all of them are adjusting to college volleyball. None of them got a soft landing, with No. 3 Kentucky followed by No. 7 Louisville. Oh, and No. 5 Stanford and No. 4 Pitt are looming next. Good luck, young freshmen.
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