Wisconsin lost a thriller in UW Field House for the first time this season. The No. 21 Washington Huskies came to town looking for their second top-10 win of the season. They had all the right strengths to pound against Wisconsin's weaknesses, and eventually the Badgers found themselves staring at a five-set loss.
It was a frustrating match, but one in which there are a few things to take from it and learn from it. Here are four thoughts:
1. Wisconsin was the most effective when Charlie Fuerbringer was spreading it around
We will get to Washington's defense in a minute, but the Huskies were absolutely in the way of the pins all match. Their block was best on the corners, and Wisconsin was having trouble all match getting kills down from either pin. Fuerbringer was finding ways to get the back row and the middles involved, and that's when Wisconsin was at their best.
Fuerbringer continued to try to find the hitters on the pins, and yet Washington continued to stuff and stop the attacks. When Fuerbringer was force-feeding her hitters, it was usually going Washington's way. When Fuerbringer was spreading it around, changing up the attack, the Washington block was having a tough time getting in the way.
2. Washington was the second best defense Wisconsin has seen all year
The Huskies' defense was incredible, and besides Nebraska, the Badgers haven't seen any other team at this level. Washington simply would not give up on rallies. Not every rally went the way of the Huskies, but it often felt like it. Whenever Wisconsin and Washington got into a long rally, it was like "oh no...Washington is gonna find some rhythm." That's exactly what happened.
Kaitlyn Nguyen of Washington had 23 digs. She was flying all over the place.
3. The Badgers had no answer for OH Simona Mateska
Mateska was incredible; let's not take away from her at all. She was swinging with fearlessness and power, over and over again. She ended the night with 31 kills, the most for a Big Ten match all season. The problem for Wisconsin is that they had no answer for her.
Whether Washington was in system or out of system, whether Mateska was in the front row or the back, or even on the right or the left, it didn't matter... she was getting kills from everywhere. If Wisconsin was going to win that match, they had to at least slow her down. The Badgers did not.
4. Grace Egan returns (but barely)
The good news of the match was that Grace Egan made her return to the court. She appeared in set four and came in to serve. That was it. She barely played, but that's a huge step forward from what many feared would be Egan being injured for the season. So while it didn't have much consequence on the match, the fact that she's able to come in and play, even if in a managed and controlled way, is big for Wisconsin's future.
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