The Wisconsin Badgers were able to head into Mackey Arena and take down the No. 10-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in convincing fashion. The match was never in jeopardy as Wisconsin swept the Boilermakers with scores of 18, 15, 21 (for Purdue). It was a performance to remember in front of a hostile crowd, in which Wisconsin setter Charlie Fuerbringer put on another clinic: 33 assists, 7 digs, and 2 blocks.
She helped basically her entire cast of hitters and blockers to find kills, with Decelise Champion leading the way at 11, Audrey Flanagan had 9, Eva Travis had 7, Lynney Tarnow ended with 6, while Jaela Auguste contributed five of her own.
Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield said after the match that this team has grown a lot, but there's still a lot left to go. Joining Big Ten reporter Emily Ehman courtside, Sheffield said, "Playing against these teams, in these environments, we've been playing in the toughest environments, and we've been playing against great teams, and you have to do it over and over again..[Growth] is a process. It's not a light switch; it's a process."
Sheffield explains that the Wisconsin growth is a process that must continue
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Sheffield explains that the five ranked teams Wisconsin has defeated have helped his team grow, and there's still a way to go, "We are playing a little bit better than what we were...there's a long way to go, and the ranked teams aren't going to let up anytime soon."
He's not wrong about that. The Badgers have played 9 ranked teams this season out of 12 matches. That's an insane number so far, and the journey isn't over. Wisconsin will now see No. 18 Indiana, followed by No. 15 Minnesota. You can also bet that Illinois will end up ranked this week after ranked wins against Minnesota and USC this week. So that will be another. Guess who's after Illinois? No. 1 Nebraska.
Sheffield's wants to see continued growth; sweeping Purdue in Mackey is great, but it's not the end of the road. There's still work to be done. Yet, you can see it coming together in front of your Wisconsin fans' eyes. Charlie Fuerbringer may end up being Player of the Year as a setter. She's finding a way to get five freshmen going on the floor week in and week out and learning to set them all in the ways they enjoy.
Champion and Flanagan may get a lot of the press clippings because volleyball kills are fun, but what Anna Bardaro and Lynney Tarnow are also doing as freshmen is equally impressive. It's Fuerbringer pulling the strings and keeping that offense/defense humming for the Badgers.
As the timing continues to sync up and she's clearly setting Flanagan, Champion, Auguste, Travis, and Tarnow up better than ever, this team will only continue to soar. That was the dream a few short weeks ago, and we are starting to see it come together.
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