Indiana volleyball traveled to Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday to complete a home and away series against No. 3 Wisconsin. The Hoosiers sent the Badgers to a fourth set but could not win the additional needed sets to pull off the upset, ultimately losing 3-1.
An early kill from junior outside hitter Morgan Geddes gave Indiana a 3-2 lead in the opening set. The Hoosiers were unable to hold onto the lead, but they shrunk the Badgers’ lead to 16-14 with back-to-back kills from Geddes. The Badgers then went on a 9-4 run to close out the set 25-18.
The second set began with Indiana scoring the first three points, highlighted by a kill from senior middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg. The Hoosiers fell behind as the set progressed but sophomore outside hitter Mady Saris helped them reach within two points with a kill when trailing 11-9.
Two attack errors from Wisconsin redshirt sophomore outside hitter Sarah Franklin and a service ace by Geddes late forced Wisconsin to take a timeout leading 23-16 in the second set. The Badgers found the two necessary remaining points after the break and won the second set 25-17 for a 2-0 lead.
The Hoosiers began the third set on a 5-0 run with sophomore outside hitter Kenzie Daffinee behind the service line. Junior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede delivered a kill at the midpoint of the game to extend Indiana’s lead to 20-16. Saris then scored the decisive point for Indiana in the third set, keeping the match alive as Wisconsin still led 2-1.
Wisconsin was forced to call another timeout in the fourth set as Indiana went on a 7-0 run, ensuring the Hoosiers a 15-11 lead. Sophomore outside hitter Camryn Haworth served for the Hoosiers during an ensuing 5-0 run, putting the team up 21-13 late in the fourth set.
The experience of the defending champions came out in this moment as Wisconsin went on a 13-3 run to steal the fourth set by a final score of 26-24. The Hoosiers fell short to the Badgers 3-1 on the road despite keeping the final two sets competitive.
Haworth, Indiana’s captain, displayed her leadership for the Hoosiers in Sunday’s match with a stat line of 48 assists, eight digs and six aces.
Indiana will return to Bloomington to play No. 15 Penn State at 6 p.m. Friday in Wilkinson Hall.
