Sarah Franklin stars, Shanel Bramschreiber debuts in UW volleyball win
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When Sarah Franklin is on her game, she is close to unstoppable.
That was the case Friday night when the redshirt sophomore outside hitter led the Wisconsin volleyball team to a 3-0 win over Iowa in front of a crowd of 2,214 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. She finished with 20 kills and her .567 hitting percentage was her best-ever against a Big Ten opponent.
The performance came on a night when Shanel Bramschreiber made her season debut. The graduate transfer from Baylor missed the first 14 games due to a NCAA suspension for having contact with an agent as she looked into her opportunities to play professionally. She served four Badger points and played some as a defensive specialist.
“I thought it was a long time coming and I thought there was an awful lot to like,” UW coach Kelly Sheffield said of Bramschreiber’s play.
The 27-25, 25-15, 25-19 victory was the fifth straight for the fifth-ranked Badgers, who improved to 12-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. The win was also their fifth straight over Iowa (7-11, 1-6).
UW’s .367 hitting percentage was its third-best of the season. The effort was highlighted by .522 hitting in the second set.
Sophomore outside hitter Julia Orzol finished with 11 kills, a .241 hitting percentage and seven digs. Freshman libero Gulce Guctekin led the team with 15 digs, her 13th straight double-digit performance in that category. Senior setter Izzy Ashburn recorded a team-high 21 assists.
The team’s 15 blocks equaled a three-set season high. Junior Caroline Crawford (seven blocks) and senior Danielle Hart (six) led the way in that category.
The teams had 10 ties and five lead changes in the first set. Wisconsin had to fight off a set point before taking a 1-0 lead.
The Badgers only trailed once in the second set and led for the final 13 points of the final set.
“There was so many great things working tonight,” Franklin said. “We had some great passes and great sets, and I just think we gritted it out and that is what we are working on as a team. We are really making that process every game.”
Read More: Sarah Franklin stars, Shanel Bramschreiber debuts in UW volleyball win 2022-10-15 12:05:35