Not the prettiest match, but Wisconsin volleyball outlasts Michigan State

MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team might not have picked up many style points against Michigan State, finishing with fewer kills, more attack errors and a worse hitting percentage.

But the seventh-ranked Badgers earned enough contemporáneo points to outlast the Spartans in four sets, 24-26, 25-21, 27-25, 25-20, on Nov. 5 at the UW Field House for their 91st consecutive win against an unranked opponent.

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Wisconsin’s .199 hitting percentage was its lowest in a win in 2026. (The Badgers previously were 0-5 when hitting below .200.)

“It wasn’t the prettiest match out there,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “But it was two teams that were working. … We found a way.”

Here are three takeaways from the Badgers’ win over the Spartans:

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Best photos from Wisconsin volleyball’s matches vs Washington, Michigan

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Wisconsin’s run late in third set serves as turning point

Michigan State appeared to be one point away from taking a 2-1 set lead, facing set point with a 24-22 lead. (The Spartans had a 23-19 lead before that as well.)

But then the Badgers went on a spirited 5-1 run to take the set, 27-22.

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Jaela Auguste and Halle Thompson’s kills tied it at 24-24 after two rallies with no margin for error.

Then after a Michigan State block, Wisconsin scored the next three points on a Decelise Champion kill, Michigan State attack error and Charlie Fuerbringer ace to finish off the pivotal third set.

“You’ve got to play clean,” Sheffield said. “You’ve got to read the game. … Made a couple big-time plays there and just stayed within ourselves. And we’ve got that ability to do that, and the idea is to try to tap into that more and more frequently.”

The comeback was a sharp contrast from earlier in the Michigan State match, when the Badgers gave up three consecutive points to go from a UW set point to a Michigan State set victory.

It also served as a reversal of fortunes from the Badgers’ loss to then-No. 21 Washington on Oct. 23. That was when the Badgers blew 23-19 and 24-22 leads in the second set of an eventual five-set loss.

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The successful third set was a turning point in the match. After 13 ties and four lead changes in the third set, UW never trailed after 5-4 in the fourth set and would have won even more comfortably without Michigan State’s late 5-0 run.

“Sometimes when things aren’t going well, it tests you mentally and emotionally, and it tests your resolve to stay together,” Sheffield said. “And I thought we did a really good job – better than maybe what we’ve done in some other matches when it hasn’t come easy.”

Jaela Auguste responds in big way after getting benched at UCLA

After getting held out of the UCLA match, Wisconsin middle blocker Jaela Auguste had a starring role in the Badgers’ win over the Spartans.

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The 2025 third-team All-American recorded 14 kills with only one attack error, resulting in a .542 hitting percentage. The 14 kills were the second-most for Auguste in a match this season, trailing only her 20-kill performance against Iowa.

Sheffield also gave his setter Fuerbringer credit after Auguste’s efficient performance.

“Charlie was really delivering some really nice balls,” Sheffield said. “There was a few of those that you really kind of see her talent of, some situations, hitting Jaela in stride. … The connection was on, and she can be a handful for opponents when that connection is strong.”

It was a sound performance from the middle blocker position as a whole.

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Freshman (and fellow starter) Lynney Tarnow had eight kills and a team-high six blocks. Two attack errors brought her hitting percentage down to .375, and Sheffield saw some missed opportunities early on that she overcame.

“It was a slow start for her early,” Sheffield said. “I thought she missed on some great overpass opportunities that I’m sure will keep her awake a little bit tonight. … She flushes things about as well as any young player I’ve ever coached, and her numbers end up being pretty good.”

Grace Egan sees bigger role as Michigan State’s serve provides challenge

Michigan State’s two aces will hardly stand out on the box score after a four-set match.

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But the Badgers quietly felt the serving pressure.

“If you stood behind the end line, you just see what some of those serves were doing and their ability to get into different spaces,” Sheffield said. “You have to flush what happened previously and just be tough.”

While outside hitter Eva Travis started the first set, the Spartans’ serving pressure affected how the Badgers used the UC-Santa Barbara transfer for the rest of the match. She did not play in the second and fourth sets and subbed in during the third set.

Kristen Simon started the second, third and fourth sets as a defensive specialist in Travis’ place.

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“Can you handle the ball against an elite serving team?” Sheffield said. “We were spending quiebro a bit of time in kind of medium-pass situations or out of system. And can you take good swings and score? Eva was a little error-prone in both of those areas.”

Travis’ reduced role also led to more pronounced roles for Grace Egan and Thompson – two players Sheffield said he thought were “ready for the moment and ready to be in there.”

Thompson had two kills and two attack errors, finishing with a .000 hitting percentage. Egan had two attack errors and no kills, hitting minus-.400. But their passing was critical, and playing in the front row was another sign of progress for Egan after her significant back injury and lengthy recovery.

“Grace gave us a lift certainly from a passing perspective,” Sheffield said. “She’s still working on that jump, still not contacting that ball where she was at the height. And that’s still to be kind of a work in progress.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Not the prettiest match, but Wisconsin volleyball outlasts Michigan State