3 things that stood out from No. 7 Wisconsin's first Big Ten win (2024)

If University of Wisconsin volleyball fans felt like doing a cartwheel Saturday night, they had company.

Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer punctuated a strong performance by doing a cartwheel as she left the court following the Badgers’ dominating sweep of Northwestern 25-16, 25-16, 25-16 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.

If that’s the case, coach Kelly Sheffield is determined that Fuerbringer continue to work on her form.

“If it’s a tradition she’s going to get practice doing it,” Sheffield said. “She’s not one of our gifted cartwheel people. But I love her playfulness and that’s what we saw out of her tonight, a little bit of everything.”

Fuerbringer contributed four kills, six digs and a season-high three service aces in addition to leading the efficient attack with 27 assists.

Sheffield was especially pleased with the way Fuerbringer adjusted her sets when the Wildcats shifted their defensive approach throughout the match.

“I thought she executed the game plan and got the middle third of the court involved early,” Sheffield said. “They were chasing us most of the night and changing what they were wanting to do. She really evolved as the match was going on with what they were doing, which was awesome.”

Fuerbringer credited her teammates with giving her plenty of options, including attacking with setter dumps.

“We were passing super well tonight and our pins were on fire so the defensive players had to be wide and I recognized that, realized that the dumps would work so that’s what I did,” she said.

Sarah Franklin led the attack for Wisconsin (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) with 11 kills, hitting .500 with just one hitting error in 20 attempts. Devyn Robinson added nine kills with no errors (.562) and Anna Smrek chipped in with eight kills on just 11 swings (.545).

Defensively, Carter Booth had a season-high eight blocks, including two solo blocks, as the Badgers held the Wildcats (3-7, 1-1) to a .067 hitting percentage.

Wisconsin got off to a hot start offensively, hitting .417 in the first set, while holding Northwestern to just a .105 mark. Robinson led the way with four kills in the set.

The Badgers took command of the first set with a 6-1 run that stretched a 10-9 lead to 16-10. A little later they added a 4-0 run that featured an ace by Gulce Guctekin to blow open a 21-12 advantage.

The Badgers were even more efficient in Set 2, hitting .446 with 17 kills and four errors in 28 swings.

Smrek got going with five kills in the set to lead the attack, with Franklin adding four kills. Wisconsin opened the set with three consecutive blocks, setting the tone as it held Northwestern to a .138 mark in the set.

Franklin had five kills in the third set as the Badgers put together one run of 5-0 and two 4-0 runs to maintain control throughout. The Wildcats hit minus-.037 for the set.

Here are three things that stood out.

Lola Schumacher, Devyn Robinson return as starters

After yielding to Guctekin at libero in the Big Ten opener at Minnesota, freshman Lola Schumacher regained the jersey against the Wildcats. Guctekin went back to playing defensive specialist.

Robinson, who came off the bench at Minnesota, moved back into the starting lineup at middle blocker opposite of Carter Booth. Caroline Crawford went to the sidelines, appearing only once as a serving substitute.

Why Charlie Fuerbringer shuts her eyes before serving

Sheffield has often said that Fuerbringer is a rare freshman who arrived on campus with a college-ready serve. But early in her first season, she hasn’t been consistent with her serving. She said she really focused on her technique Saturday. That, and blocking out the jibes from the Northwestern student section.

“Just keeping my follow through straight,” she said of the key to her getting three aces. “That’s what I was working on today in serve and pass and it really helped me out. Serving high and finishing down.”

Fuerbringer briefly closes her eyes before each serve. She explained her process.

“Just taking a deep breath, trying to reset my mind, trying to block out the student section yelling ‘Charlie the chocolate factory’ at me,” she said. “Just trying to reset my mind and clear it, honestly. When I have nothing going through my mind, that’s when I’m at my best.”

Familiar faces across the net

Fuerbringer was playing against one of her former teammates at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California, sophomore outside hitter Drew Wright, who had six digs but no kills.

Guctekin also was facing a former high school teammate from Istanbul, Turkey, in junior outside hitter Buse Hazan, who had six kills to share team honors for Northwestern.

Another player with a Wisconsin connection was sophomore outside hitter Lily Wagner, from Germantown, who also had six kills. Her mother, Amy Lee, ranks third on Wisconsin’s career kills list with 1,661, trailing only Sherisa Livingston (1,912) and Dana Rettke (1,821). Wagner transferred to Northwestern after playing one season at Liberty.