The Wisconsin women’s volleyball team ended a historic season earlier as they lost to Stanford in the national championship in 3 sets, 25-16, 25-17, 25-20. The Badgers received the #4 seed at the start of the tournament, meaning they hosted the first through the fourth rounds of play at the UW Field House. The home court advantage proved to be a key factor in the Badgers’ success as they defeated Illinois State, UCLA, Texas A&M and Nebraska all at home in 3 sets, sweeping all the teams, including the #13 and #5 ranked teams at home. Then, the Badgers, led by the offensive attack of Dana Rettke, Molly Haggerty and setter Sydney Hilley, traveled to Pittsburgh to face #1 overall seed Baylor at PPG Paints arena. The Badgers, the underdogs, pulled out a 3-1 victory over Baylor to face Stanford in the championship match, where Stanford, led by Kathryn Plummer, cruised to a 3-0 victory to win the title.

By Nic Braico