Wisconsin volleyball can’t stop winning.
The No. 5 Badgers beat Minnesota 3-1 on Sunday, avenging a loss to the Golden Gophers last month and keeping hold of the top spot in the Big Ten standings.
Their win against Minnesota comes after they knocked off top-ranked Nebraska last Wednesday. It also marks their 10th straight victory, with their last three coming against ranked opponents. Minnesota is ranked ninth in the country.
“Both teams put so much pressure, in different ways, on each other,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “There were a lot of big-time plays by both teams and some errors by both teams because of the pressure that you’re under.”
Junior middle blocker Devyn Robinson had an outstanding final set, hitting six of her 13 kills. Led by Robinson, Sarah Franklin and Julia Orzol, the Badgers were able to respond after a tough loss in the third set to close out the win.
“Tonight, we got it taken to us in the third set and we responded – strength and unity – in the fourth set,” Sheffield said. “After Wednesday getting back in here and getting locked in on our next opponent, an opponent that swept us earlier, and being able to respond I thought was great. It’s a great team effort.”
The Badgers have dealt with some off-court turmoil lately, as a leak of private locker room photos and videos is being investigated by university police.
The leaked files — 40 photos and videos — came from the phone of a player, but no players on the team are under suspicion as part of the investigation, police said. One of the photos appears to have been taken after the team won the Big Ten title last November and shows members of the team posing with their sports bras lifted, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The online circulation of the leaked photos highlights the vulnerable position of college athletes, Dani Rosen told the University of Wisconsin student newspaper. Rosen is the chair of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, a student organization working to improve prevent sexual violence on campus and improve support for victims.
Still, despite the off-court stressors of the leak and the investigation, the Badgers keep rolling. Next up: Another Big Ten battle, this one a road match against Illinois, which will air at 8 p.m. ET Thursday on Big Ten Network.