Wisconsin volleyball wins first national championship in five-set thriller

Wisconsin volleyball won the program’s first-ever NCAA Championship on Saturday night, downing Nebraska 3-2 in a comeback victory.

HISTORY FOR WISCONSIN 🏆 🤩 @BadgerVB wins its first-ever national championship!!! pic.twitter.com/cQ7i8ir8Ys

— espnW (@espnW) December 19, 2021

After dropping the first set, the Badgers climbed their way back into the match, forcing an epic fifth set to decide the title.

AVCA National Player of the Year Dana Rettke led No. 4 Wisconsin with 11 kills and 13 blocks, while freshman Anna Smrek notched 14 kills on a .429 hitting average. Wisconsin recorded 24 blocks as a team, the most ever in a national championship match.

No. 10 Nebraska didn’t make it easy for the Badgers, posting 91 digs to keep the team in the game until the final point.

Not a dry eye in the house!

A moment that will live on FOREVER! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/8aSQoPKLfu

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) December 19, 2021

Wisconsin’s win comes after three losses in the championship final, with the team most recently falling to Stanford in 2019. Rettke, the first player in program history to win Player of the Year, will move on to the Athletes Unlimited pro league after ending her storied career with a national title.