Wisconsin volleyball rallies to defeat Ohio State, advances to Elite Eight

It’s been a year of rallies for Wisconsin volleyball.

Down 2-1 on Saturday to Big Ten rival Ohio State following an epic 31-29 third set, the Badgers found themselves behind again 19-14 late in the critical fourth set. Tapping into the resiliency they have shown all year, they rallied, taking the next six points—and ultimately the match—to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Badgers’ quartet of regional All-Americans Molly Haggerty (.276, 22 kills), Haleigh Nelson (.400, 14 kills), Lauren Carlini (62 assists, 16 digs) and Tionna Williams (team-high eight blocks, plus 11 kills) all had big matches in the win.

In one of three Big Ten-Pac 12 Elite Eight matches, Wisconsin advances to face No. 6 overall seed Stanford (24-7) for a chance to play in the Final Four. The Cardinal have had some success over the Big Ten this year, with wins over Minnesota, Penn State and Illinois in 2016.

Saturday’s Elite Eight match starts at 5 p.m. CT at a sold-out Field House. It can be seen on TV on ESPNU and heard on radio at Rewind 92.1.

Around the (tourney-bound) Big Ten

• No. 1 overall seed Nebraska: Rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat No. 16 seed Penn State in Lincoln; plays No. 8 seed Washington in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
• No. 2 Minnesota: Defeated Missouri 3-1 in Minneapolis; plays No. 10 seed UCLA in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
• No. 12 Michigan: Lost to Creighton 3-2 in Austin.
• No. 16 Penn State: Lost to Nebraska 3-2 in Lincoln.
• Ohio State: Lost to Wisconsin 3-2 in Madison.