Wisconsin volleyball advances to Sweet 16 with NCAA tournament win over Washington State

No. 3 seed Wisconsin swept Washington State 25-18, 25-18, 25-17 in their NCAA second-round match on Friday at a sold-out Field House. After a slow start to the first set, the Badgers’ defense shut down the Cougars, posting 13 blocks and holding the visitors to a .067 hitting percentage.

Junior outside hitter Lauryn Gillis led the way with 12 kills and All-Big Ten seniors Lauren Carlini (.375, 33 assists, nine digs, five blocks) and Haleigh Nelson (eight kills, .533) also had big nights.

As a result of the win, Wisconsin will host third/fourth-round matches Dec. 9 and 10 at the Field House. The Badgers will play the winner of Ohio State/No. 14 seed Kansas State, who face off Saturday in Manhattan, Kan. The other third-round match will feature the winners of No. 11 seed Florida/Florida State and No. 6 seed Stanford/Boise State. Florida eliminated Wisconsin in last year’s tournament quarterfinals.

Around the (NCAA tournament-bound) Big Ten:

• No. 1 overall seed Nebraska: Defeated New Hampshire 3-0. Plays TCU Saturday in Lincoln.
• No. 2 seed Minnesota: Defeated North Dakota 3-0. Plays Hawaii Saturday in Minneapolis.
• No. 9 seed Michigan State: Defeated Fairfield 3-0. Plays Arizona Saturday in East Lansing.
• No. 12 seed Michigan: Defeated Oregon 3-1 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Plays Creighton, which upset No. 5 Kansas 3-2 on Friday, next week.
• No. 16 seed Penn State: Defeated LIU-Brooklyn 3-0. Plays Pittsburgh Saturday in University Park.
• Ohio State: Defeated Missouri State 3-0. PlaysNo. 14 seed Kansas State Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
• Purdue: Lost to No. 15 seed Missouri in Columbia.