Wisconsin volleyball finished spring play the same way it started, with another clean sweep and a roster full of new names making noise. The Badgers closed their spring exhibition period by beating Northern Illinois in three straight sets, 25-18, 25-18, 25-13, and added a bonus set win, 25-22, to cap a perfect 3-0 spring slate.
Newcomers Eva Travis and Jaela Auguste led the attack, each posting 10 kills with a .714 combined hitting percentage. They set the tone early, combining for nine kills in the opening set as Wisconsin built separation late. Freshman Audrey Flanagan finished that first-set push by scoring the set point with a kill after Wisconsin ripped off a 4-0 run sparked by Flanagan’s turn at the service line.
Set two tightened into a back-and-forth stretch before freshman Halle Thompson delivered a jolt, recording seven kills across the first two sets. Wisconsin turned the match into a runaway in the third, jumping on Northern Illinois early and stringing together 11 straight points to grab a 21-10 lead. Libero Kristen Simon keyed that burst with what the team called a serving masterclass that kept the Huskies pinned and out of system.
“Overall, I am really happy with the direction we went this spring,” coach Kelly Sheffield said. “It’s a lot of new people. I think anybody that was watching saw that there’s quite a bit of talent, and I liked the effort. I thought both teams got probably what they wanted out of it”.
Wisconsin now turns the page toward the fall with more new faces still set to arrive in Madison, and the next checkpoint comes when the Badgers’ 2026 schedule drops.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Volleyball Perfect Spring Exhibition Slate Overview
