Great effort is not always enough when it comes to winning. In the game of volleyball, momentum is the key to all.
Despite a rough season, the Wildcats’ play on the court has been motivated. But that energy has not yet translated into wins.
Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to No. 25 Wisconsin (15-8, 5-6 Big Ten) was no different.
“We had some great individual effort here and there,” coach Keylor Chan said. “We need everyone on the court to do that. It’s about connecting the dots and putting it together.”
Momentum was a key factor in the first and second sets for NU (7-14, 1-10).
Both teams showed great ability in the first set, with Wisconsin and NU staying close early. Led by Brittani Gray, who recorded a game-high 11 kills, the Cats battled to stay in the game.
After a 6-1 Wisconsin run created a 15-11 lead, NU was able to rally back to tie the game.
But that success did not stick for long.
Despite a spark from sophomore Elyse Glab, who recorded 12 assists and became the ninth player in school history to reach 2,000 assists, the Badgers rallied back to win the first set 25-20.
The second set was again a war of momentum, with neither NU nor Wisconsin able to gain an edge on the other.
The largest lead in the set had only been three when the Badgers went ahead 16-15. But Wisconsin pulled through and ran away with a 25-19 victory after a 9-4 run.
“The first two games were pretty close and emotionally we were pretty steady in games one and two,” Chan said. “But we need to be a little more emotionally charged.”
Wisconsin dominated the third set from the start, getting out to a quick lead working off of a great serving game and a few errors by NU. The Badgers went ahead 12-7 and rapidly built its lead to 19-11. But NU did not give up.
“In game three we started out pretty flat,” Chan said. “But at the end of game three it was a huge effort on the teams’ part to try to win the game.”
The team rallied late in the set, but could not capitalize on it in the end and lost the game. Wisconsin took the set and the game with a 25-21 third set victory.
“The most important thing is to get back in the gym and continue to work on the things we can control,” Chan said. “Our team just needs to continue to work really hard and continue to put it together.We have an opporuntiy to see how good a team we can become.”
