By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
With momentum swinging and Gregory Gymnasium on its feet, the margin for error disappeared.
No. 5 Wisconsin steadied itself through a tense final two sets and closed out a 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19 win over Texas on Sunday night in Austin and advancing to next week’s Final Four. The Badgers will face Kentucky in the national semifinals on Thursday.
Wiasconsin (28-4) set the tone early by controlling the first two sets, capitalizing on extended rallies and forcing Texas into difficult swings. Wisconsin hit over .250 in each of the opening frames and used efficient sideout play to edge the Longhorns by narrow margins, taking a 2-0 lead despite Texas staying within striking distance throughout.
The Longhorns (26-4) found its rhythm in the third set, delivering its most complete stretch of volleyball that featured five ties and three lead changes.
Texas hit .400 with just one error in the frame, spreading the offense and applying pressure at the service line to pull away late and extend the match. The surge energized the home crowd and shifted momentum squarely back to the Longhorns.
Wisconsin responded quickly in the fourth after Texas jumnped out to a 4-0 early lead, reasserting control behind its serve-receive and middle attack.
The Badgers limited the Longhorns to a .158 hitting percentage in the final set, preventing another momentum swing and closing the match with composure.
Mimi Colyer led all hitters with 23 kills on .309 hitting for Wisconsin, while Una Vajagic added 15 kills on an efficient .458 clip. Carter Booth (11 kills) and Grace Egan (nine) provided additional balance, and setter Charlie Fuerbringer directed the offense with 57 assists.
Texas was led by Cari Spears’ 12 kills, while Torrey Stafford contributed nine kills, 10 digs and four block assists in an all-around performance. Abby Vander Wal added nine kills on .318 hitting, and Nya Bunton was efficient with seven kills on 12 swings. Texas finished with nine team blocks but was out-hit overall, .294 to .250.
