Badgers beat Penn State in five sets, now one win away from Final Four

The Wisconsin volleyball team is one win away from another trip to the Final Four.

The Badgers got to the regional final with a thrilling five-set win over Big Ten rival Penn State on Thursday night at the UW Field House. Wisconsin took the first two sets (25-21, 25-19) before the Nittany Lions came roaring back to grab the next two (23-25, 20-25). In the deciding fifth set, though, the Badgers jumped out to a 12-4 lead and got an ace from Joslyn Boyer to finish things 15-8.

Sarah Franklin, Anna Smrek and Devyn Robinson combined for 37 kills in the match. Franklin added six blocks and six digs, while Smrek had a team-high eight blocks and a .579 hitting percentage. Izzy Ashburn gave the Badgers 20 assists and six digs. MJ Hammill contributed 22 assists and seven digs.

Wisconsin has now won 21 straight matches, having not lost since late September. The team will look to make it 22 in a row when it faces Pittsburgh on Saturday in the regional final. It’s the Badgers fifth straight time in the Elite Eight and a win would send them to a fourth-straight Final Four.