MADISON – With a second-round match looming fewer than 24 hours later, Wisconsin volleyball was in a position to benefit from three quick, resounding sets in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“Some other sports – you can get yourself a big lead and then just run the clock out,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “There is no clock with us. You’ve got to keep pounding away, and you can’t play arrogant. You can’t take your foot off the gas. You just got to play.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe third-seeded Badgers did exactly that in a 25-11, 25-6, 25-19 sweep over Eastern Illinois in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“We approached the match with a lot of maturity,” Sheffield said.
The Badgers hit .435 in the first-round match while holding Eastern Illinois to .022 hitting. Mimi Colyer and Una Vajagic each finished with 10 kills, extending Colyer’s streak to 16 consecutive matches with at least 10 kills.
The second set was Wisconsin’s most lopsided set victory of the season. The third set was much more competitive – with Eastern Illinois scoring more points there than in the first two sets combined – but even then, the Badgers had a .333-.133 hitting advantage over the Ohio Valley Conference champions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“The third set was a little bit closer, but sometimes that happens when you have a team up against the ropes and they’re fighting for their season,” Sheffield said. “And you know that. But I thought we weren’t rushing things. We just continued to play on our side. … It’s a great quality. Some would even say splendid.”
Here are three takeaways from the Badgers’ resounding first-round win in the NCAA tournament:
Freshman libero Kristen Simon sets tone in blowout
Wisconsin libero Kristen Simon was one of the standouts for the Badgers in the opening round. She had two service aces and put pressure on Eastern Illinois with other serves that will not finish in her stat column.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat was evident with her extended service runs in the first two sets. UW won seven straight points in the first set while Simon was serving and three straight points in the second set while she was serving.
“Kris here really set the tone behind the service line and was aggressive defensively and going and getting balls and just hunting,” Sheffield said. “Being nice and still and reading and then going and making strong moves and really allowed us to get into our transition game really well.”
Simon had 15 digs in the win, which were the most for her since also having 15 against a ranked Indiana team on Nov. 9.
It highlights a season of growth for the freshman, who ranked third among Big Ten liberos as of Nov. 20 in passing numbers in the red zone, according to Volley Metrics data provided by UW sports information.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It’s been a process just building up my confidence and going for every ball,” Simon said. “And obviously with that, you find more range and find more confidence behind the defensive line and reading your hitters.”
Andrew, a senior who transferred from Baylor, gave credit to Simon for keeping Wisconsin in system against Eastern Illinois and has overall been impressed with the freshman’s progression.
“She’s always looking to grow and get better and ask questions, and she just works her tail off,” Andrew said. “I have so much trust with her back there, and I know she’s just flying around, trying to get everything up. So I think her work ethic and how she communicates with her team is some of her strongest attributes.”
Wisconsin libero Kristen Simon prepares to serve during the Wisconsin Badgers' three-set win over Eastern Illinois in the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at the UW Field House in Madison on Dec. 4, 2025.Star setter Charlie Fuerbringer effectively set up Wisconsin’s middle blockers
Wisconsin’s two starting middle blockers were extremely efficient against Eastern Illinois.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCarter Booth finished with seven kills without any attack errors and hit .636. It continued her momentum from the Nov. 28 Minnesota match, when she had 12 kills without any attack errors.
Andrew, meanwhile, had five kills without any attack errors and hit .625 against the Panthers. She has recorded five or more kills in four of her last five matches.
Andrew was quick to share credit with setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who was a first-team all-Big Ten honoree despite missing a significant portion of the season with a shoulder injury. Since Fuerbringer returned, the Badgers are undefeated and have only lost two sets.
“Charlie just loves finding her middles,” Andrew said. “So we really appreciate that. That’s really fun. … Because we were able to pass so well and have a lot of three options, it made it a lot easier for Charlie to get us the ball and then obviously harder for their defense.”
Wisconsin setter Charlie Fuerbringer sets for one of her teammates during the Badgers' three-set win over Eastern Illinois in the first round of the NCAA volleyball tournament at the UW Field House in Madison on Dec. 4, 2025.Wisconsin uses depth ahead of quick turnaround
Wisconsin’s first two set wins – ones that left absolutely no doubt about the Badgers’ superiority – gave Sheffield an opportunity to substitute some of his players that otherwise might not see the court. It preceded a quick turnaround ahead of UW's second-round match against North Carolina on Dec. 5 at the Field House.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTrinity Shadd-Ceres subbed in during the second and third sets and had a perfect four kills on four attack attempts. That included the two kills that preceded UW’s set point in the second set. Freshman Madison Quest, whose role has been reduced since Grace Egan returned from injury, came in as a reserve in the second and third sets.
Morgan Van Wie, Jada Cerniglia, Aniya Warren, Maile Chan and Tosia Serafinowska all subbed in during the third set.
“You certainly don’t go into a match thinking, ‘Here, we’re going to empty the bench or whatever we call that,’” Sheffield said. “But we’ve got a lot of people that work hard. When an opportunity presents itself in the NCAA tournament where you can say you in however many years that you played, especially in the Field House, I think that’s pretty special.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3 takeaways from Wisconsin volleyball's win over Eastern Illinois
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