Wisconsin tops Baylor to reach NCAA women’s volleyball final
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dana Rettke had 17 kills, Molly Haggerty added 14 and Wisconsin beat Baylor 25-27, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 on Thursday night to advance to the NCAA women’s volleyball championship match.
Seeking their first title, the Badgers will face the winner of the second semifinal between Stanford and Minnesota.
Rettke also had eight blocks, and Tiffany Clark added 18 digs for Wisconsin (27-6). The Badgers are 3-0 in national semifinals, also winning in 2000 and 2013 before falling in the finals both times.
Yossiana Pressley, the unanimous Big 12 player of the year, led Baylor (29-2) with 25 kills and 16 digs.
In the fourth set, Wisconsin was finally able to neutralize Pressley, blocking her twice as the Badgers took the lead for good at 18-17. The match-winning kill from Rettke went off Pressley’s outstretched fist. Pressley finished with 12 errors.
Wisconsin avenged a 3-1 loss to Baylor on Sept. 6. The first-set loss was the first time the Badgers dropped a set in their NCAA Tournament run.
