INSIDE
VOLLEYBALL
BY DIANE NORDSTROM
@BADGERVBALL
SCHEDULE (28-10, 12-8)
NCAA TOURNAMENT
NCAA First & Second Rounds
Dec. 6
Milwaukee
Dec. 7California
W, 3-0
W, 3-0
at NCAA Regional, Champaign, Ill.
Dec. 13
#16 Florida State W, 3-1
Dec. 14
#19 Purdue
W, 3-1
at NCAA Championship, Seattle
Dec. 19
#1 Texas
W, 3-1
Dec. 21
#2 Penn State
L, 1-3
The Badgers celebrate
their NCAA national semifinal win over No. 1 Texas.
Badgers finish second at
NCAA championship
Wisconsin surprises field with runner-up finish
hey may have been the
underdogs, but the 12thseeded Badgers came oh
so close to winning the program's first national championship.
Wisconsin upset top-seeded Texas 3-1 in the national
semifinals to advance the allBig Ten championship against
Penn State. UW came up short,
falling 3-1 to the second-
T
46
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VARSITY December 26, 2013
ranked Nittany Lions.
"This has been a team that,
no matter who we played, we
believed. The players have
believed that there's a way to
win," said first-year UW head
coach Kelly Sheffield
UW finished runner-up in
the NCAA tournament for the
second time in program history after also advancing to the
championship match in 2000.
CARLINI, MORALES HONORED
● Freshman Lauren Carlini and junior
Deme Morales were named to NCAA
Championship all-tournament team.
Carlini, who was named a secondteam All-American, put up 11.12 assists per set in the final two matches.
She also added 2.38 digs and 0.75
blocks per set on the weekend.
Morales, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter,
thrilled fans with her leaping ability.
The junior led the Badgers at 3.62
kills per set on the weekend. She also
added 2.75 digs per set.
BIG TEN DOMINATES
● Two Big Ten teams played for the national championship for the first time
in the 33-year history of the tournament. It was also the first time two
teams east of the Mississippi River
played in the title match.
As the No. 12 seed, Wisconsin was
the lowest seeded team to advance to
the NCAA championship match since
seeding was begun in 2000.
The Badgers returned to the NCAA
tournament this season with their
first appearance since 2007. Wisconsin improved to 34-17 (.667) in 17
years of NCAA participation, including a 5-1 mark this season.
