Wisconsin vs. Penn State: 2023 NCAA volleyball regional semifinals | FULL REPLAY

so we again are in the regional round the last 16 this is actually a rematch of a match that took place this time last year Penn State push Wisconsin to five tonight the stakes just as high the winner moves on to the regional final Purdue and Oregon are up next here from Madison it will be Wisconsin serving to start this three out of five set match bu gaken the defensive specialist from Istanbul Turkey will start us off welcome to the Fieldhouse everyone Penn State and Wisconsin are on your way opening swing of the match is dug by Orel that was Hannah that took the attack Franklin off hands rington hen puts up the set for smre and smre is blocked by tramma Franklin tried the off speed and how about traml with two blocks on the opening rally there's that Penn State block lighting it up right away this is what Big 10 volleyball is all about long rallies explosive defensive place that all starts up front with the blocking cramel Julian Grimes the Lio serving for Penn State here's Franklin again nice dig by Grimes in the back row and the block Cameron Hannah just got SM that ball coming down faster than it left Hannah's hands it almost came back on the other side of the net under SM that's how big she is Caroline Crawford serving now in her second season here after transferring from Kansas Penn State beat Kansas to get to this match with Wisconsin and an epic five Setter weatherington looking for the touch got it the up judge Devon Mardy seeing a touch for the that's one that's one key that Penn State has to focus on all night long is swinging High Wisconsin is the number one blocking team in the country P has to adjust some of their attacks Matty banovic ended that Kansas match with an ace on Match Point in Lawrence last weekend Franklin Goes crosscourt is dug up and the error by Hannah Point Wisconsin oh Wisconsin led by Kelly Sheffield who has never failed to take a team to the regional stage of the NCA tournament he also took this team to the NCA title in 2021 in his 11th season running this [Music] program Izzy Ashburn back to serve for the Badgers one of the best servers in the Big 10 one of the best all time in Wisconsin history Hannah wide on the attack Point Wisconsin this is what a big Wisconsin block does it forces Penn State and all of Wisconsin's opponents to hit shots that they don't want to hit penate is swinging High hard angles forcing those balls out of bounds Aspen one of the two Setters in the 6-2 system run by Wisconsin MJ Hamill the other me they always have an attacker on the front row dump but tried by padrao Franklin hit High hands but a nice dig in the back by mik gin with a [Music] dig Hannah off hand and point Penn State Penn State led by Katie Schumacher colie was an incredible player for Russ Rose at Penn State and now has transitioned to the elite level as a head coach in her second season still very close to coach Rose and hello Russ if you're watching I know you're proud of your mney Lions getting here to the Regionals again Penn State's never missed an NCA tournament off the slide went Robinson still alive asford setting Robinson again podraza to M Orel with the Dig here's Franklin H it right out here as it just skimmed the scoreboard and those are not booze it is Carter Booth with the roof Booth with the roof because of that height and physicality up front boo at 67 she is not a player you want to have an overpass against Big 10 Player of the Year Sarah Franklin who was very much in doubt whether she'd be able to play volleyball again after an issue with blood clots in her arms that was discovered over the summer she had emergency surgery but obviously it has worked out well for her and she is back and has made the most of this second chance and I often wonder Emily what this Wisconsin team would look like had Sarah not been able to come back it would look much different than it does now You' probably have Julia Orel still at that outside position but man not only has Franklin come back she looks better than she did before all that happened Wisconsin on a 4 to1 run right now Robinson terminates this is what makes Wisconsin's offense so difficult to defend in this 62 system they have three attackers in the front row at all times meaning they always have a right side attack so out of system Penn State can't guess this ball is going outside because Wisconsin will send it to the right Franklin targeting theic there Mur can't get it to go down Orel will set Thomas Zara still alive good d by Orel madraza set him yic Franklin with a dig in the back row Robinson right away Wisconsin getting dein Robinson going Robinson's a player that has the ability to take over a match again this is what makes ronsin so tough it's not just one player that they rely on if someone's maybe having a down night they'll send it elsewhere 7 to3 opening set first set goes to 25 wi by two in this three out of five set match the winner moves on to the regional final which is the last eight in the NCA women's volleyball tournament and Booth again out of The Middle Pate just has no answer right now for Wisconsin's physicality up front one of the great atmospheres in sports and Wisconsin off to a stellar start 8 to3 opening [Applause] set well Sunday afternoon at 2:30 Eastern on ESPN the 10th Annual Invesco QQ Q Basketball Hall of Fame showcase double header it'll start with top ranked South Carolina against number 11 Utah then at five eastern game two features number 17 Yukon taking on the Tar Heels of North Carolina and between games at 4:30 Eastern we will have the 23rd annual WNBA draft lottery presented by State Farm live from our studios in ristal the fever Sparks Mercury and storm all buying for that first overall pick a good start by Wisconsin here in this first set Emily Pedraza with the set to the middle it is blocked in the middle is Ali Holland for Penn State number 20 in blue Thomas aora oh what a save by Mery Ashburn Robinson hit it right at start and Ming tools the block for the kill look Penn State is known for their gritty defense that's exactly what we've seen so far Jeff mik number nine in blue puing for this one almost taken out one of our camera guys but she keeps that foot on the court that's legal camera guys affectionally known as Wiggy but he saved himself over there good job Wicky look he knew he was in the line of before this game well that ended a 50 run by Wisconsin boo starts another one her third kill you can get Carter Boo the ball at any times you have to with the efficiency that she runs with nearly one out of every two balls she's going to put away and tonight she's already three for three good news for the nitty Lions she's rotated out Thomas iara Robinson and Crawford up front now for the Badgers Orel serve drifts Long Point pen [Applause] State first service ER of the match for either team Julia Orel from Poland last year was an outside hit for this team this year has transitioned into the Libra role and Pedraza now back to serve one of the best Setters in the Big 10 in fact last year she was the Big 10 Setter of the year it's contagious and sometimes those sets get a little bit contagious when the person in front of you misses you go back and man you think about just putting that ball in bounds M pad and her family hosted pen Stakes team for Thanksgiving this year they were playing Ohio State in the Columbus area and they got a little taste of Pedraza Thanksgiving MJ Hamill one of the two Setters in the serve had a double double against Miami here in their last match pzo puts up the set to traml and traml terminates getting the middles involved is one of the number one keys for this Penn State team they have to find a way off these good passes to get both Holland and TRL established as a threat into this game we saw it against Kansas they went 18 kills 500 it's a Difference Maker for the nney Lions when they have their midds involved well that was an epic match that they won against Kansas 1513 in the fifth set smre went high above everyone and crushed it what sm's often times going high above everyone she stands at 69 s she touches 112 that is higher than most basketball players do but man she gets up there if that set is in the right spot she's going up and over everyone she can grab a coin on off the top of a backboard duen with the short serve nice and a good swing by Cameron Hannah the side out for Penn State love that attack tooling anah smack up front that shows you what you need to know about Cameron Hannah she is not afraid of any big block up there she'll test you out Hannah came in from Clemson this year Grimes with the serve Target scoots toen smar Grimes will put it up behind her to Hanah looking for the touch no touch Point Wisconsin that's a miss that you're actually okay with on Penn State side with Anna smre up front camer Hannah knows she has to swing as high as possible that time just missing High hands the future Dr Crawford Caroline Crawford with plans to go to med school a biology major got a couple future doctors out on this court from both teams Hannah scuffed smre and booth that is a fortress it's massive when you have 69 and a smrk next to 67 Carter booth that is never what you want to see if you're going up to take a swing Wisconsin six of their 13 points have come off the serve and there's another it's smre who gets the kill but Crawford set her up with that excellent serve Crawford putting in an absolute bullet you can't force over passes against Wisconsin cuz they'll put it right back at you Caroline Crawford they've doubled up the score on Penn State here in the opening set Hannah trying to do something about it gin chases it down you have a lot of room to work with here in the Fieldhouse weatherington one arm dig a net violation on Wisconsin Sarah Franklin barely got into the net and so the point goes to pin State good call man but what a play I mean that save diving for that one Co J guen so much hustle getting after how at the up from the middle Caroline Crawford that's what you want from your Littles in the back court just straight hustle banovic serves for the nitty Lions G can with another good server see Franklin attacks and terminates every single ball out a system Sarah Franklin wants to cut this thumb down shot inside the blockers H States block has to move inside on these out assistant balls to try to take it away just a little bit better I know we're showing a lot of kills and the big Dynamic plays but the serve receive for Wisconsin has been excellent here in this first set and that allows the offense to run that gets everyone involved Pedraza setting Hannah Hannah is blocked again this time it's Devin Robinson look the blocking numbers that Wisconsin puts up are because of that tough serve when they knock Penn State out of system it's real easy as a blocker to just send him outside and get stuff like that Robin's dad Daniel the head basketball coach at Cleveland State that would make him proud Ashburn with the serve Pedraza going back to Hannah same result big stuff from Wisconsin again Penn State has to find a way to spread out the offense spread the love just a little bit more get your middle involved off a perfect pass like that as for short serve free ball here for Wisconsin Franklin goes over the block Pedraza setting murza nice dig Robinson set a little behind her but she still terminates just an easy roll shot the pen state had a miscommunication on that ball falling right between the three Defenders back there they have to talk about that one Wisconsin leading by 10 opening set in Madison Wisconsin up 10 one of the positions in the sport that I don't think gets enough love are the libros the libros are absolutely critical to the success of a team they're the players that Dart all over the court Emily well there's some of the most exciting positions to watch and if you have a good Lio on one side you notice them right away because of their hustle because of their determination and the way that they lead the back court they're the youngsung unsung heroes they make sure the team is in system they're making sure that backline is in position and these are three things you want to look for they wear the different color jersey they also don't count as a sub and they're only playing in the back row and it's interesting for Wisconsin Orel actually is an excellent outside hitter very unusual for her to play that Libra position correct yeah Julie Orel played for onon two years on the outside and then with tamy Thomas isar coming on to this team they had to put her there as Penn State sends that one out it was a little bit of shuffling though that Kelly Sheffield had to do getting a player like tamy Thomas iara coming onto this team she had to be on the court and that meant they had to do some shuffling or was the best passer she put on the Leo Jersey aome and they would run the 6-2 for the second straight year with the two Setter Setters in the back row you always have three attackers up front and uh Ashford and ham are the Setters and very they've created almost a partnership so when Hamill's out she's reading what Penn State is doing she will tell Hamill a few things when she comes off the court and she's prepared when she goes in and you know what that means that means both these players are such good teammates they're not fighting with each other oh I should be the starting set or no I should they're working together and that's what makes this offense work and makes kills as good as that because they work so well together with all of these hitters it also helps me have a player like Carter Booth that's putting balls down one out of every two Carter booth has had four attacks and all four have resulted in a kill we started this match three a piece and since then Wisconsin has run away with it opening set best of five set match gin with the pancake Franklin with two blockers in her face Frank going to do this all night long even with those two big blockers she's not afraid to go up and take a massive swing ktie Schumaker Callie out of timeouts it's a 70 run right now for Wisconsin as they try to run away with this opening set off the slide that was number 20 Ali Holland and G toen glad she's okay I mean she basically face planted in the in the wall right in front of us this is dangerous yeah this what you get out of your Littles you get some major Hustle Guin had a black eye after the last match they played against Miami but it wasn't from Miami it was Carter booths he inadvertently took a a shot from her teammate all in a day's work a pin State just has not gotten in a rhythm serving yet they haven't gotten in a rhythm really in any part of their game they subbed in a new Setter a new right side hoping to find some kind of spark Off the Bench but look this isn't the Penn State team that we've seen all season long don't expect them to go in the set two in game exact same thing and for all you Penn State fans out there remember your team last year lost the first two sets to this Wisconsin team and forced a fifth set so I'm sure there's a lot of fight left in these mney lions and that attack goes out of bounds by Alexa Markley Markley sophomore from Pete Tree City Georgia Big 10 Player of the Year Sarah Franklin hoping to serve it out targets mury and middle attack Successful by Holland and a side out by pen State much needed Point pen State finally able to get those middles going just a little bit they have to find a way to establish the middle as a threat early on cuz they've gone away from it since the beginning of the set H in a very good defensive middle she rotates out serving as Kon and a service error go this Wisconsin set point third service era on the nney Lions first set point for the Badgers over the block traml with a very cerebral shot such a high IQ play for Taylor trle up front she saw exactly where the defense was just put it right where they wer over the block and Van erran was brought in to set that rotation now Pedraza comes back in the starting Setter but she did a good job got an assist right away and now Pedraza will serve still set plate Wisconsin Franklin with the sered Thomas [Music] saara and the net violation is against Penn State the opening set goes to Wisconsin a dominant start to this Regional semifinal for the number three seed overall in the tournament Wisconsin hits 323 just two errors in that set and they wi at 2511 Wisconsin took a commanding first set 2511 and a lot of that was due to Middle blocker Carter who is 4 for four three blocks already on the night she is dominating the front line look she's 67 but it's not just that physicality she's one of the most athletic players in the gym well Emily I know you've seen a lot of both of these teams this season these numbers very uncharacteristic for this pen State team yeah Penn State's a team that relies on that offense they have such an incredible setting with M fza who Le the charge so well but it's really difficult to do against a massive Wisconsin block the hitters need to settle in just a little bit better yeah they need to go for high hands but maybe not as high as they think they do Wisconsin has appeared in two of the last four national championships they won the title in 2021 this year they have the number three overall seed top seed in this [Applause] region and a smre with two kills in that first set it'll be Penn State serving Jess mik will start us off in the second set and a service there right away that has been a problem for Penn State they have not had any Aces and that's their four service here Serv pass in general for Penn State has been lower than what we've seen this entire season Wisconsin's winning that battle putting in bullets on the end line pen State service he can't handle it Caroline Crawford up and she ER as well back to back service errors to start the mat or the set those are the errors that you don't want to see from your team you're okay with the ones that maybe go a few feet out of bounds cuz at least that gives the other side a chance to play it the ones in the bottom of the tape that's just a lack of focus just two errors off the serve from Wisconsin Grime serving now for Penn State Target scooched to him she go right in front of Franklin to receive it padrao setting wetherington Hamill keeps it alive Franklin Grimes going back to weatherington and corter Booth again with the Ruth and Sarah Franklin's reaction was priceless Booth working so well side to side Franklin set that ball up perfectly can tell right away Ken Stakes trying to get the ball to their right side to avoid that bigger block with Anna smre but it still doesn't work because You' got Sarah Franklin up on the other side after the block Sarah Franklin covered her face in absolute Glee Hamill with the serve nice serve P State out of system Robinson gries tries to chase it down but Robinson gets credit for the kill Penn State trying to get to a regional final through Wisconsin for the second straight season these two teams played at the same stage last year in fact a lot of people have called this the Big 10 Invitational this weekend because Purdue a member of the Big 10 will be in the next match and they'll play Oregon who will be in the Big 10 at this time next [Applause] year weatherington gets the kill for the N Lions Penn State really working that right side of the court now with weatherington out of the game look for Ali Holland to go more on those slides than the 20 in blue wetherington mom Karen the head volleyball coach at Charlotte her dad also is a senior associate commissioner for the CIAA lovic serving dkin again gin's been perfect on server receiv and Robinson terminating off the slide on the right side not only is Robinson a right side but she also acts like a middle at times that creates such a difficult time for Penn State to walk as you have multiple quick attacks happening at the same time she's not just running a classic n c she'll come around on that slide Robinson now leads the Badgers with five kills off nine swings no errors it's been a very efficient start for the Badgers here's it goes over the block Thomas isara saves it Robinson going to the corner Grime saved it Hannah blocked Wisconsin's outter system block has been impeccable tonight they're doing such a great job setting it up and there is no seam available for Penn State to hit through they're having trouble finding a way around it well one of the best calls Kelly Sheffield ever got in terms of picking up a player is when Carter booth called him and said he wanted to she wanted to come here to Wisconsin from Minnesota nice attack and Pen State needed that point Cameron Hannah still trying to swing all that we haven't seen her go off speed again she's an aggressive pry player she wants to test out that block in the edges as much as she can Hannah from Lancing Michigan but came here from Clemson she will be back next year this is a Penn State team with a lot of players back ashon setting Robinson perfect De Robinson Lighting it up tonight she's 6 for 11 they're trying to find her as often as they can because they know matchup wise they like her against pen States outsides a lot more than their outsides against Penn State's right sides three blocks as well for Robinson up front Orel ready to serve Wisconson the only team that's beaten Nebraska this season they did it on this floor over the block went mik and finally she can celebrate a kill one of the first times that we've seen Penn State go off speed off of a beautiful set for madraza from the other side of the Court per read that play so well State needs to get the serve going Emily they have yet to win a point play off their serve in this match yeah and that's something you have to do against Wisconsin you have to serve as tough as possible to get them out of their offensive Rhythm Holland serving and it is Crawford out of the middle continuing the theme of the Wisconsin midds having success the pass allows that to happen as well Wisconsin is passing Nails those was a pretty tough serve from Penn State man that backline handled it that gets a player like Carolyn Crawford invol in the play remember we were here last year and Crawford had had some finger surgery earlier in the year she actually watched the surgery that's how tough she is she again wants to be a doctor and they put her arm to sleep and she watched the procedure insane Stark L on that attack Point Wisconsin Stark's sister will be coming to Penn State next season she's one of the top high school Setters in the country hello Izzy and we'll be welcoming you to this level of volleyball next year MJ Hamill serving for the Badgers was it touched Villanova got out of the way just in time and it's been State's Point that's what good communication does on the backline another reason why the Lao is so important they're constantly talking to the rest of the servy telling them whether that ball is in or out now Pedraza back to serve her mom Chris the Hall of Famer at Minnesota as as a volleyball player Hamill set to Franklin that was beautiful first back row attack of the night Franklin hammers this one down again this is what makes his offense so tough not only do they have three hitters up front you got Sarah Franklin coming out of the back row with hits like that man it's tough on a defense Sarah Franklin now with three kills a block a dig all over the stat sheet Pedraza trying to get the offense going mik can't get it to go down Franklin has to create free ball here for Penn State mik to the corner schr good block by the nney Lions and then Franklin hits it into the net one of the few hitting errors that's only the third hitting air of the match for Wisconsin this Wisconsin team has had matches the season where they only have one maybe two hitting errors it's crazy the numbers they're putting up that's what makes them so difficult is that efficiency they rarely make errors another three point for the [Applause] Badgers this pen State team again beat Wisconsin on November 11th it was the highest ranked win they've had since 2017 smre was not in that match and uh a misue there Frankl had a couple of errors in a row and Penn State is within three this is where pen state has to capitalize on some of those errors put in a really good serve knock Wisconsin out of system then rely on that defense that you've been relying on all season long serving well would be a start here's Grimes Oro called everybody off Franklin he DWS it goes behind her to weaing tips over the block gin with the pancake wetherington again down the line and a kill for Zoe weatherington wetherington bringing some thunder on the right side absolutely unloading on this ball she knows Wisconsin's not going to give her many seams and that one right down the line she knew she could take a big rip she had 10 kills in the last match against Wisconsin that was pen State's first point off a Serve by the way nice dig by Grimes here's Hannah and Hannah long on the attack Point Wisconsin then out ball has to be a little bit better Cameron Hannah backing up to make this approach inside but that ball was set about the 10t line on the sideline it's difficult for her to play that ball behind her head and keep it in [Applause] Ashburn who is the career Ace leader for Wisconsin just put that in play and Holland gets her off the service line right away off the beautiful pass from Jillian Grimes doing an incredible job keeping this team in system she's one of the only players right now who's passing at a pretty high clip for Penn State they have to find a way to do that more often to keep players like Holland involved [Music] ashin runs over will set Franklin Franklin off the block nice onehanded dig by banovic and Booth I think she actually got that on the way down Emily I think is actually standing on the ground and just got that high hand up she doesn't even need to jump to get her hand over the Net bill number five she's yet to commit an [Applause] error and the Badgers extend the lead back out to three Wisconsin won the opening set 2511 Point Badgers it's a good decision for Penn State to decide to get Ali Holland going on the right side on the side keep the middle going watch for M pza to maybe sneak one over on two ktie Schumacher calling only the third head coach in Penn State's 48-year [Applause] history Adra to mik oh you got to love that that'll certainly work M coming out of the back row smart decision for pza to spread this offense out get Mur going as the only middle attack they have in that zone that leaves m one onone murza getting her Masters in Business Administration at Penn State right now in fact Penn State had several players in exams this week Thomas iara TTA bringing the Heat this is what she does when there's a small steam in the block she has such great P Vision to identify that team early on and bang it through you're in Northwestern alone that's where she came in from she the best player ever in Northwestern history I got it hands down yeah I mean from the minute that she stepped on campus we knew that she was absolutely special s just strips over the net Mur it and that goes down point to Penn State Penn State needs a little bit more of that a little bit more of Jess mik production especially on these out of system plays she only has four kills on the night so far hitting below 103 kills on the night so far they got to get more production six digs as well Robinson nice Scrappy play by the nney Lions Ashburn pushes out to the pen and Thomas isara Tools the block Thomas iara has such a fast arm swing down that if that bler isn't up and ready at all times to getting those hands over she's going to get the better of you Wisconsin taking some momentum now up four trying to close this setup and take a 20 lead we'll see if they can do it well a reminder we're just getting started tonight a full night of volleyball from Madison Wisconsin out to Stanford Purdue and Oregon will be here on ESPNU at 9:30 Eastern Texas and Tennessee will follow us on ESPN2 and then the number two seed overall number one seed in that region Stanford will face Arizona State at 11:30 Eastern on ESPNU one of the best days of volleyball all year long and tonight Penn State is looking to go back to the regional final for the first time since 2019 Wisconsin no stranger to that stage in the tournament they've been in two of the last four National Championship matches mik goes over the block tried to place it in the corner and that was a fantastic result in the end fantastic result because of the high IQ that Jess mury has she's able to see the defense on the other side and where that right back Defender is if they're sucked up she'll push it deep talk to she was getting her NBA she a smarty on they're all smart I can't even pronounce a lot of the majors on a biotechnology Hamill off the slide Crawford there's Mery attacks this time and she went right at smre and picked up the kill what a way for Penn State to come out of this timeout they're transitioning a lot better getting those balls up for the setter M's putting them away fans responding Penn State within two second set Thomas harara back row Stark comes flying in for the kill Angela to start getting involved in this offense not only is she a DS for them she also doubles as another back row attack so when she's back there they have three four back row players Texas follows us tonight on espm 2 and Stark's mother Erica played for the long horns her dad actually played volleyball at Ball State Hamill setting SM I am so glad I am not Jillian GRS yeah I mean I'm putting a helmet on and turning the other way and sprinting out of this gym if I have to go up against someone like Anna SM when she's up there especially in a one-on-one situation oh bless her heart GR such a warrior stood right in there and took [Music] it Pedraza back to M be king keeps it alive free ball here for Penn State Pedraza mury Franklin dug by Grimes there as it goes over the block tough to do over that Wisconsin block Grimes that's going to be a nice shot for Wisconsin and finally Franklin's able to put it away what a play from Franklin being aggressive on that overpass the first one she went up in the jouston one and she switched it up just a little bit knew that she had that open net and just ripped across cour I don't think she knew the first one was going to be that easy and was able to put it away on the second attempt Wisconsin responding to this Penn State Challenge they're up three now traml out of the middle sides out for Penn State and the nitty lions are staying close when Pedraza can get those midds going they're so effective and state has to continue to put pza in the pocket to allow tremal and Holland to do their thing up front mik three time first team all big 10 serving Hamil to SMR good dig by Mery traml dug by gin and it is Hannah who wins the JS for Penn State little bit of a flex for M padra on that one too so pumped for her front line great transition play on Penn State Side force that overpass they got it done up front a one-point set we're tied and that is the first Ace of the match for Penn State they couldn't have come at a better time all of a sudden Penn State looks like they've settled into this match both offensively defensively from the service line finally nailing those spots all right they have not LED since two to one in the first set and the streak is safe for now as Wisconsin goes up one this is one of Wisconsin's better rotations with smre and Booth up front it's a big front line this is what Wisconsin did not have when they played Penn State the last time weatherington oh nailed Hamill and gets the kill man when weatherington is on it's a game changer for this Penn State team she brings so much fire she's that high momentum player when she gets going she's tough to stop four kills for weatherington the tied again Hamill that's tight and that is the first swing booth has had that did not result in a kill beautiful read from Ali Holland up front she identified the exact shot that Booth wanted to hit and adjusted her arms midair to take it away timeout Wisconsin for the first time since two to one in the opening set Penn State has the lead in this match ,000 student athletes compet Championship so this is to turn around from first set to second set yeah it's massive especially on the offensive side pen St was hitting ne59 in that first set more errors than kills than you see the second set they've settled in a lot better and have adjusted some of those to the big block in front of them they're not just swinging all out for high hands they're a little bit more crafty with some of their shots they're seeing well placed off speeds and they're attacking the edges just a little bit [Applause] better so in this timeout Penn State up one here deep in the second set this gives a chance to remind you that the NCA women's division won Volleyball Championships the actual Championship semis and Championship will be in Tampa this year final match December 17th at three Eastern for the first time ever on ABC and for more information on all 90 NCA championships visit ncaa.com well two of the most iconic programs in the sport battling it out tonight for the right to move to the last eight Penn State has never missed an NCA tournament they've won seven NCA titles one of only three teams to beat this Wisconsin team and Wisconsin's the only team in the nation that's beaten Nebraska the number one seed in the tournament Penn State has won eight of the last 11 points to take this lead smre long no touch Point pin State biggest lead in the match for the NIT Lions all of a sudden it feels like Penn State has the momentum they're blocking discipline going up and forcing Wisconsin hit shots if they don't want to hit nice serve from Grimes Franklin PS Wisconsin within one that's the exact shot that Sarah Franklin loves out of system anytime it's a little bit outside of the Court she's able to hit that cross point shot over and over again Penn State's off blocker has to be ready for it Ashburn again one of Wisconsin's all-time best servers targets Hannah now Hannah will attack and boy Dy Point pin State behind Hannah's attack look it's been tough for Hannah all night long with a big block in front of her she's still hitting in the negatives but what I love is that she's continuing to swing She's Not Afraid of it she's continuing to go high is there an adjustment period when you play Wisconsin with that size I think you got to test out the block see how high it is and then settle in a little bit which is what Penn State's done so well asburn off the slide Robinson pushed it wide and Penn State up three deep in the second set trying to tie this match timeout Wisconsin so Penn State up by three we talked about Jess mik in the open and she is starting to shine for the nitty lions mik has absolutely turned it on she's already got six kills in this match doing an incredible job especially out of system as an outside attacker you get a ton of junk out there that you're supposed to clean up she is a crafty aggressive attacker that knows when to throw in an off speed and when she can absolutely take a [Music] [Applause] w m came in to the program from Michigan and she was pulling hard for Fresno State as one of her former coaches of course the head coach Lisa Rosen at leso state from the state of Michigan 2 over a th000 kills in her career went over a th000 earlier this season she was actually the national player of the week one week this season as well and when they played Wisconsin the last time Emily she had 16 kills in 16 digs she's an incredible allaround player that's what makes her so good it's not just the offensive piece she's really worked on having that full skill set not just being able to put balls down but in the back court acting like a lero back there trying to pick balls up be a really good passer and another way she's improved her game is really walking she does an incredible job getting all the way out and setting it up she has a few steps the game that make her jaw drop I think that's one of the reasons this sport is Catching Fire players now more often than not playing six rotations they can do everything banovic serving as runs that down will set Franklin and Franklin Got The Touch according to the up judge Devon mcor Katie Schumacher colie was uh contemplating a challenge but ultimately I think she's deciding against it and that is a sigh of relief for the Wisconsin faithful and Wisconsin a few string of Errors there they really needed to get that kill toide out it'll be Franklin serving Penn State up two we go to 25 win by two in this set he draws it to Holland and Holland unable to get that to go down it is Wisconsin's point and the Badgers are within one all of a sudden Penn State's feeling the heat from Wisconsin and their finding ways to keep the ball in the court in Penn State few string of Errors forces ktie Schumacher col to call that timeout the Penn State lead has been reduced to [Applause] one and after this match 30 minutes following the completion on ESPNU will will have Purdue and Oregon it's interesting because Purdue is one of the other teams that has a win over Wisconsin there's only three in the country that have beaten the Badgers this year but two of them are here in this region however they will face the very talented Oregon Ducks out of the Pack 12 and Emily what I love about that Purdue Oregon match you've got a youthful Purdue team against a very experienced Oregon team oh look Oregon's full of fifth years and six years really the only player on the court that isn't that as Mimi CER who's a sophomore but she feels like she's been there forever last year's abta National freshman of the year a group of experienced leaders veterans going up against just a gritty aggressive competitive Purdue Squad that's got two of the most fun outside to watch in the country Eva Hudson and Chloe shakor again that'll be coming up later tonight on ESPNU Texas and Tennessee will follow us on ESP 2 as we continue this Festival of volleyball we're down to the final 16 in the NCA women's volleyball tournament Saturday all day long on ESP ESPNU will'll be having the regional finals and then we will send four teams to Tampa for the national semi-final Sim I know the Christmas is coming up but today really feels like Christmas Day when you got 12 to 14 hours of volleyball on TV the entire time come on nothing's better I mean we got Batman out of the back cage how good is that Batman little late to Halloween yeah I haven't seen Santa I guess he's busy Franklin with the serve Hannah terminates that's what you love to see if your PIN stay side out right away right away out of that timeout for one of your players that you know in the big moments wants the ball asper sets Robinson and Robinson gets the kill to keep Wisconsin close 23-22 all of a sudden that'll send Julia origel back to the service L she's been one of Wisconsin's best servers this season what Penn State needs to do is lock in seven kills for Robinson Oro behind the service line also an excellent [Applause] server Target start mik dug by Franklin Thomas iaro and they call it down pen state is saying they got it up no challenge it's with Wisconsin's point and we're tied at 23 winner of this point will have set [Applause] point Pedraza Holland Robinson still alive not anymore Penn State takes a timeout after that Robinson kill man the hustle from pem state to get this ball up at Robinson she is locked in she's who you want to have the ball in her hands when that game is on the line when that set's on the line when your team is down Robinson wants that kill eight kills for Robinson on 16 swings only one error and Wisconsin has battled back winning the last three points to have a set point when we break up this timeout Wisconsin coming from behind down 22-9 earlier in this set they found a way to get ahead after a string of pen State errors and then a potential Miss call a pancake they might have thought was up you know you wonder why Katy Shumacher call didn't challenge it cuz that game was cing momentum it's tough playing in this crowd when you got the team and the crowd on behind your back it does wonders for the players in the court it is one of the best atmospheres in Sports if you're a college basketball fan of it can compare it to Cameron indor at Duke a little bit politer here in Wisconsin I would say hey man they they got some they got some good fanone when I was outside earlier I had an elderly person tell me they're going to run over me if I didn't run fast enough well for me the most fun part about being here is during the timeouts yeah this place is rocking got in on the awkward dance cam a little while ago that was great so again it is Point Wisconsin Wisconsin won the opening set 2511 and it's been a battle here in the second Orel to serve pedrazza setting mik no surprise mik sides out to tie the score it's win by two from here on out L such look for both sides to go to their go-to attackers for Penn State that's just mik look for them to get the ball in her hands at all times Holland the middle from Ohio has 23 Aces this year serving asford set Thomas Alara set point number two for Wisconsin M and mik again singlehandedly saves a set point we're tied one more time M pza loves that match up with Jess mik on the outside this game is tight they want her to have the ball she's going to find a way to score Franklin took the serve Thomas Zara into the net and Penn State has set point now a big serve from Penn State knocking Wisconsin out of system expect for Wisconsin to come right back at it and dig in and servac [Music] ASP with the set Thomas salara again over the block and it works we're tied and this is exactly what you want to see in a regional semifinal we want extra points we want to go all the way up to 40 both sides digging in doing everything they can to find a way to have the ball hit the floor lraa settles under it sets mik mik that went down Thomas isara could not get under it and a second set point for the NY Lions important to know Thomas isara not normally a player that plays in the back court look for Penn State to try to find her mik has had eight kills this set Asher sets Franklin back on the Seesaw we go Sam a back and forth battle of heavy weights it is a slugfest up front both teams have had two chances to claim this opening set Crawford back to serve at another tie score Hannah goes over the block nice fake Franklin calls everybody off bumps it over the draa sets traml and traml out of the [Applause] middle beautiful set gets traml going and this is a Wisconsin team right now that has two players in the back court that aren't normally there and one player in the front court that isn't normally there set point number three for the knitting Lions to try to tie this match Franklin Pedraza pushes it back into the middle of the Court weatherington Orel will set Franklin Nittany Lions keep it alive here's Hannah nice dig by Robinson Franklin tips miscommunication on Penn State Side a decision of who's going to take that ball in these big moments you can't have that someone's got to step up and call it off a third set point evaporates for Penn State we're tied at 28 overtime here in the second set weatherington and weatherington hits hands set point number four for Penn State with Pedraza up front they're changing this offense just a little bit getting other people going with mik in the back courtner banovic had three aces in their last match against Kansas Franklin mik keeps it alive Hannah's got to send it over and boy Dy pen State battles from behind and we are tied in Madison so Penn State battles back and wins the second set 30-28 keep in mind they lost the first set 251 Robinson Franklin Booth Thomas iara getting the majority of the kills for Wisconsin so if you're Wisconsin and you dominate that first set like the Badgers did what needs to happen here in the third set Wisconsin needs to play a a little bit cleaner offensively we saw some uncharacteristic errors from what we saw during set one hitters hitting the ball out of bounds maybe some miscues Wisconsin just have to go right back to their game and keep the ball in play so we are tied at a set of piece Kelly Sheffield's Badgers the number three seed overall in the tournament top seat in this region taking on the number five seed Penn State Purdue and Oregon come up after us tonight on ESPNU and the winners move on to the regional finals [Applause] Saturday so gu gin who was the tour guide this summer for the team's visit to Turkey that's where they started their European trip over the summer got to see her family she had only been home once since she got here and now she's starting off the third set with this Lefty [Music] serve good Serve by Guin weatherington what a creative play to keep that ball alive here's Franklin pedrazza both teams trying to settle in in this opening rally Hannah nice dig by guten Franklin fans wented a double contact didn't get the call here's Franklin roll shot count it Franklin getting a little bit crafty to start things off we saw him rip that ball across Court Penn State's not defending her well when they're out of system and Sarah Franklin's taking a swing they got to settle in a little bit better Franklin had six kills in that second set Pedraza settles under it sets weatherington and weatherington wide on the attack but weatherington was critical in that second set comeback wetherton really turned it on during set so she found her offensive Rhythm just a little bit better tested the edges of the block better we saw have some strong RPS right down the lineen coach Sheffield said her last match against Miami was the best of her career and she just has a massive dig as weatherington unloaded Crawford oh it's out point is going to be awarded to Penn State and the Badgers are saying that it was touched by a Penn State player off the block and they're having a little conference with Coach Sheffield to see if he's going to challenge and he is going to challenge well that was fun coach Sheffield he listened to the case he was like a a judge or an attorney and then he turned to the official and said I'll challenge I think what he saw was Sarah Franklin pointing out joy weatherington who wetherington said yeah I did touch it but he was my hair so Franklin thought that she said she touched it which you know why would you admit that if you're up front we see what they end up with and it it's refreshing because as intense as this battle is both these teams had some fun with this so here's the attack by weatherington Crawford gets the block watch the ball come off the block does it hit weatherington now she admitted it touched her hair but let's see if the officials rule that it touched any part of her body the hair is okay tough to tell from this angle it was fun to watch the back and forth between the two teams over that [Applause] call so does the block come back and hit weatherington before it goes out the Badgers and the fans were celebrating a a Wisconsin point but the official on First Look did not see the ball hit weatherington and so the point was awarded to Penn State what do you see well it's tough to tell even if the ball hit Caroline Crawford as well before it went over it might have just been the tape which is something they can look at in this play as well initially ruling that it was a touch as it would be a block they say it went out of bounds tough to tell from that angle if it came down on weatherington by the way this is one of the best officiating crews in the sport so uh I know they're going to get it right but this is one of those where they have a few looks that we don't have and they're in the process of determining whether this touched weatherington wetherington the Penn State player in the blue jersey on the right number 17 from this angle where weatherington between the ball and the camera it's difficult to tell even if it did touch her hair it's first challenge of the match by the way you get two per match and if Kelly Sheffield is successful in this challenge he will not lose one and they are rolling a dead touch sington so Wisconsin does not lose a challenge pen state does lose the point weatherington still arguing that the ball touched her hair but the officials uh saw something else [Music] I'm sure she was sure of [Applause] that so it is Wisconsin's point and Wisconsin out in front here in the third set match tied at a set of piece and the nitty Lions disrupted a little bit yeah right out of the gates pen State a miscommunication between Setter and hitter not knowing what route they're supposed to run how about the service run by G she's one of the toughest servers that left it comes off just a little bit different another miscommunication on the serve received ball still alive however Orel pcks it up Hamill set to Crawford Doug weatherington that's how you do it weatherington taking the frustration out on the ball and getting the kill beautiful swing from rington identifying the blockers way too far outside toward the PIN that means she has so much cross Fort to work with and go inside gotta love that response from Zoe weatherington first point of the set for Penn State smre and smre misses wide SM just trying to do a little bit too much up front we've seen her try to use the block with hands or sneak one down the line what you need to do is just go up and take a high confident swing over the block smack had an excellent start to this match has been pretty quiet since until now puts a hole in the floor you got to love that decision for MJ Hamill to go back to the attacker that just made the air give them a little bit of a confidence boost going right back to him to say that you trust them to still get that kill the other Setter Izzy Ashman said Hamill's a strength is she's so observant of what's happening out on the court has the feel for that Hamill going out to Franklin this time and weatherington gets the block and Wags the finger love it not only can weatherington Thunder a ball down but man on the defensive side she's averaging a block a set she's an incredible Blocker in a force up front going up against some of the best outsides in the country oh you got to love the competitiveness of Zoe weatherington as she rotates out Penn State back to within two SMR it's kept Alive by Grimes Hannah goes over the block Franklin plenty of time blocked by Holland Franklin again and Anna smen put in a good good set too going right outside looking so confident using her hands putting Franklin in a good position to go right through the scene that was a heck of a pass 10 kills now for Franklin we Ashburn serving and Ashburn missed but you know one thing about Izzy Ashburn number 11 for Wisconsin in high school Emily she served an entire 25 to nothing set including eight Aces look it's hard to do that even in practice when you don't have anyone on the other side and there's no pressure just to put 25 balls in play Orel with a Ser Reed ASP setting the quick to boot Pedraza tried to take it over and second swing in that rally Booth terminates Carter boo does such a fantastic job staying in some of these plays she might not get that person but she's ready up and available to unload on that second swing bill number six for booth boo also got five blocks an assist and a dig Franklin serving start with the receive here's merury mik tools the block Point pin State really smart swing from Jess mik swinging high and hard getting that touch off the block that middle back for Wisconsin if there's a touch you have to stay deep and Chase it down volleyball is um like every other sport it's all about matchups and this Penn State team has been a tough matchup for Wisconsin this season and last service error Point Wisconsin if you talk about match ups too I'm not sure there's a team in the country that matches up well against Wisconsin just in terms of if you look at the front line and they Tower over pretty much every team but the thing to beat physicality with is speed and maybe we'll see that later down the line if Oregon gets the win later one of the fastest offenses in the country yeah reminder Oregon and Purdue coming up here from Madison on ESPNU that is 9:30 Eastern following us on ESPN 2 Texas and Tennessee some of the ducks that have made the long journey from Oregon next year they'll be official members of the Big 10 so they're just getting a taste of the Big 10 this weekend they're also hoping to get out of here and head to Tampa Pedraza serving nice sa by Ashford Crawford on the attack mik clock start good dig by Robinson Thomas iara was blocked and then kept it alive so attack again traml with a block Point Penn State double contact on Wisconsin yeah it looks like on that cover ball the ball just sat in near oro's lap a little bit longer than it should have Penn State within one aser Robinson and Robinson with the kill off the right side big swing from Robinson getting back to what we saw her do during set one swinging High going hard up at that against a really big pen State Block in front of her Robinson getting close to double digits that's her ninth kill Franklin already has 10 mik has 10 for Penn State [Applause] [Music] traml mik just long and that's an error that you're okay with just missing the end line by about two or three Ines was a beautifully played shot if that ball lands it's probably a point mik's third hitting error 31 swings 10 pills Hamill serving pushes it back to mik smre with the Dig Franklin dug by Pedraza and mik hits him to Crawford weatherington blocked out of system this is where the Badgers Thrive they know exactly where to set that block up and those middles get all the way out staying involved in it Caroline Crawford andna smre combining on that block the Badgers up four here in this pivotal third set match tied to the set of [Music] piece weatherington hit into the net Point Badgers that's a play the pen Saint's going to want back kind of a miscommunication that's not the best play to run in that situation that forces the Penn State timeout the Fieldhouse is rocking tonight we got quite a battle for a spot in the final eight of the NCA tournament I'm telling you right now this is what you need to be doing Sunday afternoon at 2:30 Eastern on ESPN it's the 10th Annual invesu QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame women's showcase double header top rank South Carolina will take on number 11 Utah then at 5 Eastern game two will feature the Huskies of Yukon taking on the Tar Heels of North Carolina it's all on ESPN to men and between those games we will have the 23rd annual WNBA draft lottery presented by State Farm that'll take place live from our studios in Bristol we are live from Madison Wisconsin by the way one of the great venues in college sports this volleyball only facility is rocking right now Thomas hilara oh what a save by mury Thomas hilara again attacks this time she gets the kill transition this is where your team needs to have success not only getting the ball up but a good second contact to allow those hitters to go up and rip one a 50 run by Wisconsin right now to take this 13 to7 lead I mean how many times does a team think they have a kill in this match and they don't I mean the defense has been outstanding everyone in the back cour it's not just the leros so fun one more match to come tonight Purdue and Oregon mik up right at ham she laughed as she got that dig here's Thomas saara draza back set to weatherington blocked by Crawford Wisconsin Block doing their thing see Crawford read this so well getting all the way out turning those hands back into the court to put that ball [Music] in Hamill a biomed engineering major with the short serve Crawford is a wall right now so Wisconsin prompting Penn State to take a timeout after that Crawford block they're up 15 to S right now Wisconsin finding ways to come out on the other side of this this is what we saw from Wisconsin in set one that stifling block going to work Reading Penn State's offense so well and that serve is making it predictable well Sarah Franklin not getting the blocks but she is getting the kills for this Badger team already 10 kills just in this match alone Franklin's doing such a fantastic job mixing up her shots well she sees the other side's defense if can place his b exactly where they're not if there's a seam she's ripping right through it if there is a big BL she's going high hands pushing him to the corner using that really smart shot in the donut right in the middle of the corner it's been so consistent in this match again remember that second set was 58 points long and our esteemed statistician Dan Fran pointing out that Wisconsin is on a 70 run right now that matches their largest run I don't know how they ever lose in this building em I mean it is one of the loudest environments in all of college volleyball even during timeouts the fans are on their feet they're singing the whole time but it helps when you have players that are playing like Wisconsin is right now and those blocks that's what gets this crowd going the most when you have Crawford just stuffing on left and right Wisconsin is 15-0 in this building this season and that it's one of the reasons I admire this Pinn State team so much the way they manage this crowd and were able to battle back and win that second set for these all the Big 10 teams that are here you know they're used to playing in these really loud Arenas every single arena in the Big 10 is like this they've been doing it all season long yeah puu will be in here next they have Holloway and by Hamill an 80 scoring run all starts from the end line forcing Penn State out of system getting the aces putting them in situations that they don't want to be in best run of the match for Wisconsin eight straight points wetherington will have to send it over Hamill setting Thomas alar up Penn State just doesn't have an answer right now in this side out situation it's normally a good passing rotation for them they're having difficulty getting out of it l this is reminiscent of the first set it's very reminiscent of the first set when we saw Wisconsin just right away put the pedal on the medal and get after it nine straight points for the Badgers mik trying to side out for the NIT lines SMR the tallest player in Wisconsin history at 6-9 Anna smck who's dad Michael as an NBA star won two NBA championships with the Lakers with another kill we talk about Anna sm's height so much standing at 69ine yeah she's big but what we don't talk about is how athletic she is and those plays that she makes it's one thing to be tall but it's another thing to be as good at the sport and as L at as as a as as athletic as she is yeah well said I agree 10 straight points for the Badgers Penn State needs a side out they're not going to get it for Penn State this is where it becomes so important to have leaders on the court because you might run out of timeouts Penn State is in a position where they don't feel like they can take another one and you have to have leaders on the court right now to bring everyone together Katy shm k can't call another one so someone like Mata has to step up pen States use both their timeouts in this set what a service run right now for MJ Hamill haml will float serve traml receives it mik Orel what a save Thomas aara is blocked by mik but it goes out of bounds that ball barely out of bounds but man that up from Julia orzel to breat that play pick up the tip so difficult when she's so far back to pick it up well initially they wanted coach to challenge and then Pedraza came over and said don't challenge coach 20-7 Wisconsin running away with his third set weatherington with the much needed side out after Penn State had lost 12 points in a row big for pen state to get out of that rotation in weatherington not even the best set for her but she found a way to manage it and get a kill that's been a long time since P state is served it's mik back there now Franklin received Thomas hilara off the block Thomas isar finding her rhythm in this match swinging High going for hands really well to Tool it [Applause] off and she celebrates over on the sideline gin back to serve now gin had a nice service run earlier in the set podraza backs up to weatherington oh that was a perfectly placed ball she couldn't have walked it over there any better and that's exactly what you get from a player with such a high volleyball IQ that can see the defense so well she's a coach's kid so she grew up playing the game studying the game and it pays dividends now that she's playing at the highest level for Penn State Sarah Frank playing doing some house cleaning out there wiping up some sweat off the floor it's steaming here in the fieldhouse in the middle of Wisconsin a beautiful day outside Hamill setting Franklin dug by Pedraza Hannah tried to go through the block here's Franklin good dig by mury weatherington off hands I I've become a big Zoe weatherington fan I like I just like her sweat I like the way she play yeah she just presents herself in such a fun way she loves to have fun up there she knows when to turn it on and she's as competitive as they come service error Point Wisconsin play a little dodgeball in that back row it's what you want someone telling you it's out all right duck under it eight service errors for Penn State in this match Crawford serving almost a football fish was right on top of it Franklin [Music] tips and that ball never made it close to Carter Boo's hands but they were there just in case well Crawford knew it was going to be a good season Emily when she went to Europe she got off the plane took a couple of steps and got pooped on so if you know your bird superti getting puked on by a bird is good luck and it's been a very good season for Crawford I'm sure that's what she would credit her play to this year 100% And that bird strategically placed by Kelly Sheffield he said I know what's going to get Caroline Crawford going hey she told the story not me you got to go with what works right athletes find all kinds of things to get themselves motivated Wisconsin looking for a set point SMR blocked don't say that very often and Hannah turns around and says let's go look no matter how far Penn State is down they will continue to fight they're going to continue to take big swings Hanna is not afraid of a big block in front of her uh there's no quit in this Pinn State team we saw that in the second set service here have become a problem for Penn State in this match and that one has resulted in a set point for Wisconsin that was the ninth of the match point Bovi with the receive Grim sends it out to Hannah Wisconsin runs away with the third [Applause] set Wisconsin getting it done on both sides of the ball they put up 11 blocks already tonight leading the way figuring out a way to win up 2-1 on Penn State Wisconsin finding a way to get it done and it's a lot due to their height you see the net height at 7 foot per man look at these players this is what you're facing this is what Penn State's seeing tonight at any given time three of these players up front at all times it's almost unfair how tall some of these players are well Anette by the way a little over 7' 4 in tall and you could compare this Badger team to some NBA superstars imagine Anna smrk matching up against LeBron James but I love this comparison to show that this volleyball team is as big as a lot of NBA Superstars but they could give some NBA teams a run for their money up there and hey I mean I I I'm not the only one that wants to see an a go oneon-one in Lebron you think got Smet could roof LeBron oh easy oh I want to see Curry go up against Robinson that'd be a good match F yeah we competitive fire too oh we dream get the get the Dr Flex going so remember last year these two teams combine for a five Setter Wisconsin won that one to advance to the last eight right now Wisconsin is in the driver's seat to avoid a fifth set this is a must-win set for Penn State as Wisconson is up 21 we welcome you inside the Fieldhouse Sam gorong with Emily Ean in a match that has lived up to the height two of the most prominent programs in the history of the sport and we're underway in the fourth and a smrek maybe she heard us talking about she and LeBron got fired up they got a fired up there you see this mindset from her you can see it in her eyes she's as competitive as they come she wants the ball in these big moments we saw it in that 2021 National Championship where she was the MVP and took over that was Wisconsin's 1 and0 the NCA title Sarah Franklin with the block and picking up the point for the Badgers 2021 might have been their only NCAA title but this is the team to beat right now when they're at Max strank not sure there's a team in the country that can compete with them just with that physicality and domination in their 11 straight Regional only Texas and Nebraska have been to 11 straight Grimes with the Dig mik hit right at smre good d by the Lions Franklin hit hands Grimes got to send this to the net mik will send it [Applause] over and Franklin terminates Franklin going sharper and sharper with that out of system crosscourt shot Penn State has not made that adjustment all night long to bring the block inside this is Franklin's bread and butter every time she's cutting it inside move that block in be a nice looking shot on the beach [Music] half herik with the serice SE padrao with the quick set and traml obliges with the quick finish that connection looking a lot better between madraza and Taylor traml the first one just a point to go a little bit too high they talked about that connection and got it unlocked traml had nine kills and three blocks in the last match against Wisconsin tonight eight that's five kills excuse me mik attacking Got The Touch Point mney Lions beautiful veteran swing from Jess mik seeing that 69 and 67 Block in front of her just basically swinging straight at the ceiling to catch hands mik now with 11 kills 14 Diggs she and MJ Hamill both have double doubles on each side of the net smre had plenty of time pzza to Holland smre saves it and G tries to kick it over it would have counted but she kicked it into the stands I I think in volleyball Emily if you catch a volleyball you should be able to keep it oh I AB like come on you got enough of them they had to throw it back playing a little footy action out here look pretty good huh I'm sure she's played a lot of soccer coming from Turkey except she calls a flip [Applause] ball Hamill puts it up to Franklin and Franklin overpowers the Penn State block Franklin ripping that cross courtot shot time and time again it's getting sharper and sharper Pate has to find a way to make an adjustment and not let her hit that shot one more time already two kills the set for Sarah Franklin and Ashburn back to [Music] serve serves it at mik good save by Pedraza and mik thanks Pedraza for that set such a beautiful set coming out of M pedraza's hands that's a connection that they've been working on since they stepped on campus both transfers they were new to this program this season they knew they were going to be integral pieces for Penn State so they had to work on it more and more by the way Quadra of the setter is an inch taller than M 62 to 61 she's a big physical Setter Ashburn oh boo we may need a little Court repair after that one that it's going straight through the bottom of floor with how hard boo nails that one this what a perfect pass gets you boo one-onone she's winning that match up every time they are putting down the Teraflex for next season here at Wisconsin that just about put a hole in this one Franklin serves banovic with the receive hin goes over the block Robinson rri setting Mur mik hitting away from that block ball still alive Thomas Zara block Orel with a fantastic dig but finally the mney Lions win the r good heads up play from Penn State Alli Holland locked into that game she knew if that ball was coming over she could quickly explode and go up a must-win set for Penn State the set again will go to 25 win by two the first four sets in volleyball do if we get to a fifth set that would go to 15 win by two winner of this match moves on to the regional final which is the equivalent of basketball's Elite 8 winner will play the winner of Purdue in Oregon which comes up up later tonight on ESPNU Booth uh-oh Booth is getting hot who's ability to take over a match is reminiscent of five time first scen All-American Dana Rey her ability to take over on both sides of the ball not just offensively defensively makes a massive impact and you know that NBA graphic we showed earlier with Carter Boo's dad Calvin he's the GM of the Denver Nuggets I already mentioned Anna smk's dad Michael played won two world championships with the Lakers there's a lot of NBA tie-ins in this match father daughter wise oh nice swing Calvin Booth Carter's dad current GM of the Denver Nugget I'm sure he likes a picture on the left a little bit better the dunk when he played at Penn statement he played 10 seasons in the NBA won a World Championship as well and uh he's very close to his daughter Carter 67 he transferred in from Minnesota Caroline Crawford she's done a little bit of everything tonight Izzy Ash and MJ HL getting those middles going making it a point to establish them as a threat what that does is it holds Penn State's blockers just a little bit longer then when Wisconson goes to their pins it opens up scenes for them I hope young players are not going to go outside and try to get pooped on by birds I might based on what I said about Crawford earlier but it it's working for her this season that was quite a European trip by the way ended with a concert by Bruce Springstein in Italy I believe tmy Thomas isara unleashing Thomas isara having herself tonight 11 kills hitting well over 400 look this is her first NCAA tournament she's a fifth year coming for a program that never qualified Kelly Sheffield said she was like a kid in a candy shop she was so excited for the first round Yeah you mentioned the stay feeling like Christmas he actually said that the selection show was like Christmas for her because it was the first time she had been on a team that had been selected for the tournament then we talk about she's probably northwestern's alltime greatest player and now really lifting up this Badger program here she is fans wanted a double hit they didn't get it SMR long on the attack and that pen State tenacity is infuriating these Wisconsin fans look the crowd might not be happy with it but Penn State did exactly what they needed to do and that's play through the whistle sometimes you might think ah maybe that was an ugly set you might have thought it was a double maybe a catch ball you just got to play through the whistle until you hear it pza back to serve Penn State within one and a must-win set they're down two1 Hamill Thomas harara traml kept it alive weatherington crosscourt attack is wide wetherington trying to do just a little bit too much on that ball off balance he just want to keep that ball in maybe right to the middle of the Court those are not booze you're hearing gin is back to ser she is such a crowd favorite from turkey and an ace a sneaky sneaky serve that Lefty coming right down the line targeting Cameron Hannah that is Wisconsin's sered Target they want to go to her as often as she's in that service SE Julia Orel said gin is the definition of positivity loves having her out on the court keeps everybody POS positive Crawford with the stuff Crawford having herself a night as this match has gone on doing such a fantastic job not just getting her hands over but finishing that push well the roof by Crawford will send us in to the timeout Wisconsin getting some big Big Time blocking from Caroline Crawford to take the lead and try to win this match well the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame showcase comes your way Sunday afternoon 2:30 Eastern the top ranked Gamecock of South Carolina will take on Utah and then the Tar Heels will meet Yukon at 5 Eastern in between those games we will have the WNBA draft lottery presented by State Farm that will be approximately 4:30 Eastern on ESPN big Day on Sunday and a big match for Caroline Crawford she's been doing fantastic tonight it's not just her offense defensively she's put up six blocks already so far tonight she's a stifling wall for Penn State to hit around it would have been interesting had Kansas beaten Penn State because she would have faced her old team Ray Bard's Kansas j-hawks had an outstanding year and she's just picking up where she left off this entire team feeds off of momentum so easily it feels like when they get one block there's a string of them that follow because they just get a little bit extra going up there Crawford Franklin Smet on the front row right now for Wisconsin Pedraza pushes it out to Hannah long on the attack Point Badgers this is what a welld disciplined block does it forces Penn State and their opponents to hit balls that they don't want to hit Cameron Hannah going a little bit higher on that one to miss the block but it it was disciplined and they went straight over P draza mik out of the back Rin with a dig here's Franklin tight to the net found the corner the most beautiful shot that you can have as an outside hitter that back quarter is your best friend if you can continually hit that time and time again it is so difficult to stop CU you're almost always splitting that left and middle back Defender Sarah Franklin with 14 kills three digs four blocks and Wisconsin has won six straight points Wisconsin trying to win this match in four and they build the lead 15-7 now Kelly Sheffield's face never really never really changes unless he's laughing at something one of his players is saying I love it calm down Kelly don't get too excited out there Kelly Sheffield Dave chandell Craig Skinner the head coach at Kentucky all from Muny Indiana part of the Ball State Pipeline he doesn't need to change his expression look he knows what this team is capable of they've been doing it time and time again all season I think a lot of people turned heads when they saw them take down sweep the just two weeks ago but man this te is doing it all season long good reminder for folks that this Wisconsin team is the only team in the United States that's beaten Nebraska this season Huskers the number one seed in the tournament they had a nice win today Over Georgia Tech and Lincoln it's fun listening to Courtney La Holly mCP and Katie George spret terminates when Wisconsin's firing on all cylinders there is not a team in the country that matches up well with them defensively they are a wall up there then offensively they spread it out and they're so balanced they had a 120 run in the last set they're working on a 90 run right now Hannah trying to end it nope 10 points in a row for the Badgers again withj guen back on that end line such a tough server getting pet out of com I think you know what happened time out Penn [Applause] State 18-7 here in the fourth set as these fans hoping to get this team across the finish line and to Tampa last year they ended up losing here on this court to pit in the regional final and this year they are determined to do one better that lost to pit really put a chip on the shoulder of so many of these Wisconsin players that returned from last season they got upset on their home court with a chance to go to that final four they were upset about it and they trained all season long they were in the gym the day after that game ended and said hey we want to get better we want to get in the gym we want a national championship next season and that started the day after they lost the pck and U managing the new additions of of Carter booth for example bringing her on board realizing what they had with her timy Thomas iara I I don't think Kelly Sheffield gets enough credit for you got to manage all this talent and you basically took your libero switched it out took an outside hitter made her a Lio he moved all sorts of pieces around for the greater good of this team it's so difficult when you bring in transfers to put up these kind of numbers night in and night out but that says a lot about how Kelly Sheffield as as a coach and it says a lot about the leaders that are on this Wisconsin team this is a veteran team that is so excited to be here and determined to make it even further so Wisconsin's won the last 10 points they've had three blocks in this 10-point run Pedraza setting traml and traml exactly what Penn State needed a quick side out after that timeout perfect answer out of that timeout nailing the pass right away it's so important for the sured to nail that so the ma dza has all options available tremal did her job putting it [Applause] away Franklin boy Wisconsin Penn State getting a little bit undisciplined on that block coming down into the net so important to come back down clean and away from it a reminder that Texas and Tennessee will start on ESPN news and then they will join us on ESPN 2 at the conclusion of this match Texas Tennessee starting on ESPN news Point Penn State if Wisconsin wins this set we will be seeing Texas and Tennessee uh soon or rather than later but Penn State still in it Penn State trying to find some this is one of their better rotations with weatherington M and Holland up front reminder Oregon and Purdue from Madison on ESP and you 30 minutes after this match smre missed the attack Grimes back to [Applause] serve backs at to smk goes to her again Orel calls everyone off here's Franklin good dig by Grimes weatherington with the hammer weatherington always comes up big in these big moments m p knows that when they need a kill if they have to find some momentum weatherington is a good player for that Penn State on a 3oh run right now we know they don't give up up [Applause] Franklin and Carter Boo and if you're a Defender and you see conter Booth up there going up and over the block you better hope that ball just goes right on you cuz otherwise you don't have the reaction time to try to step in and make a play well Stark made a good effort but Carter booth has almost been perfect tonight attacking wise Nine Kills off 11 swings one error served by ashr there's mik mik did get the touch went off of Booth's fingers Point pin State veteran swing from Jos mik up there identifying the big block in front of her anding high right at the fingertip P it out of bounds Penn State's season on the brink a must-win set and they're down eight deep in this four as to boo makes it look easy and Carter BR so happy she made the move down to Wisconsin these were the games that she wanted to play and Excel in she knew that if she came to Wisconsin she had a real chance of winning a national championship well she's been a winner ever since she started playing volleyball the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Colorado in high school All Conference of Minnesota nice dump by pedrazza but is still alive Robinson and Thomas saara just miss hit that point pin State this is where Penn State needs to keep J Ming back in the service line as soon as possible she needs to hit in bullets and that front line has to do their job of either getting block touches or stuffs to slow it down Ashford to Thomas aara nice kick by Grimes Orel keeps it alive thomasa again this time wide on the attack pen States hanging in there a good net play up front from mat Pedraza knowing where she is and having the bodily awareness to not come down on the net they keep those hands pressed over it's served by [Applause] mik he draws a plenty of time to set Hannah Orel chases it down [Music] Robinson mik Robinson there wasn't too big of a hole for Daron Robinson to hit through but man she snuck it right through the seam in that block splitting the block and splitting the Defenders back there Robinson the fourth badger in double digits with 10 kills that shows you just how balanced this Wisconsin team is it's not just one person carrying the load a short serve Hannah hits into the block and tools it went right off of Crawford and Robinson nice swing Hannah again not afraid of the Block in front of her she's going to continue to take rip after rip until it doesn't work anymore this Penn State team came into this match on an eight match win streak knocking out a number four seed Kansas to get to this Regional Thomas Zara was going for hands but nobody touched so the point goes to Penn State could Penn State possibly come back here and all of a sudden a string of errors on Wisconsin side cracks that door open for Penn State and they want have bust right through it they have won eight to the last 11 points Ashburn to Crawford Hannah blocked that was the play that Wisconsin needed to silence Penn State as soon as possible and start closing that door massive stuff up front and good move from Crawford how far those hands are pressed over the nutman Wisconsin two points away from a regional final Hamill to [Applause] serve traml it is Match Point Wisconsin Zoe weatherington a transfer from Utah hoping Wisconsin doesn't win this next p [Applause] Point Orel to smrek mik and mik keeps Ben State alive look for Penn State to continue to find mik even in the back court she's their goto attack her who better to put on the end line than Matt pedrazza one of the fifth year on this team wetherington a fifth year senior could be one of those Players whose career is about to come to an end we've become such big fans of her the way she conducts herself on the court Pedraza serving another match point for the Badgers pen State Staying Alive podraza finding ways to knock Wisconsin out of system that is exactly what she needs to do back there when her career in college is on the line another match point for the Badgers Hamill setting spret she's blocked Crawford over the block the Badgers of Wisconsin moving on to the regional final