(UW ATHLETICS) COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 6 Wisconsin volleyball team battled back to victory over the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies in five sets (18-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11) on Friday night in College Station.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer completed her 21st career double-double with 43 assists and 19 digs while chipping in a career-high eight kills. Outside hitter Eva Travis led Wisconsin with 15 kills as Audrey Flanagan added 12. Middle blocker Natalie Wardlow added a career-high nine blocks, while freshman Decelise Champion added eight kills and eight blocks in her collegiate debut.
The Aggies jumped out to a quick start over the Badgers with a 10-3 advantage in the first set. Wisconsin answered with a 3-0 run sparked by a block, before continuing to chip away and grab a 15-14 lead heading out of the technical timeout.
The two teams continued to trade points as Travis kept the Badgers within striking distance with four kills in the frame, but Texas A&M utilized a 4-0 run to take the set, 25-18.
Wisconsin jumped out to a quick 5-1 start in the second frame. Flanagan provided a back-row kill while Grace Lopez added two kills of her own early in the set, before an ace from Isabelle Hoppe put the Badgers ahead, 10-9.
The Badger Block found its spark in the second set, capping off a long rally to hold the lead at 11-10. Wisconsin continued to find success at the net late, recording two back-to-back blocks to seal the 25-23 set victory. The Badgers out-blocked the Aggies 5-0 in the second frame alone.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the third set, with the frame seeing 13 tied scores. Trailing 16-15 out of the media timeout, Wisconsin provided a strong presence at the net as Travis reached double-figure kills before Champion tallied her first-collegiate kill to tie the score at 22-22. The Aggies sealed the 25-23 set victory, however, despite the Badgers posting a match-high .333 hitting percentage in the frame.
The fourth set remained back-and-fourth before Wisconsin sparked a 4-0 run in the middle of the fourth set to build separation. Fuerbringer tallied three kills early in the frame, setting a new career high to help the Badgers to a 15-10 advantage.
The Aggies answered with a 4-0 spark of their own, but a late 3-0 run off a pair of Champion kills helped Wisconsin seal the set win and tie the match, 2-2.
In set five, the Aggies charged to an early lead. Consecutive kills from Travis and an ace from Anna Bardaro helped lift Wisconsin to a late lead 12-11, before rattling off three more consecutive points to seal the five-set victory.
Wisconsin earned its fourth win of the season, as they defeated the Aggies for the second time in College Station. Defensively, the Badgers tallied a season-high 17 blocks, marking the first double-digit block total this year.
Notes:
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With the win over the No. 19 Aggies, Wisconsin moves to 9-3 all-time and evens the series when playing in College Station.
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The Badgers move to 2-0 in five-set matches.
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Wisconsin totaled 17.0 blocks against Texas A&M for a new season-high. This also marks the first time this season where Wisconsin achieved double-figure blocks.
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Defensive specialist Kristen Simon totaled 24 digs, a match-high and career-high. Simon totaled 23 digs against Kansas on August 23, 2025 in her freshman debut.
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Sophomore middle blocker Natalie Wardlow had a career-best nine blocks for a match-high.
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Setter Charlie Fuerbringer neared her first-career triple double with a career-best eight kills on 15 swings, 43 assists and a season-best 19 digs.
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Freshman Decelise Champion made her collegiate debut and contributed with eight kills and eight blocks.
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Senior outside hitter Eva Travis tallied a season-high 15 kills on 45 swings.
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A total of 9,211 fans filled Reed Arena for the top-25 match up.
Up Next: Wisconsin heads to Austin to take on the No. 9 Texas Longhorns on Sunday, Sept. 13. First serve is slated for 2 p.m., with the match airing on ESPN.
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