No. 6 Wisconsin’s unbeaten home start ended Friday night in a Badgers game that turned into a tight five-set battle, with No. 21 Washington leaving the UW Field House with an 18-16 fifth-set win. Wisconsin won the first and third sets, but Washington kept finding answers late to hand the Badgers their first home loss of the season.
The final score by set was 25-20, 25-27, 25-21, 18-25 and 16-18. Wisconsin led 2-1 after three sets and looked in control at different points, but Washington forced a decisive fifth set after taking the fourth 25-18 and then edged the Badgers in the closing points.
Champion leads the way offensively
Freshman Decelise Champion was the standout for Wisconsin, tying her career high with 20 kills and adding 11 digs. Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said offensively she was “fantastic” and praised the way she played with courage. Sheffield also pointed to the overall level of the match, saying Wisconsin was beaten by a team that “just got us by a couple of points here and played great.”
Champion’s performance gave Wisconsin a steady attacking option throughout the night, even as the match became more difficult deep into the fifth set. It was also a significant individual night for her, because matching a career high while producing a double-double in a five-set conference match is exactly the kind of outing that can build confidence even in defeat.
Wisconsin’s balance still showed, but Washington held firm
Wisconsin also got strong contributions elsewhere. Sophomore Kristen Simon had 15 kills, while Audrey Flanagan finished with 12 kills. Jaela Auguste added 10 kills, and Charlie Fuerbringer reached a major career milestone with 3,000 career assists while finishing with 55 assists, 17 digs and two aces.
That kind of balance is usually enough to win at home, and for long stretches it looked like Wisconsin might control the night. But Washington stayed composed, answered the Badgers’ early momentum and then finished stronger in the final two sets.
A learning moment after a narrow defeat
After the match, Simon said the focus now is on getting back to work and staying mentally strong across all five sets without allowing teams to come back. Champion framed the result as part of the process, calling it a learning experience and saying Wisconsin can take the good from the night, learn from the bad and keep growing.
For Wisconsin, the immediate takeaway is simple: the Badgers are still very much capable of playing at a high level, but the final points in close conference matches can decide everything. Friday night was a reminder of that, and a reminder that the margin for error narrows quickly once a match reaches a fifth set.
