Service errors and spotty back row play doom the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (0-1) to a 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 24-26, 20-25) defeat to the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals (1-0) in the opening match of the season.
On a night where UW outblocked Louisville 14-10 and hit at a higher percentage than the Cardinals, the service errors meant the match started falling apart after a commanding opening set win.
The Badgers had eight service errors in the second set alone and struggled in the serve-receive when they didn’t have the ball as Louisville coasted to tie the match up at 1-1 with a 25-17 win in the second.