3 things that stood out from Wisconsin volleyball's dominance of No. 23 Southern Cal

Fuerbringer, the freshman setter for the University of Wisconsin volleyball team, received a hero’s welcome before, during and after the No. 6 Badgers’ convincing sweep of No. 23 Southern Cal 25-18, 25-19, 25-12.

From scoring an ace on her match opening serve until security personnel finally started shooing people out long after the end of the match, Fuerbringer’s fans got what they came to see.

Royal homecoming set for Wisconsin volleyball's star freshman setter

And she appreciated their presence more than she could say, although she made the rounds from group to group, touching bases with many of the people who helped shape her volleyball career while growing up just down the road in Hermosa Beach and playing at her parents’ Mizuno Long Beach club.

“It was so sweet,” Fuerbringer said. “I feel so grateful. It was an unreal experience to get back home and see all the girls that I’ve coached at my club, all of the girls that grew up kind of idolizing me as I went through my club experience. Just seeing them watching me in college and being so excited to see me was so awesome. It was a great feeling. My heart is so full.”

In addition to the club crowd, her old high school friends and a couple of friends who attend USC, Fuerbringer was especially moved by the presence of all of her former coaches and she made a point to talking with each of them.

All-around champion, potential 'country's top libero' sign with Wisconsin volleyball

“All of my old coaches were here,” she said. “It was so awesome to see them because they were the people who brought me to where I am today. Literally, just seeing everyone who got me to this point was so cool.”

Where Fuerbringer is right now is the focal point of a Wisconsin team that seems to be hitting its stride, playing with efficiency and balance offensively while also playing suffocating defense.

The Badgers (19-5, 13-2 Big Ten) hit .333 on Thursday against a USC team that is holding its conference opponents to a .185 mark. Since their loss to Nebraska, the Badgers are hitting .391 over four matches.

“We’re finding things that are working,” said fifth-year senior Sarah Franklin, who led the Badgers with 13 kills. “We’re clicking. We keep pushing the envelope in everything we’re doing — passing, serving, blocking, defense. Building on that every single game is what we’re focusing on.”

And at the center of that has been Fuerbringer, who has been running the show with increasing confidence and flair.

“She is probably the most ballsy setter I’ve had, just being able to get the ball out there,” Franklin said. “I love it. She’s been able to do a really good job and get that confidence. It’s good to see that grow.”

3 things that stood out in No. 7 Wisconsin volleyball's sweep against No. 3 Penn State

Coach Kelly Sheffield was impressed with the way Fuerbringer maintained her poise on an obviously emotional night.

“Cool as a cucumber,” Sheffield said. “She knows everybody around here, playing with these guys and against these guys for years. Chuck did a good job.”

Despite the obvious emotional component of the evening, Fuerbringer was intent on not getting caught up in it during the match and focus on keeping the Badgers on a roll.

Polzin: How the best version of Anna Smrek can help Wiscosnin volleyball reach its potential

“I knew it was just another game,” she said. “It had a little more emotion to it because I am where I am. I knew what I had to do. I had to take care of business.

“I think we all have a feeling that we’re on our uprise right now. We all know what that feels like to be dominant against other teams. Since we have had that feeling and we know that feeling we can continue to replicate it through the rest of the season.”

Beyond Fuerbringer’s play, here are three things that stood out in the match.

Sarah Franklin continues hot hitting stretch

'I don’t want to act like a fan girl': Former Wisconsin volleyball star adjusts quickly to coaching

Franklin hit a season-high .632 with her 13 kills in just 19 attempts. She did, however, have a hitting error, after racking up back-to-back errorless matches last weekend. She is hitting .476 over the past three matches, averaging 4.56 kills per set.

Her errorless streak was snapped in an unlikely manner as a free ball she attempted to send over hit the tape and bounced back.

“That was really bad,” Franklin said. “I should’ve popped it over.”

From transferring from an archrival to breaking down her best skill, get to know Carter Booth

As for her hot stretch: “I’m doing what I need to do for the team and just trying to execute at a very, very high level,” she said. “I hate making errors.

“It makes it pretty easy when Charlie is giving me some butter sets and I have every shot available and I’m able to hit through that. Just being consistent is my main focus.”

Defense is more than just blocking

While the Badgers have soared to No. 1 in the nation in blocks per set at 3.09, that is not the only facet of their defense that has been impactful.

Polzin: Humbling loss to Nebraska leaves Wisconsin volleyball in soul-searching mode

They maintained that blocking pace with nine against USC, but six of those came in the third set. Sheffield was pleased with the way his team stymied an explosive USC team even before the block showed up.

“I thought we played hard,” he said. “They’re very impressive physically on the other side of the net and I thought we did a good job of being calm and playing good team defense. That was a big emphasis going in. We wanted to play good defense and that’s a challenge with them because they have more attackers than you’ve got blockers. They can overwhelm you but I thought we did a good job.”

Ally Batenhorst, the transfer from Nebraska outside hitter, led USC (17-8, 9-6) with eight kills, but also had nine errors for a minus-.029 percentage.

Police escort gets the job done

Cutting teams, players? How proposed new NCAA roster limits will impact Wisconsin teams

The Wisconsin buses were able to weave through rush hour LA traffic with the help of three motorcycle police officers, who stopped traffic throughout the route. Police escorts are standard operating procedure for visiting teams around the Big Ten Conference, but in most locations they’re more of a formality.

But in LA, they are a necessity. Through the well coordinated efforts of the motorcycle police, the Badgers were able to complete the journey from their Culver City hotel to the Galen Center in about 40 minutes. Otherwise, it might have taken closer to two hours to get there.

“It certainly comes in handy here in LA,” Sheffield said.