The Wisconsin Badgers just won their seventh straight match and their fifth straight ranked win. This time, they took down the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini in three straight sets. There were a lot of great moments for the Badgers, and Wisconsin was firing on a lot of cylinders to make this sweep happen, but the one play that stole the night was Kristen Simon’s save and kill. It was incredible.
It also says way more about this Badger volleyball team than you would imagine, but first let’s get to the highlights and see it from two different angles. The new angle that wasn’t initially shown is perfect. First, let’s see how it looked live and in the broadcast replays:
ALL-OUT effort from Simon! 🙌pic.twitter.com/b0B7YEmH7z
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) October 9, 2026
The new angle that a user on X was able to clip and then put into slow motion shows how incredible this was. The ability to not only reach the ball, but make a powerful hit while flying through the air – enough to get it to the net and then over the net is…WOW!
@BadgerVB What incredible hustle and two incredible digs by the Wisconsin Badgers in one of the best plays you will ever see in volleyball. A @SportsCenter Top Ten moment. pic.twitter.com/9IwmHdC7HJ
— Wisconsinsane® (@wisconsinsane) October 9, 2026
Wisconsin’s depth and hustle was on full display in the 3-set sweep of Illinois
Related: Wisconsin volleyball does everything right and yet still drops in the Top 25 poll
The replays are crazy, and hats off to Kristen Simon for making that final play happen. It was also a kill that you may never see again in volleyball. She somehow got a kill with an underhand hit, facing backward, flying through the air. Truly, one of the craziest volleyball plays you’ll ever see…