After letting the opening set slip through their fingers, No. 2 Wisconsin bounced back to win three straight to defeat the No. 7 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 3-1 (25-27, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21) to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin had a huge night for the Badgers, scoring a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs while hitting .294.

Wisconsin got off to a strong start in the opening set and looked to be cruising over a Georgia Tech team coming off a five-set battle in their first match with Tennessee. Junior middle blocker Carter Booth got started early with some quick kills as UW went up 12-7 to force a GT timeout. Though the Jackets cut the lead to 16-14, the Badgers pushed on to go up 20-15 to force another timeout with another kill from Booth on an overpass.

A block from senior opposite Anna Smrek pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 22-16, but the Jackets seemed to flip a switch from that point on. Suddenly, their defense was able to get block touches and make it harder for UW’s hits to terminate.

Senior Bianca Bertolino also started a 3-0 service run that featured an ace that cut the lead to 22-19 and forced a timeout from Kelly Sheffield. Outside hitter Tamara Otene then helped tie the set at 23-23 with a kill. The New Zealand native had a match-high 21 kills and was a thorn in UW’s side. Although senior Devyn Robinson set up a UW set point at 25-24, three straight points for Tech helped them take set one and stun the crowd. Otene had seven kills in the opening set.

Wisconsin got off to a quick start in the second set. A great serve from freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer let senior opposite Anna Smrek get the kill on an overpass to give UW a 9-6 lead. But Tech fought back to go up 12-11 after a kill from Kiwi Otene, forcing a Wisconsin timeout.

The timeout worked as UW went on a 3-0 run to re-take the lead at 14-12, and the lead extended to 18-15. The Tech defenders were swarming, keeping so many balls up, a trait that made them a tough out all season against the top teams in the ACC. Libero Sofia Velez had 11 digs at that point in the night. She finished with 19 while three other Jackets had over 10.

But Velez was struggling at times in the serve receive, and in the second set, Fuerbringer had two straight aces on Velez that gave the Badgers a 22-16 lead that energized the whole arena and gave UW a lead they would not relinquish.

In the third set, UW’s block started to make itself known. Booth and Smrek combined on an early block to put the Badgers up 6-1 and force a GT timeout. Wisconsin had nine blocks at that point on the night, while Smrek finished with nine — making her one shy of a double-double as the 6-foot-9 Canadian had 13 kills in a stellar performance — and Booth had eight.

The Jackets got back in the frame thanks to a service run from Bertolino. The Argentine had a wicked topspin serve that helped GT cut the lead to 13-11. A service error stopped her mini-run, but she had a touch kill over the fingertips of UW’s huge block to cut the lead to 18-16 and force a timeout from Sheffield.

Bertolino had 17 kills and 17 digs on the night. A kill from Booth then a block from her and Smrek gave UW a 21-18 lead, but the Jackets fought right back to tie the third set 22-22. Smrek then had two straight kills and Fuerbringer had a huge block on Otene to give Wisconsin the 25-23 set win to put the Badgers up 2-1 on the match.

Despite the Jackets’ dogged back row defense, untimely service errors and the Badger block helped beat Georgia Tech. But key players stepped up for Wisconsin in key moments.

Senior Devyn Robinson was able to get a groove on offense off the slide play. In limited rotations, the senior from Ankeny, Iowa had eight kills and no errors on offense with three timely kills in the fourth frame. She and Franklin combined on a huge block that put Wisconsin up 14-11. Booth then was able to convert a kill off a slide play for her tenth kill on the evening, giving UW a 16-14 lead.

But again, the Jackets fought back and tied the fourth set at 20-all and forced a UW timeout. Robinson got a kill from the slide right after the timeout then combined with Fuerbringer on a block to make the score 22-20. Then Frank the Tank closed out the night with three straight kills to close out the match for Wisconsin, helping the Badgers advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

In each set, the Badgers’ hit percentage steadily increased, and the stars showed up when they were needed the most. That’s a winning recipe even if there are some things to clean up. But Wisconsin’s win means they’ll be dancing for a second weekend — likely heading to Lincoln, Nebraska if the Huskers take care of business in their second-roundg match against Miami.