With a record-setting crowd of 954 around them, the Huskies took on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuesday night at Victor E. Court.

Both teams came into the match undefeated, but it would be the Badgers (10-0) who continued their win streak.

The Huskies (11-1) got down early in the match, dropping the first two games 18-25 and 19-25 before coming out in the third to score three in a row.

But as was the pattern of the night for the Huskies, the Badgers matched the three, plus one more.

“We had sparks of really good plays, but we couldn’t do that at a consistent level,” said senior libero Maddie Hughes. “I think afterwards we realized we beat ourselves. We didn’t give Wisconsin a chance to beat us. We have to go back to the way we played with fun, enthusiasm and teamwork.”

The Huskies’ winningest coach Pete Waite returned to NIU as head coach of the Badgers to find what he said was an intense atmosphere and a good Huskies team.

“NIU, give them credit,” Waite said. “[Lauren] Wicinski was great on the outside. We couldn’t stop her anywhere she hit from. She had some great shots. Their defense was really good and that made it exciting.”

Wicinski led the team in kills (15) and hitting percentage (.294), but as a team, the Huskies hit only .158 to the Badgers’ .326.

NIU head coach Ray Gooden said a lot can be learned from the match against a Big Ten team and the Badgers’ caliber of play.

“I think they take up more space,” Gooden said. “They have a little more range when they attack the ball [and are] a little more physical when they attack the ball. We have to learn how to play at a high level and do the same thing … I think it helped us learn what it’s like to play with some of the best teams in the country.”