Wisconsin volleyball has 'sense of urgency' for meshing newcomers with experience (2024)

CHICAGO — There’s a blending set to occur with the University of Wisconsin volleyball team when it reports Tuesday to a point that it hopes leads to the program’s second national championship.

The Badgers, who have been to four of the last five Final Fours, aren’t shying away from their ultimate goal. Only three players remain from Wisconsin’s 2021 national championship team: Devyn Robinson, Julia Orzol and Anna Smrek.

“I feel like there's such a sense of urgency and there's no room for hesitation,” Robinson said at Big Ten volleyball media days Monday. “If we're going to go for something we have to go all the way in, and I feel like all of us have that mentality that we need to be the best versions of ourselves if we want to get the goals that we're setting for ourselves.”

She proudly displayed her national championship ring, among several others, but also said she wants the freshmen to win one. Kelly Sheffield said in an interview with ESPN Madison this summer this is his most talented team. If it was an arms race, he’d feel good about his chances with another year of experience for his attackers. He, Robinson and Sarah Franklin stressed the importance of unity.

But they also have to replace two setters and have some freshmen who could help in needed areas. The Badgers don’t see meshing the experience of attackers with the inexperience or, perhaps, freshness as a drawback.

“I think it's about keeping everyone on the same page. I think we do a really good job having the new people coming in, understanding that they are new, they aren't young,” Franklin said. “They are here to bring what we recruited them for. There's a lot of value in that. There's a lot of value in having fresh minds, someone who maybe doesn't see or know all of our details to start because we can learn from that, too. It's great to have all those new perspectives. I think having a little bit of both, of bringing them under our wing and getting them into our response and culture but also learning what they bring to the table outside of that.”

Sheffield gets his first opportunity to work with the freshmen this week. He already worked with fifth-year setter Carly Anderson during the spring season after she transferred from Montana. He’ll now get the chance to work with No. 1 setter recruit Charlie Fuerbringer, who players raved about.

“I am really impressed with what I've seen with her this summer getting in the gym and just working on our connection,” Robinson said. “She's just really talented, and I'm really excited to see how with Kelly's coaching and with just being around our Badgers like myself and Sarah, like how she's blossomed into the player that I know she's capable of being.”

Said Franklin: “She has such a calming demeanor when she is on the court and she knows what she's doing, she knows what her goals are, and she does a really good job at executing that.”

The Badgers had run a 6-2 system that allowed both setters MJ Hammill and Izzy Ashburn to serve, and allowed Sheffield to deploy “more arms than probably … " he stopped himself from comparing it to anyone. But the front-line talent is impressive.

That grouping includes the country’s top blocking unit from last season in Carter Booth and Caroline Crawford. Robinson is returning as an opposite and Franklin, the reigning national player of the year, on the outside. Smrek had a breakout freshman campaign and can fit in at middle or elsewhere. But Sheffield hasn’t outlawed running a 5-1, either.

The pros for Fuerbringer are, “she's as talented as anybody I've ever seen at her age,” Sheffield said while he called her a “competitor with a very even demeanor.” But she has her first practice with Sheffield on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Anderson had the spring but it was only two days of 6-on-6. Still, it was enough to make an impression: “I don't know if anybody puts more time in the gym than her since she's gotten here,” Sheffield said. “She's a gym rat. She just loves the game of volleyball. And that is contagious when you're a teammate.” But the reality is that Anderson coming from Montana and Fuerbringer from high school means neither have “played opponents in environments like this on a week to week basis.”

Passing, generally, hadn’t been an issue for the Badgers. They ranked fourth in the Big Ten receiving 94.2% of serves last season, and were third in 2022 at 94.5%, but that also is what ended the last two seasons. Sheffield didn’t mince words, either.

“We've given up too many free points at the match that has ended our season the last couple of years,” he said. “And so those can kind of stand out and, in some ways, you don't have the ability to, to go and erase that from people's memories. And we've got to get better.”

“I almost think more important than us just being a steady or passing team in that area, we've got to be a better serving team to put that same amount of pressure on our opponents, because our serving has actually been worse in my mind than our passing has been in those matches,” he said.

So, the Badgers are comfortable with where they’re at entering the season, looking for a fifth Final Four in six seasons, and a second national championship in four. It’s clear that they’re hungry and determined, and it’s a testament to what’s been built.

“I feel like just strong leadership over the years and upkeeping our culture and just letting people who come into the program know what's what and understanding the foundation that's been set and up keeping that,“ Robinson said of the program’s success.

Said Franklin: “Yeah, the culture carrying through that long period of time is a testament also to all the recruiting that is being done, because when you're getting recruited here everything is laid out on the table. … You know you are going to have to push yourself to do that. Guess what, it's not going easy. That's the people that love this sport and that's the people that love to do that here.”

Sheffield smiled proudly, and affirmed, “Word.”