MADISON, Wis. – Head coach Kelly Sheffield announced that Temi Thomas-Ailara, a four-time All-Big Ten recipient and 2022 AVCA Second Team All-American, will join the 2022 Big Ten Champion Wisconsin volleyball team after graduation this spring. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter joins the Badgers after spending four seasons at Northwestern.
“Temi is such a special talent and I am looking forward to having her join the team this summer, said Badger head coach Kelly Sheffield. “Her arm talent I’d put right up there with the top echelon of college players in the country. She can get on a ball in a hurry, has a high contact point, and hits with range. She has a wicked serve and can be a really physical blocker. Although she didn’t play a lot of backrow this past season, I think she is capable of being a really good passer and defensive player. And although she’s been one of the top players in the conference the past few years, what I was most excited about was how well she fit in with the players here on her visit and how she much she wanted to be a part of what we are doing here.”
In the 2022 season, the Glenwood (Ill.) native led the Big Ten with 502 total kills and averaged 4.33 kills per set ranking second in the conference. Those totals from last season also saw her ranked 20th in the entire country. Thomas-Ailara played in all 32 matches and tallied 10+ kills in 28-of-32 matches and 20+ kills seven times.
In her collegiate career, Thomas-Ailara has garnered three First Team All-Big Ten accolades and Second Team All-Big Ten as a freshman. Temi’s AVCA Second Team All-American award was the first in Northwestern’s program history since 2012, and is just the fourth overall.
As a prep, Thomas-Ailara was a First Team Under Armour All-American selection in 2018, and was part of the USAV U17 National Championship team in the National Division.
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