Serving up six: NCAA Tourney time!

MADISON, Wis. — No. 3 Wisconsin (27-3) was selected as the top regional seed and the No. 3 seed overall in the NCAA tournament, and will host first and second round matches on Thursday and Friday in the UW Field House. 

1. THE ROAD STARTS HERE: Miami (17-11) takes on Northern Iowa (26-6) in the opening first-round match on Thursday at 5 p.m. before Wisconsin (26-3) faces off against Jackson State (17-12) at 7:30 p.m. First-round winners advance to the second round of the tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Field House. 

2. TOP DOGS: Wisconsin earned a top-regional and top-four national seed for the seventh time in program history and for the fifth straight season.

3. TOURNEY HISTORY: The Badgers hold a 63-25 (.716) all-time record in the program’s 26 NCAA tournament appearances. UW is 35-9 under head coach Kelly Sheffield in 10 years in the championship, advancing to at least the Sweet 16 round of play each season, including four appearances in the national championship final four.



4. COMING IN HOT: The Badgers lead the nation with 3.01 blocks per set, outblocking 27 opponents this season and more than doubling up 15 foes in team blocks. Sophomore Carter Booth ranks fourth nationally and leads the Big Ten with 1.55 blocks per set. Booth also leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally with a .440 hitting percentage.

5. THE BLOCK IS HOT: With her first block against Iowa last Saturday, which came in the second set, senior CC Crawford recorded her 500th career block. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker had 235 blocks in two seasons at Kansas and has 269 blocks in two years at Wisconsin.

6. RECORD BREAKERS: The Badgers broke seven Big Ten season records, including four team marks. Wisconsin set team records for service aces (122), aces per set (1.85), blocks per set (3.20) and points per set (19.02). Indidividually, Sarah Franklin set season marks for kills per set (4.39) and points per set (4.98). Carter Booth set the season record for blocks per set (1.65).