MADISON, Wis. — The No. 3 Wisconsin volleyball team will open up the 2024 regular season against No. 6 Louisville at the AVCA First Serve Showdown at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. The match is set to start at 8:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
Before the match, here are six things to know:
1. LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers swept Bradley 25-17, 25-22, 25-14 in an exhibition at the UW Field House on Tuesday night. UW introduced six new faces to the court, as each of the freshmen saw playing time, while Charlie Fuerbringer started at setter and Trinity Shadd-Ceres started at outside hitter.
2. MORE LEFT IN THE TANK: Senior Sarah Franklin was named the AVCA National Player of the Year, the second Badger to earn the national award. The 6-foot-4 outside hitter was also named the AVCA Northeast Region and Big Ten Player of the Year. She led the Badgers with 4.15 kills per set, tallying double-figure kills in 29 matches. She is the second in program history to have earned the prestigious award.
3. THE GREAT WALL OF MADISON: In the 2023 season, the Badgers were the nation’s top blocking team, averaging 3.07 blocks per set. Wisconsin more than doubled up its foes in total blocks this season—365.5-173.0—recording 10-or-more blocks in 20 matches, including the 12 of the last 14 matches. Carter Booth led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally with 1.56 blocks per set. CC Crawford added 1.35 blocks per set, which ranked third in the conference, while Anna Smrek ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 1.13 blocks per set.
4. TOP OF THE B1G TEN: UW hit better than .300 in 24-of-34 matches in 2023, including four matches over .400, leading the Big Ten and ranking second nationally at .313. Stanford led the nation at .316 in 2023. Individually, junior Carter Booth ranked fifth nationally at .431 while senior Anna Smrek was 18th nationally at .401.
5. ON A MISSION: The Badgers will play nine matches against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches’ poll and 14 matches against teams that participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin will face off against 14 opponents in the Top 60 of the final 2023 RPI, including three in the Top 5 and five in the Top 10.
6. SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: No. 6 Louisville is coming off a 27-5 finish in the 2023 season. The…
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