Tag: Badger volleyball

NEWS: Wisconsin volleyball superstar receives diagnosis on injured ankle

Wisconsin volleyball superstar receives diagnosis on injured ankle

Wisconsin volleyball superstar Sarah Franklin suffered a sprained ankle during USA Volleyball’s gold medal match of the NORCECA Pan Am Cup on Sunday.

After recording nine kills through three sets in the United States’ gold medal contest, Franklin landed awkwardly on her left ankle during a block attempt. Despite the setback, she finished the tournament with 33 kills, four blocks, and two aces.

Franklin’s timetable for recovery and return to action is undetermined, according to Wisconsin State Journal volleyball reporter Dennis Punzel. Updates to her injury are worth monitoring as the Badgers are set to open their season in less than two months with a home match against Bradley on Aug. 20.

Wisconsin’s outside hitter collected several pieces of hardware following her spectacular 2023 season, including Big Ten Player of the Year, the AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year and the AVCA National Player of the Year honors.

The Lake Worth, Florida native joined former Badger legend and Olympic-bound Dana Rettke as the second player in program history to pocket AVCA National Player of the Year nods. The output even earned her a nomination for the Best Women’s Collegiate Athlete category at the 2024 ESPYS.

As a team, Wisconsin fell to eventual-champion Texas in its 2023 NCAA Tournament National Semifinal clash. Wisconsin will look to return to its sixth semifinal in seven seasons and capture its first NCAA title since 2021.

Wisconsin has significant early-season matches against Louisville on Aug. 27 at the KFC Yum! Center before a rematch with the Texas Longhorns at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in early September.

Former Wisconsin volleyball assistant coach joins Columbia staff

Former Wisconsin volleyball assistant coach joins Columbia staff

Former Wisconsin volleyball assistant Angel Agu joined Columbia University as its newest assistant coach on June 28.

Agu, a former four-year volleyball player at the University of Dayton, served as a volunteer assistant coach in Madison from 2018-19. In her two years on the Badgers’ sidelines, Wisconsin pocketed eight AVCA All-America awards and amassed a 52-14 mark — including 19 wins over nationally-ranked squads and a staggering 33-7 record in Big Ten play

UW also appeared in the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championship match a year after its Elite 8 output in 2018 with Agu on the bench.

Prior to her experience at Wisconsin, Agu was an Atlantic 10 graduate assistant coach at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As a player, the 6-2 middle blocker won four Atlantic 10 championships at Dayton in 83 matches over her career. The first generation U.S. citizen was named team captain during her last two seasons in Ohio and helped the Flyers reach the NCAA tournament in every season during her collegiate tenure. She also played two seasons under current Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield.

Two former Wisconsin volleyball stars named to 2024 USA women’s Olympic volleyball roster

Two former Wisconsin volleyball stars named to 2024 Women’s National Volleyball Olympic Roster

Former Wisconsin volleyball stars Lauren Carlini and Dana Rettke will represent UW as members of the United States 2024 Women’s Olympic Volleyball Roster in Paris, France this summer.

USA Volleyball, the national governing body of volleyball in the United States, announced the 12-woman team on Wednesday. Both Rettke and Carlini will make their Olympic debuts in Paris.

Carlini, alongside Illinois alumnus Jordyn Poulter, will play setter for the 2024 team while Rettke, arguably the greatest player in Wisconsin history, will play middle blocker during her quest for gold.

Carlini, an Aurora, Illinois native, was an AVCA First-Team All-American and All-Big Ten Team member in four consecutive seasons as a Badger. She also took home 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year nods and Big Ten Setter of the Year in both 2014 and 2015.

After being named the 2012 Gatorade National Player of the Year in volleyball, Carlini won 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and experienced UW’s title game run the same year.

Like Carlini, Rettke earned nearly every collegiate award possible during her career with Wisconsin. An AVCA First-Team All-American in all four years, Rettke was named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year twice in 2020 and 2022.

Her most infamous moment arrived during Wisconsin’s championship-winning season against Nebraska in 2021. As a perennial title favorite, the triumph was Rettke’s first and only during her time as a Badger.

Rettke also received 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year, 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2019, 2020, and 2021 AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year nods from 2019-21.

Captained by three-time Olympian Karch Kiraly, the U.S. Women play their final preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League this week in Fukuoka, Japan.