Photo by: David Stluka
This week in Badger Volleyball: Aug. 25-28
August 25, 2016 | Volleyball
No. 4 Wisconsin opens season at No. 6 Hawai'i
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin opens the season on the road, traveling to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational on Friday - Sunday. The fourth-ranked Badgers (26-7 in 2015) will take on No. 6 Hawaii (29-2), Arizona (19-14) and Kansas State (17-12) in the round-robin tournament.
Â
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| 
|
||||||||||||||
BADGERS OPEN SEASON RANKED FOURTH
UW opens the season ranked fourth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Coaches' poll.
    The fourth-place ranking matches the highest preseason ranking ever for the Badgers, as the 2001 team also entered the season ranked fourth before clinching the program's second-consecutive Big Ten title.
    Last season, Wisconsin began the year tied for fifth in the preseason poll, sharing the spot with eventual national champion and fellow Big Ten member Nebraska.
    Wisconsin finished last season ranked 10th in the AVCA poll after compiling a 26-7 record. The Badgers went on a 15-1 tear in their final 16 matches of the year and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third-consecutive season.
    Defending NCAA champion Nebraska (32-4 in 2015) tops the poll, followed by national finalist Texas (30-3) at No. 2 and semifinalist Minnesota (30-5) at No. 3. No. 4 Wisconsin is followed by Kansas (30-3), which rounds out the top five.
    Four more Big Ten teams were part of the top 25 rankings, as Penn State (28-6) was ranked ninth, Illinois (21-13) and Ohio State (25-10) came in at 14th and 15th, respectively, and Purdue (23-10) checked in at No. 20. Michigan State (19-14) and Michigan (20-13) each received votes.
UW PICKED THIRD IN BIG TEN
Wisconsin is picked to finish third in the 2016 Big Ten race in a preseason vote by league coaches. The Badgers are picked behind reigning NCAA champion Nebraska and defending Big Ten champion Minnesota.
    Seniors Lauren Carlini and Haleigh Nelson were named to the 14-player Preseason All-Big Ten team. Carlini, who was one of four unanimous selections, earns her third-straight preseason honor while Nelson picks up her first honor.
STRONG TEAM RETURNS
UW lost only one letterwinner to graduation, starting libero Taylor Morey. Wisconsin returns 11 letterwinners and six starters.
    The Badgers return 100 percent of their kills and blocks, 82 percent of their service aces, and 71 percent of their digs.
    Juniors Lauryn Gillis and Kelli Bates return after leading the team with 3.16 and 3.13 kills per set, respectively, last season. Â
    Sophomore Tionna Williams led UW as a freshman with 1.31 blocks per set while senior Haleigh Nelson added 1.23 blocks per set.
    Nelson also led the team with 31 service aces while Carlini and Bates tied for third with 18 aces.
    With the loss of Morey, Wisconsin's top back-row player is Carlini, who averaged 2.79 digs per set. Bates added 2.72 digs per set while Gillis chipped in 2.04 digs per set.
Â
|
WISCONSIN ADDS NO. 13 RECRUITING CLASS
The Badgers welcome the 13th-ranked recruiting class in the country, according the PrepVolleyball.com. UW freshman are Molly Haggerty, 6-1, OH, St. Francis (Wheaton, Illinois); M.E. Dodge, 5-10, DS, East Troy (Wisconsin); Mallory Dixon, 5-9, S, Manitowoc (Wisconsin); and Sarah Dodd, 5-4, DS, Tremper (Kenosha, Wisconsin).
    It is the 11th time in the 14 years of the ranking that the Badgers have been in the top 30 and 10th time in the top 20.
    Wisconsin is the third-ranked Big Ten team in the rankings, coming in behind No. 8 Minnesota and No. 12 Nebraska. Five other conference teams are ranked in the top 30—No. 14 Michigan, No. 16 Maryland, No. 22 Illinois, No. 23 Ohio State, and No. 29 Indiana.
    Haggerty, an four-time state champion and four-time national club champion, ranked No. 5 in the Senior Aces. A two-time Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-1 outside hitter could challange for playing time.
    Dodge, Senior Ace No. 57, is the other big-time performer in this class. An accomplished high school hitter, Dodge will compete with for the libero role vacated by Morey.
SHEFFIELD OPENS FOURTH SEASON AT WISCONSIN
Head coach Kelly Sheffield enters his fourth season on the Badger bench. He is 85-20 (.810) at Wisconsin and should win No. 100 at UW this season.
Sheffield is also 358-132 (.731) in 15 years as a head coach.
    The Badgers have advanced to at least the NCAA Sweet 16 all three years under Sheffield, including a championship match appearance in 2013.
Sheffield's Badgers have earned 11 All-America honors while six have earned All-Big Ten awards.
THREE ALL-AMERICANS RETURN
UW returns three All-American as senior Lauren Carlini became just the second two-time first-team All-American in Badger history. Senior Haleigh Nelson earned second-team All-America honors while sophomore Tionna Williams was an honorable mention pick.
    Carlini, a 6-2 setter, is the two-time reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year and 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year, Carlini led the conference and ranked seventh nationally as a junior with 11.91 assists per set. A native of Aurora, Illinois, she earned her third straight preseason All-Big Ten selection. Carlini ranks third all-time at Wisconsin with 4,158 career assists. She also ranks fifth in school annals in assists per set with 11.42 and ninth in digs per set with 2.88.
    Carlini is UW's first three-time All-American, earning second-team honors as a freshman. She is also a three-time All-Big Ten honoree.
    Nelson, a 6-4 middle blocker, earned second-team All-America honors last season as a junior after earning honorable mention accolades as sophomore. She earned All-Big Ten selection in 2015, leading the Badgers and ranking second in the Big Ten with a .422 hitting percentage. In conference-only matches, she led the league with a .432 hitting percentage. The Cary, North Carolina, native also ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 1.23 blocks per set.
    A two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, Nelson ranked first in program history with a career hitting percentage of .367. She also ranks seventh in blocks per set (1.22), eighth in block assists (422) and ninth in total blocks (460).
    Williams led the Badgers and ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 1.31 blocks per set. The 6-2 middle blocker ranked second among conference freshmen in blocks per set. She also ranked third in Big Ten-only matches with 1.40 blocks per set.
Williams added 2.21 kills per set while hitting .330.
NELSON SET SCHOOL RECORD AS JUNIOR
As a junior, Haleigh Nelson hit a UW season record .422 (307-40-609) in 2015, breaking the old mark of .402, set by Sherisa Livingston in 2001.
Nelson is hitting .367 for her career, which ranks first in career hitting percentage at Wisconsin. The previous best was .366, set by Livingston (1998-2001).
    Nelson also ranks ninth at Wisconsin with 460 total blocks. She could become the 41st Big Ten player to record 500 blocks in a career this season.
CARLINI RANKS THIRD IN CAREER ASSISTS
Lauren Carlini wrapped up her third season ranking third in career assists at UW with 4,158 helpers. She needs 1,077 assists to move into second, a position currently held by Jackie Simpson (2004-07) with 5,235 assists. The UW career record is 5,833 helpers by Laura Abbinante (1993-96).
    Carlini also ranks fifth in assists per set (11.42) and ninth in digs per set (2.88). She has 1,047 digs in her career, becoming just the second Badger setter to record more than 4,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs, trailing Abbinante, who had 1,246 digs in her four years.
BALANCED OFFENSIVE POWER
UW had a very balanced offense in 2015 with five hitters averaging 2.2-or-more kills per set.
    Junior Lauryn Gillis led the team with 3.16 kills per set while junior Kelli Bates was close behind at 3.13 kills per set.
    Senior Haleigh Nelson ranked third on the squad with 2.62 kills per set while senior Romana Krišková added 2.25 kills per set. Sophomore Tionna Williams chipped in 2.21 kills per set. Â
TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Badgers have one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season, playing 20 matches against teams ranked or receiving votes in the preseason coaches' poll.
    In 2015, Wisconsin was 8-5 against top-25 teams this season, tying for the fifth-most wins over ranked teams in program history. Wisconsin defeated a school record 12 ranked teams in 1998.
BUSY SUMMER
Senior Lauren Carlini was a member of the U.S. National Team that won a bronze medal at the Pan-American Cup in the Dominican Republic. Â
She was joined on the team by Hawaii's Nikki Taylor.
    Freshman Molly Haggerty won her fourth straight AAU National Championship this summer, earning MVP honors. She also aided SPRI to the 2016 AAU World Championship with a win over the Dominican Republic.
UW ENDS 2015 RANKED SEVENTH IN NCAA RPI
The Badgers wrapped up the year ranked seventh in the NCAA RPI.
Nebraska (32-4) wrapped up the year first with Texas (30-3) second. Minnesota (30-5) ended third. The Badgers were the next Big Ten team while Penn State (28-6) rounded out the top 10 teams.
BADGERS IN NATIONAL STATS
In 2015, Wisconsin ranked ninth nationally with 13.65 assists per set, according to the final NCAA stats. UW was also 20th in kills per set (14.30), 20th in hitting percentage (.270), 23rd in team blocks (315.0) and 25th in win/loss percentage (.788).
    The Badgers ranked in the top 30 in every categories except service aces per set and digs per set.
    Individually, Lauren Carlini was seventh nationally with 11.91 assists per set. Haleigh Nelson was eighth in hitting percentage (.422) and 53rd in blocks per set (1.23). Tionna Williams was 31st in blocks per set (1.31). Â
Â
CARLINI, TEAM LEAD BIG TEN
As a junior, Lauren Carlini led the Big Ten with 11.92 assists per set while the Badgers led the league with 13.65 assists per set this season. Â
    As a team, Wisconsin also ranked second in opponent hitting percentage (.170), second in kills per set (14.30), third in hitting percentage (.270), fourth in digs per set (15.42), and fifth in blocks per set (2.69).
    Individually, Haleigh Nelson ranked second in hitting percentage (.422), seventh in blocks per set (1.23) and 11th in service aces per set (0.26). Tionna Williams was fifth in blocks per set (1.31) and 11th in hitting percentage (.330). Lauryn Gillis and Kelli Bates ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, in kills per set with 3.16 and 3.13. Â
    In Big Ten-only matches, UW led the conference in assists per set (13.56), opponents kills per set (11.86) and opponent assists per set (11.33). Carlini also led the league with 11.99 assists in conference play while Nelson had the top hitting percentage at .432.
GATORADE HONOREES
Wisconsin has five Gatorade State Players of the Year on its roster, capped by senior Lauren Carlini who was named the 2012 Gatorade National Player of the Year.
        Gatorade Players of the Year
        Lauren Carlini     National       2012
        Lauren Carlini    Illinois           2012
        M.E. Dodge         Wisconsin   2015
        Madison Duello   Missouri       2014
        Lauryn Gillis        Indiana       2013
        Molly Haggerty    Illinois        2014, 2015
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine
No. 6 Hawai'i was 29-2 in 2015, winning the Big West Conference at 16-0. The Rainbow Wahine (which means female surfer) advanced to the NCAA Regional finals before losing to Minnesota, 3-1, in the elite eight. UH returns four starters plus its libero and 13 letterwinners. Senior Nikki Taylor, a 6-4 opposite, is the top returnee averaging 4.46 kills and 1.10 blocks per set as a junior.
vs. Hawai'i
Wisconsin leads 2-1
In Honolulu: Hawai'i leads 1-0
Neutral: Wisconsin leads 2-0
Last meeting: The Badgers defeated the Rainbow Wahine 3-2 in the 2004 NCAA Regional semifinals in Green Bay, Wis.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona finished 19-14 last season, finishing seventh in the Pac-12 Conference at 9-11. The Wildcats fell to Western Kentucky, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. UA returns four starters plus its libero and nine letterwinners. Senior Kalai Mau, a 6-1 outside hitter, averaged 4.33 kills and 2.45 digs per set.
vs. Arizona
Wisconsin leads 1-0
Neutral: Wisconsin leads 1-0
Only meeting: The Badgers beat the Wildcats 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2003 at College Station, Texas.
Kansas State Wildcats
KSU was 17-12 in 2015, falling to Nebraska, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats return all six starters plus their libero. Senior Brooke Sassin, a 6-0 outside hitter, had a team best 3.53 kills per set while adding 3.03 digs per set. .
vs. Kansas State
Tied: 2-2
Neutral: Tied 1-1
Last meeting: The Badgers downed the Wildcats 3-1 in the opening round of the Creighton Classic in 2015.
FOLLOW THE #BADGERS ON TWITTER
Do you Tweet? If you do, be sure to sign up and follow the Badger volleyball team on Twitter at @BadgerVB.
GREAT PHOTOS ON INSTAGRAM
Check out great photos of the Badgers on Instagram! Follow the Badgers at wisconsinvolleyball
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
Become a friend of Wisconsin Volleyball on Facebook and get the inside scoop on the Badgers as the 2016 season begins.
WATCH VIDEOS ON YOU TUBE
Did you know that Wisconsin Athletics has its own channel on YouTube? Watch videos on all of the Badger sports on YouTube.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballNCAA National Semifinal Post-Match Press Conference || Kentucky
Thursday, December 18
NCAA National Semifinal Prematch Press Conference || Kentucky
Wednesday, December 17
Cinematic Highlights || Texas
Tuesday, December 16
Post-Match Media Conference || Texas
Sunday, December 14
