Wisconsin Badgers
Colgate
Serving Up Six: Badgers host NCAA Tournament
December 02, 2021 | Volleyball
Wisconsin to play Colgate in first round on Friday
| Venue | UW Field House | Madison, Wis. |
| Match Notes | Wisconsin | Colgate | Texas Tech | FGCU |
| Statistics | Wisconsin | Colgate | Texas Tech | FGCU |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Radio | Listen Live on U100.9 FM |
| Live Stats | NCAA Interactive Bracket |
| Social Media | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
| Tickets | NCAA Volleyball Tickets |
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin (25-3) was selected as the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and hosts first and second round matches on Friday-Saturday in the UW Field House.
Texas Tech (17-12) takes on Florida Gulf Coast (26-5) in the opening first-round match on Friday at 4:30 p.m. before Wisconsin (25-3) faces off against Colgate (18-9) at 7 p.m. First-round winners advance to the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Field House.
1. NO STRANGER TO THE TOURNAMENT: The Badgers hold a 54-24 (.692) all-time record in the program's 24 NCAA tournament appearances. UW is 26-8 under head coach Kelly Sheffield in eight years in the championship, advancing to at least the Sweet 16 round of play each season, including three appearances in the national championship final four. Wisconsin has been a top-four seed in the tournament four other times—No. 1 seed in 2020, No. 4 seed in 2019, No. 3 seed in 2016 and No. 4 seed in 2014.
2. BIG TEN'S BEST: Sydney Hilley was named the Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming the first three-time honoree. Julia Orzoł was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was a unanimous pick to the All-Freshman team. Hilley and Dana Rettke were named first-team All-Big Ten with Rettke becoming just one of two five-time first-team honorees. Lauren Barnes and Devyn Robinson were named to the second team.
3. THREE PEAT: Wisconsin won its third-straight Big Ten Championship, becoming just the third program in conference history to win three straight and the first since 2010. The Badgers have won a total of eight conference titles, which is the second most of any Big Ten school.
4. HILLEY HOLDS THE RECORD: At 21-19 in the third set against Nebraska on Friday, Sydney Hilley broke Wisconsin's career record for assists. The 6-foot Hilley set Jade Demps out of the back row for a kill to mark her record-breaking assist. Hilley finished the weekend with 75 assists to bring her career total to 5,849 helpers, breaking the mark of 5,833 assists set by Laura Abbinante (1993-96), who was in attendance to present Hilley with a ball in honor of her record.
5. 500 WINS!: Head coach Kelly Sheffield won his 500th career match with UW's victory over No. 11 Nebraska last Friday. With two wins on the weekend, the 21-year head coach is 501-165 in his career, including 228-53 at Wisconsin. Sheffield has the highest winning percentage in Badger volleyball history at .811 and ranks second in wins, trailing only Pete Waite, who won 305 matches in 14 years.
6. SCOUTING THE TEAMS: The Badgers open up NCAA play against the Colgate Raiders on Friday night. The Raiders are 18-9 on the season and 13-3 in Patriot League play, earning the league's automatic bid after winning the tournament championship. Alli Lowe, a senior outside hitter, leads the team with 3.46 kills per set, followed closely by Libby Overmyer, a sophomore outside hitter, with 3.26 kills per set. Sophie Thompson, a junior middle blocker, has a team-best 1.39 blocks per set while freshman outside hitter Caroline Altergott leads the Raiders with 2.48 digs per set.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are also traveling to Madison for the opening round of the tournament. Texas Tech will play Florida Gulf Coast University on Friday night before the Badgers' match. The Red Raiders ended their season 17-12 in overall play and 7-9 in Big 12 Conference play, which was good for sixth place. Junior outside hitter Kenna Sauer leads the team with 3.33 kills per set, followed by fifth-year outside hitter Samantha Sanders with 2.63 kills per set. Cadi Boyer, a junior middle blocker, has a team-best 2.00 blocks per set while graduate student libero KJ Adams leads the Red Raiders with 4.36 digs per set.
The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles will have a bit of a weather-shock when they touch down in Madison for the tournament. They are riding an Atlantic Sun tournament win, their first since 2018. The Eagles are 26-5 overall and 15-1 in conference play. Erin Shomaker, a junior outside hitter, leads the team with 3.87 kills per set, followed by sophomore middle blocker Juliana Lentz with 2.33 kills per set. Emma Szypszak, a redshirt sophomore outside hitter,and Lentz lead the team in blocks per set, each with 1.25, while senior libero Dana Axner has a team-best 4.66 digs per set.
