Six Badgers earn All-America honors

OMAHA, Neb. – A record six members of the top-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honors, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Senior Dana Rettke becomes the first Badger to earn four first-team All-America awards, just the sixth player in the nation to be recognized. Senior Sydney Hilley also earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year while Lauren Barnes earns her first All-America honor, being named to the second team. Freshman Devyn Robinson becomes a third-team All-American while Molly Haggerty and Grace Loberg earned honorable mention accolades. It is the most All-Americans in a single season for the Badgers, surpassing five honorees in 2014.

Rettke joins elite club

Rettke joins an elite club that features Olympians Megan Hodge (Penn State), Bev Oden (Stanford), Sarah Pavan (Nebraska), Logan Tom (Stanford) and (Kerri Walsh (Stanford).

The 6-foot-8 middle blocker currently leads the Badgers with 3.19 kills per set while hitting .423, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 13^th nationally. Rettke also ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with 1.55 blocks per set. She leads UW's all-time career hitting percentage list at .421 while tying for sixth in kills with 1,406. Rettke also ranks sixth in total blocks with 577 and third in blocks per set at 1.47.

Hilley is four-time All-American

Hilley becomes a four-time All-American, earning honorable mention honors as a freshman, second-team honors as a sophomore, and first-team honors as a junior and senior. The 6-foot setter averages 10.86 assists per set, which ranks third in the Big Ten and 19^th nationally. She also ranks second on the team with 2.39 digs per set while adding 0.51 blocks per set. Hilley, who is a two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, ranks fourth on the Badgers' all-time career list with 4,646 assists and fifth with 11.76 assists per set.

Barnes earns first All-America honor

Taking over at libero for UW this season, Barnes earned second-team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-Region honors. She ranks third in the Big Ten with 4.51 digs per set, tallying double-figure digs in 12 matches this season, including 20-plus digs in four matches. Barnes recorded a career-high 28 digs in two matches this season, including vs. Florida in the NCAA Regional final on Monday.

Rookie season rewards

Just the fourth Badger to earn All-America honors as a freshman, Robinson earned a starting role at right-side hitter this season. The 6-foot-2 Robinson ranks second on the UW team with a .414 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 18^th nationally. She also ranks fourth on the team with 2.60 kills per set while ranking second with 1.00 blocks per set. Robinson also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Outstanding outside hitters

Haggerty and Loberg make up the Badgers' outstanding left-side hitter duo, averaging 2.71 and 2.80 kills per set, respectively. Loberg is a two-first All-Big Ten selection and also earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2019. Haggerty is a two-time second-team All-Big Ten honoree and ranks 14^th on the UW career list with 1,173 kills.

The No. 1-seeded Badgers (16-0) continue their quest for a NCAA Championship, advancing to their second-straight NCAA national semifinal. Wisconsin takes on No. 4-seed Texas (26-1) on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. live on ESPN in the CHI Health Center Arena.

Wisconsin is competing in its 24th overall and eighth-straight NCAA tournament under head coach Kelly Sheffield. The Badgers are 54-23 all time in the tournament, competing in back-to-back final four appearances for the first time in program history. UW is 3-0 in regional finals, including a 3-1 victory over top-seeded Baylor in 2019.

University of Wisconsin Athletics