Baggot: "Four" ring circus everywhere they go
Four-time reigning Big Ten volleyball champs are a must-see attraction everywhere, including Wednesday in Milwaukee
Andy Baggot
9/12/2023
by Andy Baggot
UWBadgers.com Insider
Over the last four-plus years, the Wisconsin volleyball team has crafted an unmistakable identity.
The Badgers have won an NCAA title, qualified for three Final Fours, claimed four consecutive Big Ten Conference championships and spent 16 weeks ranked No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association poll.
No other school has played in more Final Fours than UW during that stretch. Winning four straight Big Ten crowns is noteworthy when you know that eight of the 14 conference members earned multiple NCAA tournament berths during that period.
That resume explains why Wisconsin, currently unbeaten after seven matches and ranked No. 1, has become both a target and an attraction for opponents this season.
When the Badgers played at then-No. 21 Arkansas on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, a record crowd of 4,299 showed up to see UW win a five-set thriller. The previous mark at Barnhill Arena was 3,015.
When Wisconsin plays No. 29 Marquette at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday at 7 p.m., a record-setting sellout crowd of 17,500 is expected, which would make it the most-attended women’s sporting event in the state.
When UW plays at third-ranked Florida (7-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT, it’s possible the Gators could set their single-match attendance mark at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville. The current record is 8,163 which turned out for a 1994 match with Southeastern Conference rival Georgia.
This is the same non-conference matchup that drew a then-NCAA regular-season record crowd of 16,833 to the Kohl Center in September of 2022. Florida prevailed in a five-set thriller.
Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield takes pride in being such an attraction for rival fans.
“I think everyone wants to be a part of big stuff,’’ he said. “The fans do. The players certainly do. The coaches do. The media does.
“We want to be a program that inspires our fan base to cheer for us and be a level of team that we’re inspirational for our opponent’s fan base that they want to show up.
“These should be two massive, rabid matches in front of us.’’
This isn’t a new phenomenon for the Badgers. Since Sheffield took over in 2013, they’ve played in eight of the 25 most-attended matches in NCAA history, including seven in the national semifinals and finals (2013, ’19, ’21 and ’22).
“I’m looking forward to seeing how our team responds to those environments,’’ Sheffield said of the week ahead.
The big crowds on the road sure beat the alternative.
“The first match I ever coached as a head coach we had 13 fans in the stands and most of it was from one family,’’ Sheffield joked during his weekly press conference Monday. “Afterwards, the first thing our players did wasn’t to talk to me. They ran up in the stands and got some brownies from the parents that were up there.’’
The Badgers have dominated this in-state rivalry series with Marquette, winning 22 of 23 matches going back to 1977. They’ve met every year since 2017 – alternating home sites – with the exception of the 2020 season because of the COVID pandemic.
“A win-win for both of us,’’ Sheffield said of the annual arrangement with the Golden Eagles. “It just makes sense.’’
A Sweet 16 participant last season, Marquette (2-5) was ranked in the top 25 until this week. Four of its losses have come to top-25 opponents, including Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Purdue and Kansas.
“Their win-loss record probably isn’t what they expect, but they haven’t ducked anybody,’’ Sheffield said. “They’ve played some really elite teams. They’ve lost some really close matches against some of those elite teams.’’
When you’ve had sustained success like the Badgers – they have the best NCAA tournament record (20-4) over the last five seasons – and enemy arenas are filling up to catch your act, it’s understandable why UW players might feel like the hunted.
Asked about that, Sheffield launched into a story about showing his players a video of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson stalking Michael Spinks before knocking out the reigning titlist in 91 seconds.
“We don’t want to sit back and just think here’s somebody hunting us,’’ Sheffield said. “We want to get going hunting them.’’