Wisconsin Badgers
Texas A&M University
Setting the Stage: The Round of 16 vs the Aggies
December 10, 2024 | Volleyball
Badgers travel to Nebraska
| Venue | Devaney Center |
| Radio | 100.5 ESPN Madison |
| Match Notes | Wisconsin | Texas A&M |
| Live Stats | Wisconsin vs Texas A&M |
| TV | ESPN2 |
| Social Media | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
| Tickets | Wisconsin vs Texas A&M |
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 2 seed Wisconsin volleyball team (25-6) will make its 12th-straight appearance in the Round of 16 of the NCAA tournament, taking on No. 6 seed Texas A&M on Friday night. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. CST and will be aired on ESPN2.
Before the match begins, here are six things to know:
1. THE DANCE CONTINUES: In the final matches of the season at the UW Field House, the Badgers took care of Fairfield in the first round of the tournament. In straight sets, Wisconsin hit .433 en route to a 25-16, 25-16, 25-14 victory over the Stags on Thursday night. The following night, UW faced off against Georgia Tech, who beat Tennessee in a five-set thriller the previous night. Georgia Tech came out on top in set one in the second round matchup, winning it 27-25. Wisconsin responded in the next three sets, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21. Sarah Franklin, Anna Smrek and Carter Booth all finished with double digit kills.
2. AVCA ALL-REGION AWARDS: The awards continue to stack up for Wisconsin volleyball as Carter Booth, Sarah Franklin, Charlie Fuerbringer, Devyn Robinson, and Anna Smrek earned AVCA All-Region honors, announced today by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Franklin was named AVCA North Region Player of the Year, while Fuerbringer was named North Region Freshman of the Year. Outside hitter Sarah Franklin joins Badger great, Dana Rettke, in having earned AVCA Regional Player of the Year multiple times. Rettke earned the respected honor in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Franklin and Rettke are also the only Badgers in program history to be named Regional Player of the Year. This marks the third year in a row where Franklin was named AVCA All-Region, and back-to-back seasons as Player of the Year. Last week, she was also named First Team All-Big Ten and Player of the Year. Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer joins a previous party of four to earn AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year. The last to do it was Dana Rettke in 2017, but Fuerbringer joins the cast of Lauren Carlini (2013), Tionna Williams (2015), Molly Haggerty (2016), and Rettke. A week ago, Fuerbringer was named Second Team All-Big Ten and a unanimous All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection.
3. YEAH 'BRO: With her performance in the last match of th regular season against Michigan State tallying 12 digs, Schumacher cracked the Top 5 for most digs (328) in a freshman campaign. Schumacher surpassed Kristen Roman ('85), at 322. Jocelyn Wack ('04) tallied 567 for the most digs as a freshman.
4. FRANK THE TANK: Sarah Franklin got hot and has been staying hot. She notched double digit kills in 29 of the 31 matches this season, with the past 23 matches reaching double digits. The outside has tallied seven matches with 20+ kills.
5. JUMP AROUND: Join fellow Badger fans to get ready to cheer on UW as they take on the Aggies in Regionals. It will be on Friday Dec. 13 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. There will be giveaways, the UW band, Bucky and more!
6. SCOUTING THE AGGIES: No. 6 Texas A&M currently holds a 21-7 overall record. The Aggies took down Colorado State in the first round of the tournament, before defeating No. 8 Arizona State 3-1 the following night to advance to the Round of 16. The Aggies and Badgers have met once already this season, at the Field House back on Sept. 21. Wisconsin won in straight sets, 25-18, 30-28, 25-19.
