How Sweet It Is: No. 3 Badgers take on NCAA Regionals

Friday, December 12

Austin, Texas

1:30 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

Stanford

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Badgers gather after a point versus North Carolina.

Photo by: Ashley Steltenpohl

How Sweet It Is: No. 3 Badgers take on NCAA Regionals

December 10, 2025 | Volleyball

UW heads to Texas to battle No. 2 Stanford

By: Maddox Durst

Venue	Gregory Gymnasium
Radio	100.5 ESPN Madison
Match Notes	Wisconsin \| Stanford
Live Stats	Wisconsin vs Stanford
ESPN	Wisconsin vs Stanford
Social Media	Facebook \| Instagram \| X
Tickets	2025 NCAA Volleyball Tickets

MADISON, Wis. - The No. 3 Wisconsin volleyball team will look to continue their NCAA Tournament run, as they are set to take on No. 2 Stanford in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Dec. 12 at Gregory Gymnasium. The match will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first regional semifinal between No. 4 Indiana and No. 1 Texas, slated to start at 11:00 a.m. CT. Both matches will be televised on ESPN.

The Badgers (26-4) advanced to the NCAA Regionals behind a pair of stellar performances in back-to-back nights of action—defeating Eastern Illinois and North Carolina at the UW Field House to punch their ticket to the second weekend for the 13th consecutive season.

The offense continued to be efficient in the pair of matches this past weekend, as UW enters the NCAA Regionals with the second-highest hitting percentage in the country at .322. If the mark holds, that swinging percentage would break a school record.

Outside hitter Mimi Colyer was one of the multiple standouts from the weekend, recording 22 kills and 13 digs versus the Tar Heels for her eighth double-double of the year. The senior was recently named the Player of the Year in the AVCA All-North Region release. She was joined by four other Badgers on the First Team list in middle blocker Carter Booth, libero Kristen Simon, outside hitter Una Vajagic and right side Grace Egan.

Simon, in being one-of-three freshmen garnering that honor, continued her quality play from the back row for UW. In both postseason matches, the Badgers held their opponents to a hitting percentage of .250 or lower. The freshman racked up a combined 31 digs in the process, leading the team in both matches. In doing so, Simon passed Kristen Roman for fifth-most digs by a freshman in program history.

Wisconsin enters the Lone Star State in search of their first win over the Cardinal (29-4) in team history. The units have battled six times, with Stanford coming out on top in each match—including the 2019 National Championship match.

The Cardinal defeated Utah Valley and Arizona en route to a berth to the NCAA Regionals, doing so in four sets in each match. They enter with a strong postseason pedigree, winning nine national championships while appearing in 23 Final Fours.

The two teams last met in Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum last season, as Stanford walked away with a four-set victory. Setter Charlie Fuerbringer, in her freshman season, posted a career-high five kills against the Cardinal in that match. Fuerbringer racked up four in each match this past weekend—continuing to be a spark on the offensive end.

In head coach Kelly Sheffield's tenure at Wisconsin, the Badgers hold a record of 10-2 in NCAA Regional Semifinal matches. Last year, UW won a five-set thriller over Texas A&M to advance to the NCAA Regional Final.

With a victory on Friday, the Badgers will play the winner of Indiana vs Texas on Sunday, Dec. 14. The start time for that match is still to be determined.