MADISON, Wis. - The No. 8 Wisconsin volleyball team defeated No. 14 Kansas in a five-set thriller (25-16, 18-25, 25-18, 26-28, 15-10) at the Opening Spike Classic, hosted at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers put together a strong performance on both the offensive and defensive end, led by double-doubles from redshirt sophomore Una Vajagic, sophomore Charlie Fuerbringer, freshman Kristen Simon and senior Mimi Colyer.
Vajagic started her first collegiate match donning the red and white after being sidelined due to injury last year, tallying 13 kills and 14 digs to pace Wisconsin.
Fuerbringer, fresh off of her AVCA Third Team All-American award from the 2024 season, picked up right where she left off as the table-setter for the Badgers. The Hermosa Beach, California, native earned a team-high 45 assists, while also contributing 20 digs in the process.
Also in her first collegiate match, freshman Kristen Simon provided a strong performance from the back row defensively—accumulating 23 digs and 10 assists.
While tied at 1-1, an 11-2 run in the third set proved to be the difference-maker in giving the Badgers a lead, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Mimi Colyer, making her UW debut. She finished with the most kills in the evening, racking up 26 while finishing with a hitting percentage of .339 while also contributing 10 digs.
Middle blocker Alicia Andrew provided a similar spark, as the Baylor transfer earned eight kills on 14 total attempts—hitting .571 on the night. The redshirt senior finished with a career-high in blocks as well, leading Wisconsin with 10, her highest total since 2023.
Senior Carter Booth rounded out UW's performers with eight kills and four blocks. The combination of Booth and Andrew in the middle, in addition to others, provided 15 blocks to kick off the 2025 regular season.
The Badgers ended the game on a 5-1 run in the fifth set, led by a kill apiece from Andrew and redshirt sophomore Grace Egan.
Straight from the court:
Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on UW's resilience): "We have quite a few of our players that their tendency is to get inside themselves when they make an error or things get tough. And I thought we did a really good job of connecting, communicating and moving onto the next play and you have to have those things."
Senior middle blocker Carter Booth (on getting game experience as a group): "I think we're a group that never wants the easy way out, even if that's an option. I don't wish we had won that more easily, because that would be fool's gold. This tournament, right at the beginning of the season, is meant to tell us exactly where we are. So, we don't do that if we're not out there playing competitive teams, seeing how we perform in four or five setters and seeing how we bounce back. I think it speaks to how much fight we have in us, and how we're just able to put together a humdinger of a match after all the things — the cramping, three hours, all of that. I think we did a really good job."
Redshirt senior middle blocker Allie Andrew (on players up and down the lineup entering the match): "I think it speaks to the depth we have on our team, we saw a lot of moving parts in and out of the game. I think that we have a lot of players, especially young players, that can come in and just tear it up, so I was really impressed with them. I think being able to go to five sets, fight, and then see them come in and steal the show was amazing."
Notes:
- Outside hitter Una Vajagic started her first collegiate match and earned career highs in kills (13) and digs (14). This is also Vajagic's first double-double.
- Senior Mimi Colyer tallied her 20th, 20+ kill match. Colyer totaled a match-best 26 kills. With 26 kills and 10 digs, Colyer now has 37 career double-doubles. She is now just 13 away from reaching 1,500 career kills.
- Redshirt senior Alicia Andrew recorded a career-best 10 blocks, surpassing her previous total (7) set on Sept. 30, 2023 at Iowa St.
- Setter Charlie Fuerbringer earned her 11th double-double of her career with 45 assists and 20 digs.
- Freshman Kristen Simon had her first collegiate start at libero and recorded a Badger-best 23 digs and tallied 10 assists for her first double-double.
- Freshmen Addy Horner, Madison Quest, Natalie Wardlow and Aniya Warren all saw time on the court.
Up Next: The Badgers will cap off their eventful weekend with a battle against No. 5 Texas on Sunday, Aug. 31 on day two of the Opening Spike Classic at the Kohl Center. The match is set to start at 1:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
