Biography
Honors: 2017, 2018 and 2019 Academic All-Big Ten ... 2018 and 2019 team tri-captain ... 2019 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner
Of Note: Member of the 2018 USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team-Detroit ... played in eight sets and was aced only twice in 51 service receptions
2019: Played in 116 sets... tied a season-high six digs vs. Washington (Sep. 19)... had a season-high three assists at Washington (Sep. 21)... tied a season-high nine digs at Michigan (Oct. 27)... had her first kill on the season on her senior night vs. Iowa (Nov. 22)... tied a season-high nine digs at Rutgers (Nov. 30)... named Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient (Dec. 4)... had a season-high 10 digs in the NCAA Regional Final vs. Nebraska (Dec. 14)... had a season-high 10 digs in the NCAA Regional Final vs. Nebraska (Dec. 14)... tied a season-high 10 digs in the NCAA National Semifinal vs. Baylor (Dec. 19)
2018: Played in all 32 matches and 117 sets ... averaged 1.68 digs/set ... recorded 12 digs against Florida State (Aug. 25) ... had seven digs against High Point (Sept. 2) ... tallied nine digs at Baylor (Sept. 7) ... collected four digs at North Texas (Sept. 9) ... recorded four digs at Marquette (Sept. 14) ... had six digs, two assists and an ace against Illinois State (Sept. 15) ... tallied three digs against Ohio State (Sept. 19) ... recorded four digs and an assist against Rutgers (Sept. 22) ... collected a kill and four digs at Minnesota (Sept. 26) ... notched nine digs and an ace playing libero at Purdue (Sept. 29) ... earned 12 digs at Illinois (Oct. 3) ... had 12 digs and three assists at Iowa (Oct. 6) ... recorded four digs against Northwestern (Oct. 12) ... notched nine digs against Illinois (Oct. 13) ... tallied seven digs and a service ace against Nebraska (Oct. 19) ... had nine digs against Iowa (Oct. 20) ... earned eight digs at Michigan (Oct. 26) ... collected three digs and an assist at Michigan State (Oct. 27) ... had five digs against Minnesota (Oct. 31) ... recorded six digs against Michigan (Nov. 4) ... tallied seven digs against Purdue (Nov. 9) ... notched seven digs and an ace against Indiana (Nov. 10) ... earned nine digs and an assist at Ohio State (Nov. 16) ... had eight digs at Maryland (Nov. 17) ... tallied a dig at Rutgers (Nov. 23) ... saved 11 balls at Penn State (Nov. 24) ... recorded four digs and two assists against Green Bay (Nov. 29) ... notched three digs and an assist against Pepperdine (Nov. 30) ... had two digs and two assists against San Diego (Dec. 7) ... collected four digs at Illinois (Dec. 8)
2017: Played in 30 matches, starting 12 and played in 105 sets ... averaging 2.20 digs/set and 0.48 assists/set ... matched a career-high four assists and had 10 digs against Louisville (Aug. 25) ... hit her first career service ace along with 12 digs against North Carolina (Aug. 26) ... put up a career-high seven assists along with 12 digs at Kansas State (Sept. 2) ... had 10 digs against Lipscomb (Sept. 7) ... recorded 10 digs and three assists against Texas A&M (Sept. 9) ... set a career high with 21 digs against Marquette (Sept. 14) ... earned her first kill of the year and added 14 digs against Michigan State (Sept. 22) ... recorded a team-high nine digs against Michigan (Sept. 24) ... had seven digs and an assist at Minnesota (Oct. 21) ... earned seven digs at Penn State (Oct. 25) ... recorded 15 digs and three assists against Ohio State (Nov. 3) ... dug up 11 balls and had two assists against Maryland (Nov. 4) ... had six digs and three assists at Iowa State (Dec. 2) ... collected 10 digs at Stanford (Dec. 8)
2016: Played in 30 matches and 112 sets ... missed the first three matches of the season with a knee injury ... averaged 2.12 digs per set, ranking eighth among Big Ten freshmen ... had six digs and two assists vs. San Diego (Sept. 2) ... chipped in four assists and 19 digs, both career highs, against Louisville (Sept. 10) ... contributed 12 digs in the team’s win at Texas (Sept. 18) ... recorded her first career kill, from the back row, against Ohio State (Sept. 23) ... contributed 13 digs at Purdue (Sept. 30) ... tied a career-high with four assists against Illinois, adding 10 digs (Oct. 8) ... had double-figure digs in seven matches.
High School: Ranked 57th on PrepVolleyball’s list of Senior Aces ... 2015-16 AVCA Under Armour second-team All-American. ... three-time first-team all-state selection for coach Jeremy Weis ... totaled 2,153 kills (5.0/set) and 1,506 digs (3.5/set) for her career ... led the to the 2014 state championship and a second-place finish in 2015 ... two-time River Valley Conference Player of the Year ... four-time first-team all-conference ... played club volleyball with East Troy Heat, taking third at the 2009 JVA Nationals ... played with Milwaukee Sting ... 2014 MaxPreps All-American ... named the MVP of the 2014 High Performance championship
Personal: Parents are Dave and Linda Dodge ... full name is Mary Elizabeth ... has one brother, Nate (24) ... mother played volleyball at UW-La Crosse ... brother played basketball at West Point for two seasons and is now playing at UW Stevens Point ... born Nov. 26 ... major is communication sciences and disorders ... plans on obtaining master’s degree in speech pathology
Why Wisconsin?
"I chose the University of Wisconsin because it felt like home the second I stepped on campus. The warm welcome from the community made the transition from high school to college that much better. I also love the dynamics between every sports team at the University of Wisconsin. It really does feel like we are one big family, and that is pretty special."
Match Highs
Kills: 1 (3x; MR at Minnesota, 9/26/18)
Attacks: 3 (2x; MR vs. High Point, 9/2/18)
Attack pct: 1.000 (1-0-1); (2x; MR vs. Michigan State, 9/22/17)
Assists: 7 at Kansas State, 9/2/17
Serve aces: 2 vs. Nebraska, 10/19/18
Digs: 21 vs. Marquette, 9/14/17
Blocks: 0
Points: 2.0 vs. Nebraska, 10/19/18
Off the Court with M.E.
First started volleyball: Fourth grade
Most memorable volleyball match: Playing in Europe against the Polish, Italian, and Czechoslovakian junior national teams
The best part of playing volleyball is: Getting to compete with my best friends
My favorite thing about Wisconsin volleyball is: the love and passion everyone has for the game and for each other.
Before each match, I: take a nap and reset my mind
Best UW road trip: I’m excited for this B1G conference, especially playing Minnesota.
One word that describes the team: Tough
One word that describes me: Silly
What is the best thing you bring to the team? I bring a lot of laughter and joy to the team.
My teammates say I am: a caretaker
Favorite thing to do off the court with my teammates is: watch the Bachelorette
Most memorable volleyball achievement: Winning a state championship in high school while staying undefeated, 44-0.
Is there anything significant about your uniform number? My number was my high school volleyball coach’s favorite baseball player for the Brewers, and he decided to give me the number when I started playing. From then on I stuck with it. I think it suits me nicely.
The best thing about the Field House is: The amazing fans that create the best atmosphere every time we play.
If I could change one volleyball rule, it would be: You could get 2 points for an ace.
What is your favorite Coach Sheffield saying? “M.E. stop hitting it with your purse”
This summer, I: Started it off by traveling to Europe with my team. We went to Prague, Vienna, Slovenia, Venice, Milan, and Rome. It was and incredible experience that has made me want to continue traveling in the future. I also took two classes. One was an Ed Psych class, and the other was the history West African dance. Some other fun things I did were going to Devils Lake with my teammates. When we were there Molly, Liz, and Grace thought it was a good idea to swim from the middle of the lake back to shore… it was like over a mile swim. It was quite the thing to watch.
Dream as a collegiate player: Win it all
Post-college plans/goals: I plan on going to graduate school for speech language pathology and play beach volleyball.
The best thing about Madison is: the people and their love for UW Badger Athletics
Fantasy job/career: I would love to coach in the future. Not sure what age yet, but I know I love watching athletes grow and achieve their dreams. Besides coaching I would also love to be a Speech Pathologist for young kids.
I can’t live without: my moped
Nobody knows how much I love to: clean
Greatest Invention of the last 100 years: Segway’s
My bucket list includes: I dream of vacationing all over the world. Some of my top places are Greece, Scotland, and Costa Rica.
What are you most thankful for? My loving family that supports me endlessly.
My favorite saying or a phrase I use all the time is: “Let it rain” from Along Came Polly
The best advice I have ever gotten is: This is more of a motto I live by that I heard from a priest, and he said, “Eternity is a long time, how will you spend the time in-between?” It really made me think about how I want to live my life in a positive healthy way every single day.
What makes you laugh? Molly Haggerty
What food have you never eaten but would really like to try? I’m not a picky eater so I would be up to try anything.
What did you want to be when you were 10 years old? An Olympic Ice Skater
What kinds of things do you like to cook or are good at cooking? I am good at cooking veggies and baking cookies
What food do you crave most often? Ice cream
How did you get your nickname(s)? My mom is a teacher, and she had a student named Emmy, and she really loved the name but knew she was going to name me Mary after my grandmas. So, she is a clever woman and combined the two. I take the ‘M’ in Mary and the ‘E’ in Elizabeth and get M.E.
What does it mean to be a Badger?
"Being a Badger means you are willing to go above and beyond what is expected of you. You will accept challenges and face them head on, you will represent yourself in a positive manner, and you have a gritty mindset and never accept defeat. Being a Badger encompasses so many gritty traits and that is one of the best things about being a Badger. You are fearless!"
