Wisconsin
Wisconsin volleyball draws Fairfield for NCAA Tournament, rematch with Nebraska could be in offing
Wisconsin volleyball unveils Final Four banner inside UW Field House
The Badgers unveiled the banner from their 2023 Final Four appearance before their exhibition match against Bradley on Aug. 20.
MADISON – When Wisconsin’s spot in the NCAA volleyball tournament bracket was revealed Sunday evening, Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield’s attention turned to first-round opponent Fairfield.
Fans of the sport, however, had the luxury of looking ahead to another showdown against the team at the bottom of the UW’s portion of the bracket.
Nebraska earned the overall No. 3 seed for the tournament. If it and the Badgers get to the regional final, the two rivals would square off for a berth in the Final Four.
However, getting to that point in the postseason isn’t Sheffield’s focus right now.
“You’ve got to be really good at taking it one week at a time, one little mini tournament at a time,” said Sheffield, whose team was swept twice by the Cornhuskers this season. “We’ll have four teams and we’re going to try to win that mini tournament of four and then look ahead to see who’s there.
“One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that if you get ahead of yourself it’s doesn’t put yourself in a position to last too long.”
Badgers will host first weekend of matches
Wisconsin is the overall No. 7 seed for the tournament. This marks the 12th straight season Wisconsin has qualified for the tournament and the fourth straight year it will host the opening weekend of matches.
Georgia Tech (20-9) and Tennessee (15-11) are also coming to the Field House. They are scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The UW-Fairfield match will follow with an approximate starting time of 7 p.m.
The winners of Thursday’s matches will meet at 7 p.m. Friday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. Barring an upset of Nebraska, the regional semifinal and final for that portion of the bracket will be hosted by the Cornhuskers.
The Final Four is at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
First things, however, first.
Fairfield (21-11) won the regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and then clinched a spot in the tournament with victories over Canisius and Quinnipiac in the conference tournament.
“I haven’t played them. I haven’t played anybody in their league, but that is the cool parts of the NCAA Tournament,” Sheffield said. “For months we’ve played teams that we play year after year after year and you get to the NCAA Tournament and most likely, especially that first round, it’s not only schools you haven’t played in most cases it may be from conference where you haven’t played anybody. It’s the magic of the tournament.”
Big Ten Conference is well represented
Nine Big Ten teams made the 64-team field, which ties the ACC and SEC as the conference with the most teams in the field. The Big Ten is the only league with two No. 1 seeds: Penn State, the overall No. 2 seed, and Nebraska, the No. 3.
“I’m not sure I saw any surprise there,” Sheffield said. “I think it shows once again how deep and competitive the conference is. Half of the top four seeds and quite a few of the overall 16 seeds. It’s what we face every weekend.”
Wisconsin finished the regular season with a 23-6 record and finished third in the Big Ten with a 17-3 mark.
The Badgers closed the regular season with a five-set win over Ohio State on Wednesday and a four-set victory over Michigan State on Saturday. Both matches lasted longer than 2 ½ hours.
Freshman libero Lola Schumacher, who missed three matches due to apparent concussion, returned as a defensive specialist for the last two matches. Junior defensive specialist Gulce Guctekin remains sidelined.
“It feels like we’re knocking on the door of putting things together,” Sheffield said. “We’ve played some really good volleyball. There is a lot of experience on this team and they’ve played a lot of NCAA Tournament matches.
“I know they’re excited to get going. You play the entire regular season to prepare yourself for the NCAA Tournament and this is probably the deepest I’ve ever seen the Tournament. The number of teams I could see getting into a regional final or Final Four is probably the most I can ever remember.”
(WLUK) — The Wisconsin-Notre Dame game at Lambeau Field will be under the lights.
Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 6.
The matchup, originally scheduled for Oct. 3, 2020, was rescheduled for 2026 after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the 2020 football season.
The Badgers took on the Fighting Irish at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2021 as part of the Shamrock Series, the neutral-site non-conference series between the two programs. Notre Dame claimed the first game of the series 41-13.
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Wisconsin last played at Lambeau Field in 2016 and scored a 16-14 win over No. 5 LSU.
Wisconsin
DHS urges Wisconsin ‘sanctuary’ county to keep illegal immigrant accused in elderly sexual assaults jailed
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The Department of Homeland Security is urging “sanctuary politicians in Wisconsin” not to release a Nicaraguan national who was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting an elderly victim, according to a statement Wednesday.
Julio Cesar Morales-Jarquin, 31, is in local police custody after being charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault of an elderly victim, DHS said.
He was arrested last month after a residential care facility in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, reported to police that an employee may have assaulted vulnerable residents, according to local outlet WKOW.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer request on April 27 asking that Morales-Jarquin remain in custody.
ICE ARRESTS ALLEGED CHILD SEX OFFENDER RELEASED UNDER CONNECTICUT SANCTUARY LAWS
Julio Cesar Morales-Jarquin, 31, is accused of sexually assaulting an elderly victim at a Wisconsin care facility, according to authorities. (Department of Homeland Security)
DHS on Wednesday called on Dane County officials not to release Morales-Jarquin, accusing the county of being a “sanctuary jurisdiction” that refuses to honor ICE detainers.
The agency said the county has previously given ICE as little as 30 minutes to take custody of individuals in its jail.
DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS
The Department of Homeland Security logo. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to DHS, Morales-Jarquin entered the United States in 2023 under the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program for Nicaragua. Although the program was later ended, DHS said he remained in the country unlawfully.
“This illegal alien is charged with two counts of sexual assault of an elderly victim at an assisted living facility,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in the DHS statement. “This dirtbag was released into the country by the Biden Administration. DHS is calling on sanctuary politicians in Dane County, Wisconsin to NOT release this criminal from jail back onto the streets to commit more crimes.”
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The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. (Jordan McAlister)
“We need Wisconsin sanctuary politicians to cooperate with us to remove criminals from our country,” she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Dane County Executive’s Office for comment.
EAA AirVenture 2025 opens with aircraft of every description
EAA AirVenture 2025
USA TODAY readers voted two Wisconsin events among the nation’s best for thrills and excitement – and one got a No. 1 spot.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was voted the Best Air Show, ranking first on a list of 10 air shows across the country.
Oshkosh annually becomes a landing pad for around 10,000 aircraft of all shapes and sizes, in what’s considered the world’s biggest fly-in convention. In 2025, EAA had record-breaking attendance, with around 704,000 visitors. This year, the air show will be held July 20-26.
Also highlighted on the most recent USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards, released Wednesday, May 6, was the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs in Elkhart Lake, which ranked sixth in the Best Motorsports Race category.
The SCCA National Championship Runoffs are an annual competition between top amateur road racers, frequently held at Road America.
The event was held annually at Road America from 2009 to 2013, then returned in 2020 and again for the 2024-2026 competitions. It also rotates to other sites across the United States. In 2027 and 2028, it will be held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The SCCA National Championship Runoffs will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 4.
The Best Air Show and Best Motorsports Race lists were among 10 lists in the overarching category “Thrills ‘n’ Wheels & Fishing.” Other lists include Best Boat Show, Best Car Show, Best Fishing Charter and Best Rodeo. The full list of winners can be found online at 10best.usatoday.com/awards.
To determine its lists, USA TODAY 10Best invites a panel of industry experts each week to nominate their favorite points of interest, in categories like food, drink, travel and lifestyle. Editors then vet the nominations and set aside a list of nominees to ask the public to vote on for a period of four weeks.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
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