Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers volleyball falls to Penn State without star setter Charlie Fuerbringer
Penn State’s Kennedy Martin outshines Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer as high-profile transfer additions face off
Wisconsin Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield recognized for 600 career wins
Wisconsin volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield was honored before the Badgers’ match against Illinois for his 600 career wins as a head coach.
Penn State’s Rec Hall continues to be one of the harder places for Wisconsin volleyball to win.
The seventh-ranked Badgers experienced that again on Oct. 10 as they suffered a three-set loss to No. 19 Penn State, 25-20, 25-21, 25-16, which snapped their 10-match winning streak. Penn State, meanwhile, gained some momentum and a quality win for its postseason résumé after losing two of its previous three matches.
Penn State is now 28-3 all-time against Wisconsin in matches at its historic Rec Hall. Here are three takeaways from the loss:
In battle between two transfer stars, Kennedy Martin outshines Mimi Colyer
Both schools had high-profile transfer portal additions at outside hitter.
Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer was a second-team All-American last year at Oregon. Penn State’s Kennedy Martin was a first-team All-American at Florida after leading the country in points per set.
As they faced off at Rec Hall, Martin clearly had the upper hand.
Martin finished the night with 23 kills while hitting .474. That included 10 kills during the first set — one more than Wisconsin’s entire team had at that point. She showed the ability to attack from a variety of places on the floor and did so with both power and finesse.
Colyer, on the other hand, struggled mightily against the Nittany Lions. She had eight kills while hitting .057, and both were season-lows. Wisconsin is now 0-2 when Colyer hits below .150. (The Oregon transfer also struggled at Rec Hall with the Ducks last year. She had two kills and five attack errors in that match.)
Wisconsin out of sorts offensively without star setter Charlie Fuerbringer
Wisconsin’s second loss of the season — and its first time even losing multiple sets since Aug. 31 — happened in the first full match without its All-American setter.
Charlie Fuerbringer exited the Oct. 5 match against Michigan with an apparent shoulder injury in the first set. The Badgers fared well without her for the rest of the match against the unranked Wolverines, but they ran into some more adversity against Penn State — the reigning national champion.
Fuerbringer’s absence coincided with the Badgers hitting .151 against Penn State, which was their lowest hitting percentage in a match since hitting .141 in the Aug. 31 loss to then-No. 5 Texas.
It was a stark contrast from UW’s NCAA-leading .333 hitting percentage heading into the Oct. 10 match. It also was significantly below Penn State’s opponents’ hitting percentage of .231 in its first 14 matches.
At one point in the first set at Rec Hall, Wisconsin had one kill versus four attack errors. Along with Colyer’s aforementioned struggles, fellow outside hitter Una Vajagic hit .048 in the match. Middle blocker Alicia Andrew hit minus-.286.
Freshman Addy Horner started in place of Fuerbringer, but assistant coach John Shondell noted that the issues connecting with UW’s outside hitters are “not on Addy.”
“That’s on first contact, and that’s on our hitters being smart, making good decisions and hitting shots they need to hit,” Shondell said on UW’s postgame radio show.
Fuerbringer was with the team on the sidelines. She was seen on the TV broadcast without wearing a sling, which she was wearing during the Michigan match.
Madison Quest was silver lining for Badgers
Wisconsin freshman Madison Quest was one of the few silver linings for the Badgers in their overall-uncompetitive outing.
The Pewaukee native — starting again in place of the injured Grace Egan at right-side hitter — had a team-high 10 kills while hitting .421.
The only other Badgers to hit above .100 were middle blocker Carter Booth at .444 and defensive specialist Aniya Warren with one kill on one attack — an overpass that found open real estate on the Penn State side of the court.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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