Wisconsin

Why Wisconsin volleyball’s next two matches could carry big postseason implications

Published

5 months ago

November 4, 2025

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Why Wisconsin volleyball’s next two matches could carry big postseason implications

Badgers have two big opportunities to boost RPI at home vs. Minnesota, Indiana

The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team faces two crucial matches against No. 22 Minnesota and No. 18 Indiana.
These upcoming matches are important for improving Wisconsin’s No. 20 RPI ranking.
An improved RPI ranking could help Wisconsin’s chances of hosting in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

MADISON – Wisconsin volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield has not shied away from expressing his dislike of RPI.

“There’s a lot of different metrics out there; our sport uses very little of them,” Sheffield said earlier in the season.

But RPI – as Sheffield fully recognizes – underscores how important Wisconsin’s next two matches are as the 11th-ranked Badgers take on No. 22 Minnesota on Nov. 5 and No. 18 Indiana on Nov. 9 at the UW Field House.

Wisconsin is No. 20 in RPI in the Nov. 3 rankings with eight matches remaining in the 2025 schedule. Indiana and Minnesota are tied for No. 12 in RPI.

“Two teams that are above us in the RPI,” Sheffield said. “And you start getting to this time of year that those types of things start mattering a little bit more.”

While RPI obviously is not the only factor that the NCAA selection committee will use when it announces the postseason bracket on Nov. 30, it does suggest the Badgers have some work to do to earn one of the top 16 overall seeds that are required to host the first two rounds.

UW has hosted the first two rounds in all but two seasons during Sheffield’s tenure. The Badgers had to go to Iowa State in 2017, where they knocked off the Cyclones to advance to the regional semifinals. The other time was in 2020, when the NCAA used only one site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Obviously a big goal is to be hosting that opening weekend of the tournament,” Sheffield said. “It’s a big deal. It’s a big deal to this community and our fan base. … Coaches are always trying to find a way to spin it anyways, but you really want to be home.”

These two matches are not Wisconsin’s last chance to boost its postseason résumé and increase its chances of hosting. No. 9 Purdue will visit the Field House on Nov. 19, and No. 22 Minnesota will play the Badgers again on Nov. 28 in Minneapolis to conclude the 2025 regular season.

But there is not a massive margin for error for a Badgers team with four losses and only one win against teams currently ranked in the AVCA coaches poll. (Georgia Tech, Florida and UCLA were ranked at the time of Wisconsin’s wins over them, but now they are merely receiving votes.)

None of last year’s top 16 overall teams had more than seven losses. Fortunately for Wisconsin, all four losses so far this year have been to teams that remain ranked, No. 1 Nebraska, No. 4 Texas, No. 17 USC and No. 25 Penn State. Texas and Nebraska are a combined 40-2 so far this season.

At the same time, Wisconsin has not been quite as competitive against top-tier opponents since losing 2024 third-team All-American setter Charlie Fuerbringer to a shoulder injury. (Her timeline to return is unclear.)

The Badgers are 1-3 against AVCA-ranked teams since Fuerbringer’s injury versus 3-1 before that. That record comes with the caveat that the most recent ranked loss – No. 1 Nebraska’s sweep at the UW Field House – would have been daunting, even if Fuerbringer had been healthy.

“We’ve just got to continue to evolve and get better, which I think anybody that’s been watching us can see that,” Sheffield said.

Victories over Minnesota and Indiana would likely stand out on Wisconsin’s postseason résumé as quality wins. The Gophers have lost only once against a team that is not at least receiving votes in the coaches poll and boast a quality win over Indiana.

Then Wisconsin will face what Sheffield described as “maybe the best team that Indiana has ever had.” The Hoosiers are tied with UW for third in the Big Ten with a 9-3 conference record and coming off a sweep over Penn State.

“We’ve got two more opportunities in front of us – really good teams – and then it doesn’t stop there,” Sheffield said. “Probably the back half of our schedule is probably a little bit tougher than our first half. And I think we’ll probably learn a whole lot more about ourselves.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin man arrested in drug and gun bust at girl scout campgrounds

Published

11 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin man arrested in drug and gun bust at girl scout campgrounds

WEST BEND, WI — Washington County deputies say a Girl Scouts camp in West Bend, Wisconsin, was the site of a drug and illegal firearms operation uncovered earlier this month.

See Also: Firefighters save cat from third-floor blaze in Fort Pierce

Deputies responded to a domestic violence call at a home on the Camp Silver Brook grounds on March 15 where they located and arrested 48yearold Paul David. David lived at the property with his wife, who is a Girl Scouts employee, and their two children.

According to court documents, investigators found nearly 700 grams of marijuana, nine marijuana plants, psychoactive mushrooms, and 13 guns stored in areas accessible to children.

Deputies say David is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Girl Scouts officials said no scouts were harmed and confirmed the employee has been placed on leave. David has since posted bail, left the campgrounds, and is barred from coming within 1,000 feet of the property.

His next court appearance is scheduled for May.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s ‘false spring’ ends, cold weather returns

Published

23 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin’s ‘false spring’ ends, cold weather returns

Looking past Saturday’s radiant sunshine is a reminder that, no matter how much we love Wisconsin’s early spring warm spells, Wisconsin weather will never love us back.

When the sun goes down, so too will the false spring, according to the National Weather Service.

The temperature overnight is forecasted to drop to the mid- to upper-30s, with winds up to 30 miles per hour in southeast Wisconsin.

By morning, the high temperature will reach the low-40s, with a 20% chance of light rain and up to 20 mile-per-hour winds.

From there, it will only get colder. Monday will see a brief return to cooler temperatures, with a mid-40 degree high. The prospect of spring may well return March 24, with Tuesday temperatures said to reach the lower 50s.

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Caroline Harvey gives Wisconsin hockey its seventh Patty Kazmaier winner

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Caroline Harvey gives Wisconsin hockey its seventh Patty Kazmaier winner

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Caroline Harvey didn’t need the Patty Kazmaier Award to certify her greatness as a college hockey player.

But the confirmation had to be nice.

The senior defender became the seventh Wisconsin Badger to claim the honor for the best player in the college game Saturday, March 21. Harvey is also the third defender to win the award.

Harvey received the award during a live broadcast on the NHL Network. Penn State’s Tessa Janecki and Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy were also in the top three finalists.

While Harvey is just the third defender to win, one of her strengths is how much of a threat she is offensively. During the Badgers’ overtime win against Penn State on Friday, she recorded her 200^th point, just the 10^th Badger to reach that milestone.

This has been her best season. Despite missing eight games while competing for gold-medal winning Team USA at the Olympics, she still has matched her point total of last season.

This season Harvey ranks second in the nation with 1.97 points per game and leads all defenders with 0.56 goals per game.

With the announcement, Wisconsin moves ahead of Harvard for the most Patty Kazmaier Award winners with seven.

Here are UW’s winners of the award: Forward Sara Bauer, 2006; goaltender Jessie Vetter, 2009; forward Meghan Duggan, 2011; forward Brianna Decker, 2012; goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, 2018; forward Casey O’Brien, 2025.

Check jsonline.com later for more on this story.

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