Wisconsin
Wisconsin volleyball pushed to five sets before advancing to NCAA regional final
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.
Sarah Franklin loves a challenge.
The Wisconsin Badgers’ fifth-year senior used that mentality to mold herself into a national player of the year. The mindset also helps her keep her cool in tense moments and dig deep in situations like what she and her teammates were faced with Friday night.
Texas A&M refused to be pushed off the court. UW swept in the Aggies in September, but in the NCAA regional semifinal the underdogs forced the Badgers to go the distance.
Franklin embraced the moment.
“At that point it’s let’s just ball out,” she said. “Let’s play the ball that we know we’ve been playing. Look forward. You see red, go for it.”
That fire helped Wisconsin score a 25-21, 18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-13 victory over A&M at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska that sends the Badgers to the regional final for the eighth straight season.
Next up: Wisconsin vs. Nebraska for a spot in the Final Four at 2 p.m. Sunday.
But first excuse the Badgers as they catch enjoy the moment.
“This tournament has been something else,” UW coach Kelly Sheffield said. “I mean, it’s just balanced. … I think everybody that watched that match was in for a treat. I thought it was two teams that were laying it all out there just making big time plays.”
A&M upset Arizona State, the No. 3 seed in that quarter of the bracket in the second round last week. Friday they put UW on its heels with outstanding play from outside hitter Logan Lednicky (23 kills, .271 hitting percentage), efficient swings from their middle hitters and a defense that earned the rare distinction of out-blocking UW, 14.5 to 13.5.
UW, however, survived with an all-hands-on-deck effort that included a team-high 21 kills for Franklin. Her 66 swings were three short of her career high.
Junior middle blocker Carter Booth finished with a career-high 14 kills with a .444 hitting percentage and nine blocks. Senior right-side hitter Anna Smrek also had nine blocks to go along with 10 kills.
Freshman Charlie Fuerbringer (56 assists, 12 digs) had her 11th double-double and freshman libero Lola Schumacher’s 24 digs were her second-highest total of the season.
The match lasted 2 hours 35 minutes, but three moments proved critical.
* UW took the first set, but it needed to hit .543 without any errors to do it. Any less and A&M, which hit . .390 in that frame, may have been able to grab the early lead.
*The Badgers closed the third set with a 6-0 run that broke a 19-19 tie that gave them a 2-1 match lead. Seniors Julia Orzol (eight kills) had two kills during the run and senior Devyn Robinson (seven kills) added one.
* Wisconsin went on 5-0 run in the fifth set that gave it an 11-6 lead, a huge advantage in the abbreviated final frame. The lead provided just just enough cushion to withstand an Aggies comeback that cut the lead to one point before Franklin closed the match with a kill.
The Badgers survive to play another match.
“A lot of emotion,” Franklin said when asked to sum up her feels in the moment. “We have the privilege to (continue) to play and I think at that point it’s just so much gratitude for the people around me and how much they have continued to fight together to get to that point … we can just continue to play another day.”
Wisconsin
Wisconsin winter weather; preparing for cold to come in
MEQUON, Wis. – Wisconsinites are soaking up what’s left of the warm weather as an arctic blast moves into the area.
Local perspective:
Great minds think alike when the temperatures are above freezing in mid-January. At a Kwik Trip in Mequon, drivers waited patiently to remove salt from their cars from treated roads.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
“Get a car wash on a nice day, get the salt off the car,” Mequon resident Morgan Stone said.
The wait time for suds varied.
“Is it worth the wait? I think so,” Stone said about the long line. “I don’t want the truck to rust, got to get the salt off of it.”
The usual quick trip to Kwik Trip was a slower experience than expected for some.
What you can do:
As southeast Wisconsin expects to see temperatures as low as single digits and subzero values starting Saturday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is urging people to bundle up.
“I think preparation is the key there [is] making sure your other individuals are dressed appropriately,” Wisconsin Department of Health Services Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sheryl Bedno said. “We’ve all heard about layering probably three layers is ideal, looser clothing, protecting your extremities, hands and feet are more prone to frostbite.”
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
The warning is all too familiar for those familiar with the winter weather.
“I’m a Milwaukeean, so when you say bad, what is bad to me? Because I been to -23°, to today it’s 50°, so what came to my mind is bundle up, get ready,” Milwaukee resident Carol Harmon said.
Cold weather safety
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services shared the following information on handling cold weather-related health:
- Get the victim into a warm room or shelter.
- If the victim has on any wet clothing, remove it.
- Warm the center of the body first (chest, neck, head and groin) using an electric blanket, if available. Or use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
- Warm beverages can help increase the body temperature, but do not give alcoholic beverages. Do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
- After body temperature has increased, keep the person dry and wrapped in a warm blanket, including the head and neck.
- Get medical attention as soon as possible.
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.
Wisconsin
State by State: A look at Wisconsin's top recruiting targets in Michigan
State by State: A look at Wisconsin’s top recruiting targets in Michigan
With Wisconsin’s 2025 recruiting class now in the books, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW’s hot spots on the recruiting front and examines the top targets in a handful of states across the country from the 2026 class.
Today, we continue with Michigan, a state where the Badgers have an established recruiting presence.
STATE BY STATE: ILLINOIS | STATE BY STATE: OHIO |
Number of Michigan athletes on the current roster (including the 2025 high school and portal class class): 4
Number of known offers extended in Michigan in 2026 class: 10
Hotspot(s): East Kentwood, West Bloomfield, Roseville
Notable past recruits from Michigan: Allen Langford, Aubrey Pleasant, Quincy Landingham, Jacob Pedersen, Zac Matthias, David Moorman, Scott Nelson, Reggie Pearson, Michael Furtney, Jaylan Franklin, Taj Mustpaha, A.J. Abbott, Logan Brown, Jordan Turner, Tommy McIntosh, Aidan Vaughan, Amare Snowden and Cam Clark, among others.
TOP FIVE (REALISTIC) PRIORITIES IN MICHIGAN
Wisconsin
Planning for Wisconsin's LA Swing Was No Easy Task
Planning for Wisconsin’s LA Swing Was No Easy Task
LOS ANGELES – The addition of four championship-level athletic programs expanded the Big Ten conference from coast to coast, adding a new dimension and competitiveness to college sports’ new super conference.
It brought more of a headache for Marc VandeWettering.
“It creates some new hurdles,” VandeWettering said. “I’ve been here a handful of years, and you get familiar with the places you go, and all them being quick in-out trips. This feels more similar to a multi-team event over the holidays or an NCAA Tournament where you have longer stays, more meals, and more people coming along. It’s different for a Big Ten regular season trip.”
The Kaukauna, Wis., native wears many hats for Wisconsin as its chief of staff of basketball operations, but nonconference scheduling is his big job during the summer, and organizing team travel is one of the top priorities during the season.
Entering his eighth year in the program, VandeWettering has most campus trips down to a science. Leave for the city the day before the game, head for home right after, and rely on the same vendors and hotels that have taken care of them in past years.
VandeWettering deals with everything from who gets on the team bus or plane to who stays at the hotel, who caters the team meals, and who gets game tickets. It’s a lot to deal with an overnight trip, let alone one that will span a week.
So, adding Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC into the fold this past summer has required more than the usual prep work for VandeWettering and his staff with No.24 Wisconsin (14-3, 4-2 Big Ten) on its first West Coast swing, playing USC (11-6, 3-3) at the Galen Center tomorrow afternoon and UCLA (11-6, 2-4) at Pawley Pavilion Tuesday night.
All 18 Big Ten men’s basketball directors of operations share a spreadsheet they can access that gives details on travel, hotel, and arena accommodations in their respective city. With no guidelines on travel given by the Big Ten, how each school gets to the venues and where they stay is entirely up to the discretion of people like VandeWettering.
“With these new schools, how we’re going to travel there is a topic of conversation we lean toward when we get a chance to catch up,” VandeWettering said. “Iowa was here a few weeks ago, I talked to Kyle Denning pre-game and we talked through different things about where they were practicing, where they were staying, all those little details. With them being on the front end of us being out there, it’s nice for them to give us the lay of the land before we get there and know what we’re walking into.”
The Planning Stages
Wisconsin started planning this trip as soon as the staff got their hands on the schedule in September, only a few days before it was released to the public. Booking flights and hotels was simple enough but scheduling them for what days became the topic of conversation.
Because of the flight’s length, duration of the stay, and game times (noon Pacific Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Pacific Tuesday), flying in the day before and leaving on a red-eye after wasn’t ideal. After conversations with head coach Greg Gard and strength and conditioning Jim Snider, the Badgers decided to leave yesterday to get acclimated to the environment. With UW not scheduled to play again until a home game Sunday, the staff felt it’d be best to get a full night’s sleep Tuesday and return Wednesday early evening.
“With that game on Sunday, we felt that was best for us and the team to get us most ready for that game,” VandeWettering said.
There was also the matter of what to do with the amount of free time the players have between games and where to secure a practice facility. VandeWettering said they decided to switch hotels during the week, moving from near USC’s campus to Beverly Hills and UCLA’s campus to eliminate some traffic concerns and break up the monotony of living in the same hotel room for seven days.
Finding gym space was a bigger hassle. The Badgers had to be flexible for their Friday practice at USC’s Galen Center due to a men’s volleyball game later that night. UCLA’s Pawley Pavilion was equally limited with availability for practices and a shootaround. VandeWettering said he even reached out to the LA Clippers to see about availability of their new practice facility but that wasn’t available due to a game day.
“We had to figure out what was the next best space,” VandeWettering said. “We ended up going back to UCLA and taking its practice facility on Sunday. There is a lot of flexibility and things you have to work through with the different contacts. Getting out there that extra day early allows us to get settled and not rush from anything to get to those early practices. It allows us to get into both facilities ahead of time, which gives us a little familiarity with each arena being the first time out there.”
Lengthy stays aren’t new for Wisconsin. The Badgers have stayed on the road for multiple road games periodically over the last four seasons, including flying from Michigan to Rutgers last season. VandeWettering said the biggest takeaway from those trips was to try and limit time in the hotel room, so the Badgers are scheduled to do some community service work and possibly attend an LA Clippers game.
“You got to make sure the day is broken up as much as we can,” VandeWettering said. “It gives guys a different vibe, a different energy to get out moving a little bit. There are things we’ve learned along the way and that’s one of the big ones to keep guys fresh and engaged.”
Ready to Pivot If Needed
As if dealing with the logistics of a long regular-season trip to an unfamiliar part of the country was tough enough, the Badgers have kept watch on the devasting fires affecting the Los Angeles area. Thirty different fires have sparked since then, and while 26 have been extinguished, the Palisades Fire — the largest of three major fires ravaging Los Angeles County to the Northwest – burning across 23,713 acres and just 23 percent contained.
The Eaton Fire – the most destructive fire in Southern California history – is 55 percent contained as of Thursday. At least 25 people have died, and thousands of structures have been destroyed.
After various professional and college sporting events were postponed last weekend and an NFL playoff game was moved out of state, USC beat Iowa Tuesday night in its first home game since the fires. UCLA is scheduled to play the Hawkeyes on campus tonight, not far from where the Palisades Fire continues to rage.
“There’s a level of concern of something I’ve had to be tracking on for the last week or so,” VandeWettering said. “We need to be ready to adapt and adjust. We’ve had pretty consistent conversations with the Big Ten and people at UCLA who are on the ground giving us information. They’ve been super helpful and reassuring us that they’re good.”
After the UCLA women moved its Wednesday game to Long Beach State, VandeWettering said the Badgers are preparing for the contingency of their game being relocated.
“We’re ready to adjust,” VandeWettering said. “The safety of everyone out there continues to be top priority. Getting these games in is of the utmost importance for us, the league, and all the schools involved, but we want to make sure we do it right.”
Whenever UW is off-campus, VandeWettering must be on his toes. More than once in his tenure he’s had to deal with flight issues after games, causing delays and scrambles. It’s only when he’s on his drive back to the Kohl Center that he affords himself a moment … before thinking about the next road trip around the corner.
“When I can see that last bus is there ready to pick us up on the way to Kohl Center,” VandeWettering said, “that’s when I can exhale and say we pulled it off.”
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers’ Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @_Perko_, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_
*Like us on Facebook
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
Science7 days ago
Metro will offer free rides in L.A. through Sunday due to fires
-
Technology6 days ago
Amazon Prime will shut down its clothing try-on program
-
News1 week ago
Mapping the Damage From the Palisades Fire
-
News1 week ago
Mourners Defy Subfreezing Temperatures to Honor Jimmy Carter at the Capitol
-
Technology6 days ago
L’Oréal’s new skincare gadget told me I should try retinol
-
Technology3 days ago
Super Bowl LIX will stream for free on Tubi
-
Business4 days ago
Why TikTok Users Are Downloading ‘Red Note,’ the Chinese App