MADISON – Sunday Wisconsin volleyball star Sarah Franklin injured her left ankle while competing for the United States national team at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six in the Dominican Republic.

Wednesday Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield said the 6-foot-4 outside hitter suffered a sprained ankle with a small fracture. The timeline for her return has not been determined.

The good news for the Badgers is that UW is about a month away from the start of practice. Wisconsin’s season-opening match will be Aug. 27 vs. Louisville on the road.

Franklin, the reigning national player of the year, suffered the injury midway through the third set of a five-set loss in the gold medal match.  She appeared to land on the foot of a Dominican Republic player after attempting a block. At the time the United States led the set, 14-13, and the match was tied at one set apiece.

During the rest of the match Franklin could be seen on the bench with ice on her ankle. She participated in the medal ceremony without the aid of crutches though she walked with a limp.

She returned to Madison on Monday and was checked out by the UW medical staff Tuesday and Wednesday.

Franklin’s injury brought to a premature end what was a strong showing in her first appearance for the senior national team. She finished with 33 kills, four blocks, two aces and a 54% attack percentage.

Madison, WI – The Madison Mallards opened up the second half of the Northwoods League campaign with a 1-0 victory over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in front of 6,750 fans at Warner Park on Wednesday night. 

Similarly to Monday’s game at Warner Park, runs were hard to come by. Coley Kilpatrick (North Carolina A&T) delivered his best start of the season to date, tossing five shutout innings. He allowed five hits, one walk and struck out five. 

The Mallards struck first in the game when Will Vierling (Louisville) tapped a ball down the third base line, and Davis Hamilton (North Dakota State) scampered home to score on the throw to first base. Wisconsin Rapids put traffic on the basepaths throughout the game, but struggled to come through with timely hits. 

The Rafters had a runner reach third base with one out in the seventh inning but Tyler Guerin (Iowa) worked out of the jam on the mound. In the eighth inning, the Rafters got the tying run to third base again, but Ryan Osinski (Virginia) retired his college teammate Walker Buchanan (Virginia) with a fly out to end the frame.

Then in the ninth, the Rafters put runners on the corners with one out in the inning. Osinski got Cashel Dugger (UCLA) to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the ballgame, as the Mallards held on to win 1-0. Wisconsin Rapids was shutout despite recording ten hits.

Kilpatrick earned the win for the Mallards, his first of the season. Bryson Moore (Virginia) pitched well for the Rafters, but was charged with the loss. Osinski picked up his first save of the season.

The Mallards will head to Wisconsin Rapids to face the Rafters again on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. The next home game at Warner Park for the Mallards will be on Friday night against the Lakeshore Chinooks, with first pitch at 6:05 p.m.

The Wisconsin Badgers had an up-and-down 2023 season marred by injuries, but ultimately finished strong to end with a 7-6 record in Luke Fickell’s first year as head coach.

Looking to improve in 2024, the Badgers retooled the roster, hitting the transfer portal at key positions on both sides of the ball.

However, the team’s increase in talent will be met by an increase in competition on Wisconsin’s schedule this year. So, what should the expectations be for the Badgers in 2024?

Looking at the schedule, there are a few clear games where Wisconsin should be significant underdogs: Week 3 vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide and Week 12 vs. the Oregon Ducks.

Both of those opponents should be near or at the top of college football in 2024, with playoff berths seeming likely for both squads.

Behind those games are the tougher opponents that Wisconsin should find a way to compete against. I’d consider the USC Trojans, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Penn State Nittany Lions in this group, with Wisconsin traveling to face the former two teams.

Those are five high-quality opponents for the Badgers in 2024, and then comes the rest of the schedule where we’ve seen how any Big Ten game can get ugly.

So, what should the expectations be for Wisconsin in 2024? Let us know your thoughts down below!