Wisconsin
Wisconsin volleyball relies on offensive balance, big block to make quick work of Troy
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 – Tuesday was Sarah Franklin’s night. Friday night balance ruled the day for the Wisconsin volleyball team.
Five players recorded double-digit attacks in a sweep of Troy that was played in front of an announced crowd of 7,229 at the UW Field House. That balance fueled a season-high hitting percentage of .416 for the seventh-ranked Badgers, who won 25-18, 25-13, 25-14 to score their fifth straight match and raise their record to 5-3.
Senior Anna Smrek led the Badgers in kills (10) and blocks (a season-high seven), while hitting .412, which just missed her season high for hitting percentage. Devyn Robinson, another senior, added eight kills, six blocks and a season-high .700 hitting percentage.
Franklin, who set a program record with 33 kills in a four-set victory over Marquette on Tuesday, finished the night with nine kills, 10 digs and a .333 hitting percentage.
Whereas Franklin had 60 swings Tuesday. Friday she led the team with 18 and was one of five Badgers with at least 10 swings.
The growing diversity of UW’s offense should help it in the big picture of the season.
“I feel like it just builds trust on our team that anyone can get it done and anyone can pop off any night like Tank popped off the other night with 33 kills, which is just amazing,” Robinson said. “Tonight, was a little more even. I feel like that is what makes us strong, that we have more than jst one go-to hitter who can put it away.”
Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who missed the Marquette match due to a right leg injury, returned and finished with 36 assists and helped the Badgers hit at least .321 in each set.
Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield noted that the freshman wasn’t able to practice much this week.
“It was a little bit rusty, but it’s nice to say your setter is a little bit rusty when you’re hitting over .400,” he said. “I guess that’s a good problem to have.”
Wisconsin also had a season high 12 ½ blocks, while its eight aces were its second-highest total of the season.
Troy, which is picked to finish second in the Sun Belt West, dropped to 5-4 and was held to a .057 hitting percentage, its second lowest of the season and the lowest for a UW opponent. One of the Trojans’ top players is junior setter Janelle Stuempfig, who finished with 12 assists.
The first set was not only the closest of the match but also the most competitive. The score was tied 13-13 when junior Gulce Guctekin served six straight points to break open the set. Robinson and senior Julia Orzol had two kills during the run.
The next two sets were marked by fast starts by Wisconsin.
In the second, the Badgers scored 10 of the first 12 points with Smrek and senior Caroline Crawford getting two blocks and a kill during that stretch. In the third, UW also led, 10-2, but this time the run was marked by balance as five players scored kills during that stretch led by Smrek’s three.
It made for a quick evening for UW. The match took just one hour, 18 minutes, just 2 minutes longest than the team’s shortest match of the year (UWM).
It’s a good thing because the Badgers will be back in action at the Field House at 7 p.m. Saturday against Texas A&M, which is 8-0.
“I feel like we went in and did our jobs and luckily we got it done quick so now it’s time for us to recover and get ready for Texas A&M,” Robinson said. “That’s all there is to it really, just get ready for the next team because we’ve got a pretty good team tomorrow night.”
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.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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