Wisconsin's season opener part of showcase on national TV (2024)

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Both Big Ten teams reached the national semifinals last season and ended up losing to Texas. The Badgers lost in four sets in the semifinal while the Cornhuskers lost in the national championship. Louisville finished 27-5 and lost in five sets of its Elite Eight match at Pittsburgh while Commonwealth rival Kentucky went 21-8 and lost in five sets to Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

Wisconsin's nonconference schedule is taking shape as the Badgers will have a rematch with the Longhornson Sept. 1 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The early season showcase features Wisconsin and Stanford the next day while Minnesota is the fourth team in the multi-team event. Those matches will be broadcast nationally on either Fox or FS1.

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The Big Ten volleyball schedule takes different shape with four teams joining the league this summer. Each team will have three home-and-home opponents while facing the other 14 teams once. The Badgers will play Nebraska, Minnesota and Northwestern twice.

Teams only visiting the Field House include Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and league newcomers Washington and Oregon, which the Badgers beat in four setsin the Elite Eight at the Field House. Road matches in league play will be against Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers and new league members UCLA and Southern Cal.

The Badgers return the core of their roster which went 30-4. Six-rotation hitter Sarah Franklin became the second Badgers player, joining Dana Rettke in 2021, to be named national player of the year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Three other AVCA All-Americans return with right-side/middle blocker Anna Smrek (second team), middle blocker Carter Booth (third team) and Devyn Robinson (honorable mention). The nation's best blocking team also returns middle Caroline Crawford. Booth was fourth nationally at 1.56 blocks per set as the team was tops at 3.07 per set.

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A spring season seemed unlikely for the Badgers until they received a commitment from Montana transfer Carly Anderson. Coach Kelly Sheffield hoped to fortify the position after MJ Hammill (pursuing nursing school) and program aces leader Izzy Ashburn (exhausted eligibility) left the program. Anderson enrolling in the spring allowed for a pair of matches, including one in which Anderson impressed at the Field House, which seemingly gives her a familiarity advantage in a possible position battle should Sheffield not deploy a 6-2 system.

The Badgers will also have the No. 1 setter recruit of the 2024 class on campus with Charlie Fuerbringer's arrival. The consensus All-American and California's Gatorade Player of the Year led Mira Costa (Calif.) to a 39-4 season and the open state quarterfinals with 1,134 assists, 240 digs, 128 kills, 55 blocks and 46 aces. She is part of a signing class that included walk-on setter Morgan Van Wie from Waunakee.