The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four (2024)

MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers reached the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five years, but to hear the players tell it, they haven’t reached their ceiling.

“We’re still climbing,” senior Devyn Robinson said. “We haven’t reached our best volleyball so we’re on our way up.”

That was the message following a gritty, exhausting and inspiring performance by the Badgers in the regional final Saturday night at the UW Field House.

The No. 1 seed in its portion of the bracket defeated No. 2 seed Oregon, 25-22, 25-22, 25-27, 25-18, in a match that produced 30 ties and eight lead changes and was played in front of packed house of 7,229. Following the 2 hours and 21 minutes of action it’s easy to see why UW coach Kelly Sheffield has called this stage of the tournament the hardest.

“We had no give up tonight,” he said. “Just the amount of fight to keep the ball off the floor and pursuit to give ourselves a chance of staying in the rally was the best I’ve ever seen.

“And then the mental toughness. …. That was something we talked about, but it’s a lot easier to talk about and discus than to actually do it in practice with the Final Four on the line.”

Wisconsin (30-3) will face defending champion Texas (26-4) Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The starting time will be announced Sunday. The Longhorns defeated No. 1 seed Stanford in four sets in the final regional final of the day.

The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four (1)

UW's block and scrambling a unique combination

The Badgers earned their spot by fighting though Oregon’s best serving day of the season, scrambling to finish a handful of momentum-swinging plays and managing to hold the Ducks to .203 hitting percentage with the help of another strong match of blocking.

The difference came down to Wisconsin being able to grind out points at the end of the first and second sets and finally get on a bit of a serving run in the final set.

“It was kind of bend, don’t break. Fight,” Sheffield said. “One of the things we feel like we’re really good is we’re very comfortable being out of system and so fight like crazy to keep the ball off the ground. Somebody step in there, put a ball up there, and we’ve got the hitters that can get up there and take good swings.”

Senior Sarah Franklin finished with 20 kills and a .283 hitting percentage. Temi Thomas-Ailara, a graduate student, overcame a slow start to post 11 kills and a .286 hitting percentage. Junior Anna Smrek went for 10 kills, a .400 hitting percentage and seven blocks.

Senior MJ Hammill tied her season high with 26 assists. Sophom*ore Gulce Guctekin and junior Julia Orzol posted 17 and 16 digs, respectively and along with Franklin anchored the team's serve receive.

UW finished with 16 team blocks and had four players with at least five. Sophom*ore Carter Booth finished with nine blocks, one shy of her season high. Senior Caroline Crawford totaled seven and Robinson, who also recorded the 1,000th kill of her career, posted six.

“To be able to block the way they block and have those scramble plays that they had, just some amazing effort plays, that combo has got to be really, really rare,” Oregon coach Matt Ulmer said. "I thought their heart was great.”

The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four (2)

Izzy Ashburn's serving run gives UW breathing room in final set

The matched turned on a handful of moments.

The first came at the end of the first set when UW scored two straight points after the Ducks cut the Badgers’ lead to 23-22.

The next came in the second set when the Badgers erased an early five-point deficit and closed the set with a 7-3 run that was capped by two kills by Franklin. The first came off an in-system ball from Hammill, who was fed a perfect ball by Guctekin. The second came out of system and ended a long rally.

And the last came in the final set when graduate student Izzy Ashburn, who also posted 23 assists, served five straight points to give UW a 15-8 lead. The Badgers ran out of substitutions at the end of the third set and the fourth set appeared headed that direction before Ashburn found a rhythm.

“She came in and got that first ace, got a few out of system balls and we were starting to feel a little better with the sub situation,” Sheffield said.

The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four (3)

Sarah Franklin named most valuable player of regional

That final set was Wisconsin’s best. It led by as many as eight points, its largest lead of the night, and posted a match-high .520 hitting percentage.

Franklin had six kills and a .417 hitting percentage in the fourth set and went on to be named most valuable player of the regional. She was joined on the all-region team by Booth, Robinson and Orzol.

Franklin is one of seven players on the roster who will make their first Final Four appearance. She’ll get to do it in her home state six months after her career was in jeopardy due to a rare condition with her shoulder.

“To be in this situation is really cool and I’m grateful,” she said. “There are no other words to put it. I’m just grateful that all the staff here and everyone at the UW hospital was able to get me back fully for the season. I think it makes it a little sweeter. Not being here would have torn me apart.”

The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four (2024)

FAQs

Did Oregon or Wisconsin win volleyball? ›

The Wisconsin women's volleyball team beats Oregon in four sets to make NCAA Final Four. MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers reached the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five years, but to hear the players tell it, they haven't reached their ceiling.

Who beat wisconsin in womens volleyball? ›

Texas defeated Wisconsin 3-1 to advance to the 2023 NCAA volleyball championship match. Watch the full semifinal match highlights here.

Where is Sarah Franklin from? ›

Hometown: Lake Worth, Fla.

Has Wisconsin ever won the NCAA Tournament? ›

In 1941, Foster led the Badgers to their only national championship in history. With the help of tournament MOP John Kotz and All-American Gene Englund, the Badgers beat Washington State 39–34 in the final game of the NCAA Tournament.

Has Oregon won March Madness? ›

The Ducks have appeared in 18 NCAA tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, winning the National Championship vs. Ohio State. Their combined record is 27–17, with one no–contest in 2021.

What college has the most women's volleyball national championships? ›

Stanford is the most successful program in DI women's college volleyball history with nine national championships.

When did Wisconsin win the NCAA tournament volleyball? ›

The university has a rich volleyball tradition, with origins dating back to 1974. They won a national title in 2021.

Who won the NCAA Women's college volleyball championship? ›

What happened to Sarah Franklin at Wisconsin? ›

Quadrilateral space syndrome, which is compression of the nerve and artery in the shoulder, had a significantly shorter recovery period. Franklin said she was rolled into surgery around 1:30 a.m. early on a Thursday morning for a 5 1/2-hour procedure.

Where is Lexi Rodriguez from? ›

HometownSterling, Ill.

How tall is Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin volleyball player? ›

Franklin, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter, becomes just the second University of Wisconsin volleyball player to receive the award, joining Dana Rettke, who won it in 2021.

Who won NCAA volleyball game? ›

What is the score of the Wisconsin-Texas volleyball game? ›

Hook 'em, Texas moves on

Texas surged in the final two sets to roll Wisconsin, 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 25-16). The Longhorns aced 11 times, which is a season-best for the squad.

Where can I watch the volleyball championship? ›

Fans can catch this weekend's action in the NCAA men's volleyball streaming hub on ESPN+.

What club did Madisen Skinner play for? ›

2024 AWARDS

Madisen Skinner, a junior outside hitter from the University of Texas volleyball team, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Volleyball as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

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