On Wednesday evening, The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers volleyball team gave fans much to look forward to in the fall season. The team took down the Marquette Golden Eagles in an exhibition match at the Wisconsin Field House with scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-21.
The Badgers put on a dominant show in their third spring match this season and gave another look at a new roster that includes several notable new players.
Wisconsin ended the fall season with a disappointing 3-0 loss to Nebraska in the regional final of the NCAA tournament. Along with that loss, the team was put in a difficult spot of filling the void left by key starters leaving such as Sarah Franklin, Devyn Robinson, Anna Smrek and Julia Orzol.
But in the offseason the Badgers made use of the transfer portal along with bringing up young in-house talent to replenish their starting lineup. Most notably, Oregon transfer Mimi Colyer, a multiple-time All-Conference outside hitter, transferred to play her senior season in Madison.
The team also landed Grace Egan, an highly talented redshirt freshman from Ohio State, as another outside hitter, and Grace Lopez, a right side hitter and utility player from the University of Miami.
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With all these new pieces, in addition to a new group of freshmen receiving more playing time, it would make sense for the team to experience some growing pains in their spring matches. But Wisconsin looked to be in great shape in their three sets against the Golden Eagles.
Colyer fit like a glove in the front line of the Badger’s attack with a team high 14 kills. Furthermore, freshman hitters Madison Quest and Una Vajagic looked poised for breakout seasons in the fall with 12 and eight kills respectively.
Veteran middle blocker Carter Booth looked dominant as ever on the defensive end leading the team with five blocks.
The biggest takeaway from this win for Badger fans is that freshman Charlie Fuerbringer will be one of the best players in the country this upcoming season. Fuerbringer, a Second Team All Big Ten selection and Freshman All-American from last season, looked to have great chemistry with her hitters and was a vocal leader on the floor. She added 35 assists, three kills and three blocks.
The team rotated liberos between star freshmen Lola Schumacher and Malie Chan. Chan received the start and tallied a team-leading 10 digs. Schumacher played sparingly, only tallying two digs and five serve attempts, but stood out as a fan favorite with an eruption of cheers every time she came on the court.
Wisconsin picked up right where they left off from last season despite the loss of several significant players. Badger fans should expect a strong showing in the Big Ten and can expect big things from this team in the 2025-26 season.