Through the first two weekends of the 2022 NCAA women’s volleyball season, the defending national champion Wisconsin Badgers are ranked sixth in the nation, down three spots from where they began the season.
This falloff primarily stems from a loss to Baylor, suffered in the second match of the year Aug. 27. The Badgers played well, taking the ranked Baylor team to five sets, before ultimately falling 15-12 in the deciding set.
This loss came a night after dominating a good Texas Christian University team 3-0.
Wisconsin won each set against TCU by at least seven points and flexed their collective muscle around the net, out-blocking the opponent 14-1.
This was a sigh of relief for Badger fans in the season’s opening game. After losing net-front superstar Dana Rettke and other dominating mainstays, head coach Kelly Sheffield opted to shift to a new system for the early part of the season in order to offset the growing pains of an almost entirely new starting lineup.
These two matches against TCU and Baylor proved to be great early season tests for a Wisconsin team that needs all the tests that they can get.
The following weekend, Wisconsin returned home for the first time since winning the national championship.
The energy was high in the Field House as the national championship banner was dropped and the 2021 team received their rings. The raucous crowd was treated to an excellent match as the Badgers defeated in-state rival Marquette 3-1.
The match was not as one-sided as the final score suggests, as Marquette held a large lead in the third set, and fought back in the fourth to make things more interesting.
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Led by Julia Orzol and Caroline Crawford’s strong play, the Badgers ultimately downed the Golden Eagles and moved to 2-1 on the year.
The second weekend of the season concluded with a resounding win on Sunday against High Point. Wisconsin won all three sets by double digits.
Through the first two weeks of the season, the newcomers have shined. Michigan State transfer Sarah Franklin has proven to be a superstar through four games, leading all Badgers with 62 kills.
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While not a newcomer, MJ Hammill has been another strong performer in the early season. She ranks second on the team in both kills and assists and has been strong when serving, already amassing four aces.
Julia Orzol is one more early standout, as she ranks in the top five on the team in kills, digs and assists.
Next up for Badgers volleyball is a trip south to take on No. 16 Kentucky and Campbell before returning home for a highly-anticipated showdown with Florida Sept. 16 at the Kohl Center.
