The 2022 NCAA Division One women’s volleyball champion will be crowned Dec. 17 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Wisconsin Badgers are looking to repeat as champions and lift their second-ever national trophy.
Wisconsin finished the regular season strong, winning their last 18 matches and earning a second consecutive Big Ten championship title. With a record of 25-3, the Badgers earned one of the four top seeds and the right to host their regional competition.
The Badgers started their defense of the national championship Dec. 2 with a meeting against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Quinnipiac earned a spot in the tournament with their program’s first-ever MAAC Championship. They finished with a record of 14-14 but heading into the matchup they had won 12 of their last 14 matches.
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Wisconsin was heavily favored on paper, and it didn’t take long for their dominance to display itself on the hardwood. A 4-0 run in the middle of the first set extended the Badger’s lead to 17-11 and a service ace by Liz Gregorski eventually capped off the set.
Wisconsin never looked back and held the Bobcats under 10 points in the following two sets and secured the 3-0 sweep. Devyn Robinson recorded 11 kills and paved the way for Wisconsin’s domination in the front court.
With the victory, the Badgers advanced to the second round and a date with the TCU Horned Frogs was on the horizon. TCU would come into the match looking for revenge after the Badgers swept the Horned Frogs earlier in the season. This meeting took place over three months ago, but both teams have adapted as they grew into the season.
TCU earned an at-large bid after finishing third in the Big 12 conference. Their season was headlined with a strong finish as they won eight of their last 10 affairs. On the heels of an upset against the Washington Huskies in the first round, TCU was looking to continue its Cinderella run against the Badgers.
If they were going to have a chance, they knew they were going to need a big night from outside hitter, Audrey Nalls. She led her team in kills all season and recorded 25 against Washington, a program record in an NCAA tournament game.
But Nall and her team’s luck ran out as the Badgers’ dominance carried over from their first-round match. Wisconsin won the first set 25-9 and followed it up with a 25-11 win in the second set. The Badgers’ defense was on fire as they forced 11 blocks, and on offense, Sarah Franklin led the match in kills with 13. The third set was tighter, but Wisconsin secured the sweep with a 25-23 victory.
“I just think it’s really exciting to be here, with the team and gritting it out every single weekend and being able to earn that, so I am really excited for what’s to come and what more we can do for the rest of the season,” Franklin said in a press release.
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Sweet 16
With the win against TCU at their backs, the Badgers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 10th year in a row. Another rematch awaits the Badgers, but this time it comes in the form of a Big Ten opponent — Penn State. The Badgers will look to build on their two earlier wins against the Nittany Lions. The first one, in September, saw the Badgers easily win in three sets. The latest matchup forced the Badgers into a five-set thriller that might speak to the current status of this Penn State team.
Penn State finished fifth in the best conference in the country and has won nine of their last 10 matches. They earned an at-large bid and their 42nd straight trip to the NCAA tournament — the only program to appear in every edition of the tournament.
Outside hitter Kashauna Williams and middle blocker, Allie Holland led the Nittany Lions to wins against UMBC Retrievers and UCF Knights in the first and second rounds respectively. The Knights forced Penn State into a fourth set before the Nittany Lions were able to get things going offensively and finish off the match. Williams led the team in kills and points.
Dec. 8, the Badgers will play Penn State on the same day as the UW Field House will host the Florida Gators and the Pittsburgh Panthers, with the winners meeting on Dec. 10. This could set up an earlier season rematch between Wisconsin and Florida. The last time the two teams played, fans broke the attendance record for a regular season match. The game ended in heartbreak though, as Wisconsin fought back from two sets down only to lose the fifth and final set.
A matchup with Pittsburgh has some historical significance for the Badgers as well. Both teams made it to the Final Four last year, with the Panthers bowing out in the semifinals before Wisconsin went on to lift the national trophy. Courtney Buzzerio and Serena Gray are names to look out for as they’re hoping to punch their ticket to Omaha.
Final Four
If the Badgers reach the Final Four for the fourth consecutive year, they will play either the Louisville Cardinals, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks or Baylor Bears Dec. 15. The Badgers fell to Baylor earlier in the season while beating the Cornhuskers in both of their matchups.
The most likely Final Four opponent for the Badgers is the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville is ranked fourth in the nation and holds a record of 28-2, including their two wins in the playoffs. They have only lost once since early September and finished first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
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National Championship
If the Badgers do reach the National Championship game, the team that will most likely stand in their way will be the Texas Longhorns. Texas has spent almost every week this season as the number-one-ranked team in the country. They’ve only dropped one set since the beginning of November, and their dominance has been on display through the first two rounds of the tournament.
If all goes to plan, on Dec. 17 the Badgers will be lifting the trophy in Omaha, Nebraska, celebrating their second consecutive win as national champions.
