Wisconsin Volleyball Schedule Release: 3 Big Takeaways

The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball season will be here before you know it. Tuesday, August 27th, is the date fans should have circled on their calendars. Expectations are high for the 2024 season after the program’s fourth national semifinal appearance in five seasons capped off another memorable season in 2023.

With expectations as high as ever for a national championship-caliber program, every match on the schedule is worth scrutinizing. Add in the changed makeup of the Big Ten’s membership, a murderer’s row of non-conference opponents, and classic rivalries, and you have a schedule to keep fans engaged from wire to wire.

Wisconsin Volleyball Begins Season Against Perennial Title Contenders

Wisconsin Badgers players huddle prior to their first set against Penn State in the 2022 NCAA volleyball tournament Sweet 16 women’s volleyball matchThursday, Dec. 8, 2022, at UW Field House in Madison, Wis.
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Head coach Kelly Sheffield’s squad has no “cupcake games” to start the season. Wisconsin opens its season at Louisville. The Cardinals are projected to be one of the best teams in the country once again after falling just one set short of reaching its third consecutive national semifinal. Wisconsin and Louisville are putting volleyball in the national spotlight right away this season with the match aired on ESPN2.

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After returning from Louisville, the Badgers will make a short road trip to Milwaukee for the Women’s College Volleyball Showcase at Fiserv Forum. On back-to-back days during Labor Day weekend, UW faces two more national title contenders. First, a rematch of the 2023 national semifinal against the back-to-back reigning national champion Texas Longhorns on Sunday, September 1st. UT is led by 2023 National Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and outside-hitting assassin Madisen Skinner. Skinner recorded 18 kills en route to a four-set victory over Wisconsin volleyball last December.

As a cherry on top, the Badgers face Stanford more than 24 hours later. The Cardinal boast the most national championships of any Division 1 women’s college volleyball program. Stanford’s 2023 season ended at the hands of the Longhorns in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Badgers and Cornhuskers Will Have to Wait

Oct 21, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Merritt Beason (13) and middle blocker Andi Jackson (15) go up to block Wisconsin Badgers outside hitter Sarah Franklin (13) during the fifth set at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the challenge of its expanded membership, the Big Ten gave some deference to classic conference rivalries. With 18 members and 20 conference matches, each B1G squad will play each opponent once. The remaining three games come against a team’s “two-play” opponents, with a match occurring on each team’s home court.  Wisconsin volleyball will play Nebraska and Minnesota twice – keeping UW’s two biggest rivals as a centerpiece of its schedule. The Badgers’ third two-play opponent this season is Northwestern.

Nebraska vs. Wisconsin has become a must-see event. The two teams have combined to win the last five and six of the last seven Big Ten titles. With huge stakes in every match, including the 2021 national championship, Cornhuskers vs. Badgers represents the pinnacle of the sport.

This season, the Big Ten will let that anticipation build for months. Nebraska will be in Louisville on August 27th for a neutral-site match against Kentucky. Although Wisconsin volleyball will be in the building with them, the conference foes will not square off until Friday, November 1st. The Big Ten’s two premier programs will play twice in 22 days in the last month of the regular season, with conference title stakes likely on the line.

Wisconsin Football and Volleyball Fans Can Make this Road Trip

Oct 21, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Merritt Beason (13) attacks against Wisconsin Badgers outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara (12) and middle blocker Carter Booth (52) during the fourth set at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Who among fans is not a sucker for a great sports road trip? If you are a fan of the Badgers or Cornhuskers, I have a wonderful opportunity for you.

Saturday, November 23rd. Nebraska hosts the Wisconsin Badgers football team. Although this is a contrived rivalry with the Freedom Trophy (that Nebraska has never possessed) on the line, Lincoln is worth a visit. Plus, you can see the real Wisconsin-Nebraska rivalry on the same date.

In the third-to-last match of their respective seasons, Nebraska hosts Wisconsin volleyball in the waning days of the regular season. The only monkey wrench in the football-volleyball double-header is that there are no start times for either event yet announced. I can only speculate at this time, but I cannot imagine that Nebraska would schedule its two most popular athletic programs to go head-to-head with each other. Add in a meal at Runza, and you have a perfect itinerary.

Quick notes:

The #Badgers will play non-conference matches at home against UW-Milwaukee and Marquette

Wisconsin also gets home-and-homes with BOTH Nebraska and Minnesota. https://t.co/nLikDg3kg9

— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) June 12, 2024

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