Setting the scene: Regional final vs Huskers

On By Littum

LINCOLN, Neb. — The no. 2 seeded Wisconsin volleyball team will take on the no. 1 seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers in the regional final of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. CST. The match will be broadcast on ABC.

Before the match begins, here are six things to know:

1. SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: In two and a half hours, five-setters, the Badgers beat Texas A&M 25-21, 18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-13 in the regional semifinals in Lincoln on Friday night. This marks the Badgers’ seventh move in the Regional Final.

2. KNOWN ENEMY: This is the third time Nebraska and Wisconsin have met this season. The first two meetings went in favor of the Huskers as they swept Wisconsin in the Field House and in Lincoln. This was the first season since 2012, and the first season in the Sheffield era, that the Huskers have swept Wisconsin twice. The game will also be the sixth time the two teams have met in the NCAA tournament. Sheffield is 2-0 in Wisconsin against Nebraska in the tournament, with the latest coming in the 2021 National Championship when the Badgers won it all. The Huskers are 4-2 against Wisconsin in the tournament.

3. HOW TO GET IT ON BOTH SIDES: Junior Carter Booth had a career night against the Aggies tallying 14 kills (14 -2 – 27) with a .444 hitting percentage. The 27 attempts in one game are also a career best. Anna Smrek added 10 kills and Franklin had a team-best 21 kills. And on the defensive side, Lola tallied her fourth 20+ dig game while Gulce Guctekin added 13 and Charlie Fuerbringer finished with 12.



4. FEED FRANK: With 21 kills against the Aggies, fifth year Sarah Franklin moved to no. 7 all time in program history for most kills in Wisconsin. Franklin currently has 1,409 total kills at UW, surpassing Kelly Kennedy (1996-1999) who tallied 1,406 in her career.

5. NOT OUR FIRST RODEO: The Badgers have one of the most experienced teams in the NCAAs. CC Crawford, Sarah Franklin, Gulce Guctekin, Julia Orzol, Devyn Robinson, Anna Smrek and Carter Booth have played a combined 84 games and 310 sets played in the NCAA tournament.

6. SCOUT OF HUSKERS: Seed no. 1 in Nebraska has a 32-2 overall record with their only losses coming to SMU and Penn State. They are coming off a 3-1 win over Dayton on Friday night to advance to the regional final. Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly ranks second in the Big Ten with 11.12 assists per set. Outside, Harper Murray leads the team with 3.37 kills per set and is coming off a career-high 22 kills against Dayton.