Wisconsin v. Michigan: Sun 10/1/23, 2 PM ET / 1 PM CT (B1G+)

[rainbowbadger]

Wisconsin vs. Michigan

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 2 PM ET / 1 PM CT

UW Field House Madison, Wisconsin

The still-undefeated Wisconsin Badgers host their mustelid cousins, the Michigan Wolverines, for this Sunday matinee.

At halftime, the Badgers will celebrate the 2013 National Runner-Up team from Coach Sheffield's first season in Madison.

12-0, 3-0 B1G		2-10, 0-3 B1G

Follow Along

🎟: UWBadgers.com

📺: B1G+ ($)

🎧: FoxSports 1070 AM Madison

📊: StatBroadcast


Players to Watch


Wisconsin

#13 - OH Sarah Franklin 6-4 R-JR		#9 - MB Caroline Crawford 6-3 SR		#5 - MB/RS Devyn Robinson 6-2 SR
#12 - OH Temi Thomas-Ailara 6-2 GR		#52 - MB Carter Booth 6-7 SO		#14 - MB/RS Anna Smrek 6-9 JR

Michigan

#27 - OH Kendall Murray 6-2 SR		#17 - MB Jacque Boney 6-4 MB		#4 - S Scottee Johnson 6-0 SR
#11 - OH Amalia Simmons 5-11 R-FR		#3 - L Brooke Humphrey 5-10 SR		#13 - OH Valentina Vaulet 6-1 FR

History

The Series: Wisconsin leads 63-19
In Madison: Wisconsin leads 36-4
In Ann Arbor: Wisconsin leads 26-12
Neutral: Michigan leads 3-1
The Streak: Wisconsin has won 6 straight
Last meeting: October 23, 2022 - Wisconsin won in 4 sets in Ann Arbor.


Did you know…?

Michigan's assistant coach and director of volleyball operations, Dan and Coley Pawlikowski, have been on the other bench in the Field House - they were both assistants under Pete Waite. The duo met while coaching at Coley's alma mater, Northern Illinois, and Waite, himself the former Huskies coach, recruited them from there in 2012.


Dan & Coley coaching at NIU

Most recently, before coming to join Erin Virtue's staff at Michigan, the pair coached at the Brøndby Volleyball Club in Copenhagen. If the name Brøndby rings a bell to Badgers fans, it's because three Badgers alums - Julie Mikaelsen, Deme Morales, and Dominique Thompson - all played professionally there after graduation.


Deme hits a ball for Brøndby while DomThom covers.


Dom, Jules, and Deme after winning the Nordic Cup for Brøndby.

[badgerbreath]

This match is apparently the reunion of the 2013 badger team. Jon Arias just mentioned it on the radio post game for the OSU match.

[rainbowbadger]

Sept 27, 2023 20:57:40 GMT -5 exit237a said:

Sept 27, 2023 19:37:19 GMT -5 rainbowbadger said:

I’ll get this thread cranked out in the next day or so.

You've got 2 PM CT/ 1 PM CT in the title.  Should be 2 PM ET : )

Fixed it, thanks. It takes a village, y’all.

[rainbowbadger]

Sept 27, 2023 21:01:32 GMT -5 badgerbreath said:

This match is apparently the reunion of the 2013 badger team. Jon Arias just mentioned it on the radio post game for the OSU match.

it’s gonna be awesome.

[badgerbreath]

Sept 27, 2023 21:05:20 GMT -5 rainbowbadger said:

Sept 27, 2023 21:01:32 GMT -5 badgerbreath said:

This match is apparently the reunion of the 2013 badger team. Jon Arias just mentioned it on the radio post game for the OSU match.

it’s gonna be awesome.

Man. I wish I could be there. So many good memories.

[bprtbone]

This will be a quick one; Michigan get to 10 challenge.

[greatlakesvballer]

So, considering Michigan's situation, I expect to see the Badger bench get to see extended playing time in front of a Sunday home crowd. That should be nice for all of us, who aren't Wolverines.

[greatlakesvballer]

Also, I hope they play the clip of the National Semifinal "Down goes Texas!!" moment on the video board. The trajectory of the program... illustrated and celebrated. (And, additionally, a cautionary tale of some sort for 2023...? 🤫)

[rainbowbadger]

Links & fun facts bump!

I had fun re-watching the 2013 highlight reel while putting this one together.

[wiscvball]

Sept 30, 2023 7:18:18 GMT -5 rainbowbadger said:

Links & fun facts bump!

I had fun re-watching the 2013 highlight reel while putting this one together.

To this day, anytime I hear the song Timber by Pitbull and Ke$ha (or Kesha), I have flashbacks to that tournament run. A bunch of friends (non-Badgers) and I bought tickets to the final four in Seattle before the tournament field was announced. It was amazing to get to see the Texas/UW match in person!

[bprtbone]

rainbowbadger, under players to watch for Michigan, Brooke Humphrey has assumed the libero role for Michigan during Grant's leave of absence.

[PeoriaBucky]

The 2013 semi-final against Texas was the game I first became a Badger volleyball fan! Been onboard since then!

[gibbyb1]

Michigan is pretty awful.

[robtearle]

Sept 30, 2023 8:27:59 GMT -5 gibbyb1 said:

Michigan is pretty awful.

In the Michigan - Minnesota game thread, bprtbone did a good "how we got here" explanation for the woes of this Michigan team. If people haven't read it, they should go find it there.

[maigrey]

Sept 30, 2023 8:35:21 GMT -5 robtearle said:

Sept 30, 2023 8:27:59 GMT -5 gibbyb1 said:

Michigan is pretty awful.

In the Michigan - Minnesota game thread, bprtbone did a good "how we got here" explanation for the woes of this Michigan team. If people haven't read it, they should go find it there.

copy and pasted, so you don't have to go looking for it:

Sept 25, 2023 19:04:05 GMT -5 bprtbone said:

Oh dear God, must we have a match thread? For the casual Gopher fan, let me list the cataclysmic domino events that have led to Michigan's swift and precipitous decline:

- In 2022, the team's top scorer was dating the HC's (and Assistant HC) son. This did not go over so well with some of her teammates, leading to discord on and off the court.
- The dating situation and team unrest led the HC into a state of burnout, and he unexpectedly took a leave of absence in the thick of the chase for a spot in the NCAA tourney.
- The HC's wife (who happened to be the AC) took over the team as they squandered away every opportunity to qualify for the tournament. The HC was hoping that his wife could take over as HC in 2023 but the administration, no doubt hearing complaints from athletes and parents alike, did not agree.
- The team's top 3 scorers (led by the one dating the coaches son and all with remaining years of eligibility) decide to take their talents elsewhere. All three are thriving in their new homes. Notably, one of the three came back to Ann Arbor last month and delivered the match winning kill in the 5th set of a very tight contest. It was a dagger to her former teammates and she proceeded to get a victory shower in the locker room, rubbing salt in a seemingly still fresh wound.
 - The admin, a little late to the dance, finally hires a new HC. She's a great candidate but happens to come with a huge condition: she's committed to Karch and the USWNT through the 2024 Olympics. This means she is splitting time between the two programs for the 2023 season and the spring/summer of 2024.
 - In January, the team's best remaining player and one of the top liberos in the B1G suffers a terrible family tragedy, ultimately leading to her taking personal leave and likely ending her collegiate career.
 - The week before the season starts, the team's best and most experienced OH surprisingly announces that she has had shoulder surgery and is out for the season.
- The remaining athletes on the decimated roster, primarily bench and practice squad players sprinkled with unseasoned freshman, are thrust into starting roles. The results have not been pretty.
 - Last week, the team's best MB and defensive player goes out with illness, leaving two MB's on the roster. During the 3rd set against MSU, one of the two remaining MB's injures her ankle, forcing the team to insert a freshman OH/OPP into the spot where she clearly had no idea where to go or what to do. The team travels to Maryland on Sunday with one MB, where they are quickly dispatched.

And that leads us into this Friday's match. Michigan is barely a shell of its former self, lacks any floor defense and has no serious or consistent threat on offense. The 2023 season is toast and the team is now just looking for ways not to embarrass themselves too much from week to week.

Two positives: Boney should be back along with Coach Virtue. It won't be nearly enough to make this one remotely competitive but I'll be rooting for them anyways. Go Blue!