(UW ATHLETICS/MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – For the 13th-straight season and 29th time in program history, the Wisconsin women’s volleyball team earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers were selected as the No. 3 seed in the Texas Regional, and will host the First and Second round matches on Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5.
No. 3 Wisconsin (24-4) is slated to face Eastern Illinois (24-7), the Ohio Valley Conference champions, in the First Round. North Carolina (21-8) and No. 6 UTEP (25-4) will battle in the first matchup at the UW Field House, set to start at 4:30 p.m. CT on Thursday. The Badgers and the Panthers will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. On Friday, the winners of those matches will face-off at 7:00 p.m. CT. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
“When you’re watching our team, you can see that we are getting better, but you can also see that there is some room there for improvement,” Sheffield said. “And that’s what gets to be really exciting…feels like we’re still climbing, and the excitement and enthusiasm has never been higher.”
Wisconsin enters the NCAA Tournament with a 66-26 (.717) overall record in postseason play—notching a trip to the NCAA Regional Semifinals or beyond in every year of head coach Kelly Sheffield‘s tenure.
In seven consecutive seasons, with the exception of the COVID year, the Badgers have hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. During that time period, UW has put together a flawless 13-0 record.
The Badgers finished the regular season with a 24-4 record, earning victories in nine consecutive matches to close out the conference schedule. UW enters with eight wins over ranked opponents, most recently sweeping No. 18 Minnesota this past Friday to secure second place overall in the Big Ten.
Eight other Big Ten teams earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, as Nebraska leads the way as the number one overall seed. In the Texas Regional, the Badgers are joined by Indiana as the four seed and Penn State as the eight seed.
“I think it’s just been a really fun team to coach, and I know Badger fans have absolutely loved watching these guys play,” Sheffield added. “And with this team, they’ve got one opportunity, maybe two opportunities, to see this group and to see some players amongst the all-time best in program history. That’s pretty cool.”
SCHEDULE
Thursday, Dec. 4
North Carolina vs No. 6 UTEP – 4:30 p.m. CT
Eastern Illinois vs No. 3 Wisconsin – 30 minutes following the conclusion of UNC vs UTEP
Marquette makes NCAA tournament: The Marquette University women’s volleyball team has earned an at-large bid into the 2025 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, and will open action this Friday, December 5th, against Western Kentucky in Louisville, KY at 3:00 p.m. CT.
Marquette will face off against seven-seed Western Kentucky (27-5, 15-1 CUSA) this Friday, Dec. 5 at 3:00 p.m. CT. The first and second round matches will be hosted by two-seed Louisville (24-6, 16-4 ACC), who will take on Loyola-Chicago (17-15, 12-6 A10) 30 minutes following the MU match, and no earlier than 5:30 p.m. CT. All matches will be held at the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena in Louisville, KY.
Marquette (17-10, 11-5 BIG EAST) finished in a tie for third in the BIG EAST this season and is led by first-year head coach Tom Mendoza, All-BIG EAST selections Hattie Bray and Natalie Ring, and BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year, All-BIG EAST, and All-Freshman honoree Isabela Haggard.
This year marks MU’s 14th appearance in the big dance in the last 15 seasons, with the only absence coming in the spring of 2021 due to a reduced tournament field. Last season, M
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