Wisconsin volleyball picked to win the Big Ten in 2022 by preseason poll
The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball program has been consistently one of the best in the country under the direction of head coach Kelly Sheffield.
Wisconsin won its third straight Big Ten Championship a year ago on the way to securing the team's first National Championship in program history last season, and unsurprisingly, expectations are high heading into 2022.
On the first day of the inaugural 2022 Big Ten Volleyball Media Days, the Badgers were named the conference favorite in the Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll.
The full preseason poll results are below:
- Wisconsin
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Illinois and Michigan (tie)
- Purdue
- Northwestern
- Maryland
- Michigan State
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Rutgers
The head coaches from all 14 member institutions conducted the voting, with coaches allowed to vote for their own teams.
However, the voting went about as expected at the top, as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska have been three of the best programs in the nation of late. In fact, Wisconsin had to defeat Minnesota and Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament last year to win the championship.
In addition to voting for the preseason poll, the head coaches also collectively voted for an All-Conference team, and once again UW was well represented.
Wisconsin was one of three teams with three individuals that made the 15-player list, as Sarah Franklin (outside hitter), Devyn Robinson (middle blocker), and Anna Smrek (middle blocker) received the votes needed to make the preseason All-Conference team.
All three players have multiple years of eligibility remaining for the Badgers and should help the team reload despite losing stars like Dana Rettke, Sidney Hilley, and Lauren Barnes.
A 6-foot-2 junior out of Iowa, Devyn Robinson enters the 2022 season as a two-time All-Big Ten selection, receiving First-Team honors back in 2020, and was a Second-Team All-Big Ten pick in 2021. She will be one of Wisconsin's top threats from the middle and one of the top athletes in the conference.
For Smrek, she is a true sophomore this year, and at 6-foot-9, she should form a dynamic duo with Robinson in the middle. A native of Canada, she played immediately as a freshman and finished last season strong, highlighted by winning the MVP Award of the National Championship in 2021.
Lastly, Sarah Franklin joins Wisconsin this season after beginning her career at Michigan State. The 6-foot-4 outside hitter should help the Badgers' outside attack and is only a redshirt sophomore. Franklin was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection for the Spartans in 2021.
The Badgers finished last season with a 31-3 overall record and a 17-3 mark in the Big Ten. Head coach Kelly Sheffield has won four conference titles during his tenure at Wisconsin and has a 138-35 record in conference play.
Wisconsin will open the 2022 regular season against TCU on August 26 as they look to make a run at another Big Ten Conference Championship.
Related links:
- Dana Rettke and Johnny Davis named 2022 Wisconsin Athletes of the Year
- 11 inductees for the Wisconsin Hall of Fame announced
- Wisconsin volleyball to play a match inside the Kohl Center
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