Wisconsin Volleyball Coach Kelly Sheffield Sheds Light on Grace Egan's 'Scary' Injury

On his weekly podcast, the Badgers head coach shares details on Grace Egan's injury, her decision to update fans, and a potential return to the court.

Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield is shown before their match against Florida Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisconsin. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

On Monday, Sept. 14, Wisconsin senior outside hitter Grace Egan posted a heartfelt statement on social media explaining her absence from the team.

In it, she described experiencing a setback with her back and needing time away to give her body time to heal properly. She also described experiencing a level of fear and stress that she had never had before. She is also taking her recovery one step at a time and looking forward to rejoining her team.

In a clip from the Kelly Sheffield Show on the Joncast Podcast, head coach Kelly Sheffield detailed the injury and Egan’s experience.

New details on Grace Egan's injury on this week's @KellyPSheffield Show on @ESPNMadison as the Badgers coach takes us behind the scenes on what happened with Egan.

Catch the full show this week at 6pm on 100.5 ESPN or on ESPN Madison's YouTube Channel. pic.twitter.com/rwJDOqZCfr

— Jon Arias (@JonAriasRadio) September 16, 2026

“[Egan] had probably one of her best career matches against Florida and then woke up the next morning and could not feel her leg,” Sheffield said. “She couldn’t walk and it was a very scary situation. She spent the day in the ER and…there just isn’t any answers.

“You don’t know if a season is done, you know, if a career is on the line. Those are scary things. And so you’re trying to get some answers. The answers aren’t coming fast. We had a game that next day.”

The Badgers were scheduled to play Auburn the next day at the Field House to round out the Big Ten/SEC Challenge and were still unsure what exactly had happened to Egan and if she’d be able to return.

“When we started getting some answers, then it was a discussion with her of, you know, how do you want me to handle this?”

Sheffield notoriously keeps injuries private, partially because the NCAA does not require volleyball teams to release injury reports but also out of what he feels is best for the players and their wellbeing.

“I understand there is a need that the fans have for information,” he explained, “but my responsibility will always be to our players first and if they were asking to keep things close to the vest then we’re absolutely going to do that.”

Which was what Egan had asked for.

“I think her head was spinning a lot. She just didn’t want a lot of noise and a lot of people coming in to that.”

Sheffield went on to say that he respected her wishes and warned her that her absence would be noticed but he and the staff would be willing to “take the arrows” for her until she was ready to discuss it herself.

As for the timeline for Egan’s return, Sheffield does not know but is hopeful that she plays again this season.