Wisconsin volleyball had its first spring match vs. Marquette on Monday, March 23rd, and it was mostly Kelly Sheffield trying out different lineups and players to see how each looked and how lineups worked together. The Badgers ended up winning 3-1, and so there were only four sets of action, but that still gave insight into Wisconsin volleyball this spring.
There were three players who played in all four sets. While most played only two sets, and a few played three, Kristen Simon, Madison Quest, and Audrey Flanagan all played in every set. That actually is an interesting tell for Wisconsin, but each player tells us a different story of Kelly Sheffield's lineup mind.
Kristen Simon - the only libero
For Simon, it's easy; she's the only libero, and unless there is an injury, she will play in every set the whole way through. Most likely in the fall, too, as any addition Wisconsin makes at libero will serve to back her up. So her usage comes at a zero shock value.
Madison Quest
Quest is an interesting one to see featured in all four sets and to not only get play in all four but to put up a good amount of stats. She led the team in kills with 10 and was also tied for the most blocks with three (Lynney Tarnow and Kymora Scott also had 3).
Quest may have had a nice bump in usage because of Grace Lopez's injury. Lopez is still not quite able to participate due to her knee injury from a season ago, according to Denniz Punzel of the Wisconsin State Journal. So, Quest quickly becomes the trusted right-side hitter on the roster. She knows the system and the plays, even though she's listed as an outside hitter. Like Egan last year, Sheffield is going to slide her into the right side to help out. She knows what her coach likes out of the opposite.
Audrey Flanagan
The lone freshman to be featured in every set was Flanagan. Similar to Quest, she got a boost from Egan being unable to go due to a back injury. However, there are other options at outside hitter by Sheffield. He could have picked up Halle Thompson to run all four sets or Eva Travis, but it was Flanagan who got the bump.
This may say more about how preparation for this game went than raw talent. Flanagan did show her freshman adjustment in this spring game as she only had five kills on 16 attacks with two errors. However, she received the ball well and had four digs.
Overall, the team is young but full of talent. This spring will be more important than ever to get the players up to speed and ready for high-level Big Ten volleyball. There will need to be freshmen who step up, and Flanagan got the first chance. Thompson may be biting at her heels, though, as she