It has been a brutal start to the season for the Wisconsin Badgers and Kelly Sheffield, for a lot of reasons. Sheffield was even very blunt about how he sees it all after the loss to Pitt. Now, the Badgers are preparing for another ranked team this week in the Florida Gators. Badger fans are scrambling for hopeful optimism, and there's plenty of it.
The ceiling has remained unchanged, and I feel like I've written a lot so far this year: "The Badgers just have to get off the floor." Let's get into five reasons to have optimism for this season and why Wisconsin can still be one of the best teams in the country, if not even the best.
1. Injuries have held this team back
Grace Lopez, the only true opposite on the roster, finally played in the front row against Pitt. She should be full-go against Florida. That's huge news, as Wisconsin fans still haven't quite seen what she can do from the right side. She's never even played alongside Jaela Auguste in the front.
Jaela Auguste has missed the last two matches and hopefully will return soon.
Then the Badgers also had Grace Egan out, one of the veteran outside hitters who can also fill in on the right side against Pitt. It's been brutal with injuries. A healthy Wisconsin looks different than what we saw against Pitt or Stanford.
2. An international star OH is arriving
Decelise Champion is moving onto campus this week after finishing her time in Puerto Rico on the women's international team. She may not play in the Florida match as she will have truly just arrived. However, when she is ready to go, she's a star. I know Sheffield has been downplaying Champion as a 16-year-old and someone coming in without all the practices, but she's one of the best hitters in the world.
She accumulated four different international awards this offseason. Mind you, not in her age category; this was among the top international players in the world. Sheffield even joked that she's been playing with "30-year-olds" and now will have to adjust to playing with young players again.
Before the season started, it was hard to see how all the hitters fit. Well, Eva Travis has been shrinking, and who knows how Sheffield will get her out of it, but there's now room in her spot.
3. The schedule clears up - get your sea legs
This schedule is brutal, and for the sake of the sport, it's been great; for the sake of this team, it's been terrible. This young team needed to get their sea legs. They finally get to come up for air after playing basically all the elite teams in the country the last two weeks.
Florida is no walk in the park, but the Gators aren't Pitt, Louisville, Kentucky, or Stanford. Different levels. And while No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas are looming. Wisconsin at least has Florida and Auburn first.
4. Chemistry + Talent = Success
This team looks like a team that hasn't played a lot together, and not well, because they haven't. Volleyball success is always found with talent and chemistry working together. This team will only get better as they learn to play together... because the talent is insane on this team.
5. There's insane talent on this team
Wisconsin has the best setter in college football. Nebraska fans can stay out of the comments; Charlie Fuerbringer is the best. Jaela Auguste is a top-10 middle blocker. Grace Lopez is a star right side. Add in the freshmen that are still getting settled into college who were basically 5-star recruits and international star libero Anna Bardaro. Kristen Simon is also elite.
So, it's not a talent problem; it's a "putting it all together" after everyone is healthy. That should give optimism.
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