The theme of this early season for Kelly Sheffield has been shuffling the lineups. He's played six different lineups in six different matchups. While he told reporters afterward that some of it is game planning and some of it is injuries, it's not really a story for them. They practice this way, and so it's more of a story for sites like this one. And while he said the lineup probably wouldn't have looked different had Grace Egan been healthy, that feels only slightly true.
Grace Egan was out with an undisclosed injury, and she wasn't even seen on the sidelines. She wasn't even in the building, which is ominous, but who knows what that really means. Either way, it allowed Halle Thompson to see some extra action. And even Madison Quest got the start as the right-side hitter.
Sheffield told reporters he liked the matchup with Halle Thompson going against Auburn, but he also needed her energy with back-to-back matches. "She’s a high-energy player for us, and we felt like the matchup was really good for her. Certainly, after last night, Hal’s like a double shot of espresso; I wanted to make sure that we weren’t sleepy out there and the building wasn’t sleepy. I think people were excited to see her play, and I know she was excited to play."
Halle Thompson gave Wisconsin the shot in the arm they needed on back-to-back matches
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Thompson had an excellent night with 11 kills and 11 digs in three sets. She plays with a ton of energy. He's not wrong about that; she flies around the court and is as aggressive as anyone in college volleyball. Which is her strength and weakness. "She’s always going to be aggressive. I think there’s no set that she doesn’t think she can get a kill on." Sheffield told reporters, "And sometimes that can be really good, and there are other times that can kind of get her into trouble. I thought she was not just aggressive, but I thought offensively she was smart."
Tonight, it was great. "We needed her. We needed those swings." She was the spark that gave Wisconsin a ton of life. She actually got the final kill of the third set to give the Badgers the sweep, in a match Wisconsin needed to win.
Thompson led the team in kills, receptions, and points, and tied for second with Kristen Simon in digs. This was the boost the team needed in back-to-back matches.
Wisconsin fans have wondered why Thompson hasn't been in more matches. She was a top recruit for the Badgers and was impressive in the spring. But Thompson is still getting settled as a freshman; her energy is electric, but it sometimes puts her in bad spots and wrong positions. As she continues to practice and learn the offense and defense sets, as well as have big games like this, it'll help her long-term development.
She has a big arm and loves to take big swings. Tonight was a big leap for her and another great example of the depth that Wisconsin has. Without Jaela Auguste, Grace Egan, and Grace Lopez against Auburn, the Badgers still found a way to sweep the Tigers.
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