The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team will be starting their spring game schedule tonight, March 23rd, against Marquette. It's only a total of four matches over the next month, and none of them really count. It's a time for teams to figure out what they are working with and allow some of the spring practices to be rewarded with collegiate matches.
Kelly Sheffield, though, is going into the spring with only one libero. That's a huge hole for the Badgers. While Kristen Simon is used to going the whole stretch of the game as the libero, it's dangerous territory to play a season with only one libero, especially the way Sheffield likes to run his offense and defense. One minor or major injury that pulls Simon off the court would have the Badgers running the system without a libero.
Kelly Sheffield is opening the spring schedule with only one libero on the roster
Sheffield thought he had plenty of depth heading into this season with two other quality liberos behind Simon. However, both transferred in the offseason, and Sheffield didn't grab another out of the portal.
You have to assume that Sheffield will handle this before the real season starts in the fall, but it will be interesting if he has any other plans up his sleeves for sets without a libero on the court. It's hard to imagine another player on the team sliding into that position. There is no other player on the roster who has experience there. Could incoming freshman Isabelle Hoppe play it in a pinch? Who knows? These are the questions.
Hopefully, Simon stays healthy, and the spring schedule gives Wisconsin fans an opportunity to see all the new players. The Badgers had a very exciting recruiting class with some of the top high school players in the country committing and now on the roster for Sheffield. Featuring Audrey Flanagan, Isabelle Hoppe, Kymora Scott, Lynney Tarnow, and Halle Thompson.
Sheffield also added a couple of important transfers with Jaela Auguste and Eva Travis. Maybe most exciting of all is getting to see Grace Lopez on the court after she missed all of last season with an injury.
The most frustrating part of this opening match is that there's no livestream or way to watch. It's all behind closed doors in Milwaukee. Stay tuned for any updates that do come out.