The Badgers are advancing to the round of eight in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off Stanford Friday night. Of course stars Mimi Colyer, who finished with 27 kills, and Charlie Fuerbringer, who set a career-high 61 assists, stuffed the stat sheet, but Fuerbringer called out an unheralded hero in the match.
Una Vajagic, a redshirt sophomore from Serbia, hasn't always been in the spotlight for Wisconsin, but her teammates still recognize her as one of the best players in the country. Fuerbringer made sure to specifically call her out after the win, emphasizing that Vajagic deserves more credit.
"Una is literally the most underrated player in the whole NCAA," said Fuerbringer. "She hit .444 and had 13 kills tonight, and she passes dimes. When Una passes, I think we hit over .500 every time. I just don't think she's talked about enough, and the amount she does for our team is huge."
Badgers use team effort to make 8th straight regional finals in NCAA Tourney
It was the first time in Wisconsin history that the Badgers beat the Cardinal, and it couldn't have come at a better time. They were 0-6 entering the match, but left win their biggest win of the season thanks to a collective effort.
Colyer led with 27 kills, while Carter Booth added a season-best 14. The Badgers also got a boost in the third set from freshman Natalie Wardlow, who had a career-high four aces on the night. Meanwhile, head coach Kelly Sheffield touted the match as Final Four worthy.
"It was just two teams that were just battling like crazy," said Sheffield. "The level of talent out there on the court and the level of play out there, that easily could have been a Final Four match. It's unusual to see that high level and back-and-forth in the Sweet 16."
The Badgers will now take on No. 1 Texas in the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday, Dec. 14.