The Wisconsin Badgers are advancing to the round of eight, aka the regional semifinals, to take on the No. 1 regional seed Texas Longhorns. The Badgers pulled off a 2-1 victory over the Stanford Cardinal in their closest battle of the NCAA Tournament. It was elite-level volleyball that prepared them for the next round.
The Badgers and the Longhorns already saw each other earlier this season; in fact, it was the third game of the season. Texas came out on top in a sweep of the Badgers. Charlie Fuerbringer, after the Stanford win, spoke with ESPN and vowed that this time, it'll be different. "We are just way more connected than we were at the beginning of the year," she said, and referenced a couple of the rallies and the ability to break Stanford's momentum that wouldn't have happened in the third game.
The Badgers have been lightning in a bottle since losing to Nebraska on Halloween. They've only lost three total sets: one to Minnesota, another to Northwestern, and then today's second set against Stanford. They are rolling and look to be one of the favorites to win it all outside of the No. 1 seeds (Pitt, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Texas).
Texas looks like one of the best teams in the tournament and Wisconsin has to find a way through
It will take tremendous effort to beat Texas and advance to the Final Four, but with seeing them earlier this year, there is familiarity. And, Fuerbringer is right, the Badgers are way different. If you look back at that box score against Texas, you'll notice some major differences between where they were and where they are.
For example, the best player for kills against Texas was Grace Egan with 16, and Mimi Colyer only had 14. Against Stanford, Mimi was unstoppable with 27 kills. The attack has changed as Fuerbringer has learned how to balance the attack with her teammates. The Badgers are much smoother in their slides and rotations, and Fuerbringer has found a way to get Colyer kills from everywhere on the court.
It's going to be a battle and their toughest challenge so far in the tournament, but the only way to the National Championship is through Texas.