Kelly Sheffield is forced to look into the portal after big injury to Grace Lopez

Wisconsin's volleyball head coach, Kelly Sheffield, spoke on the Joncast Podcast the other day about all sorts of things. One of the things he mentioned that sticks out is his plans for Wisconsin volleyball after Grace Lopez's major injury. He said he's going to have to go back into the transfer portal to find another impact player. However, it's a bit more complicated than it sounds.

Kelly Sheffield is going to add another player from the transfer portal for Wisconsin volleyball

Grace Lopez was a star transfer portal addition from the University of Miami this offseason for the Wisconsin Badgers. Lopez was expected to be one of the top players for the Badgers this next season and a significant piece to their rotation. She comes in very accomplished, and her bio on the Wisconsin website reads like an all-star report.

"Grace Lopez will come to the Badgers after earning back-to-back AVCA All-American Honorable Mention recognitions. The two-time All-ACC First Teamer played in all 33 matches, helping the Miami Hurricanes to a 22-11, 12-8 (ACC) record in 2024. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter was second on the team with an average of 3.54 kills per set, while hitting .255 (421-151-1058)."

Wisconsin Athletics

The complicated part of this whole situation is that you can't simply just replace a Grace Lopez. She's unique in both how she plays and the rotational ability she provides to the Wisconsin lineup. In fact, the way that Sheffield talks about replacing her, it's almost like he's looking for two different players.

The other piece that makes it complex is that the fall transfer period is done. Sheffield will have to wait until the spring portal period, which is an open window from May 1st to May 15th. There are still players left in the portal from the fall period that Sheffield could grab, but he may be looking to see if others jump in next month.