The early surprise this season is true freshman Audrey Flanagan. While Badger fans knew she was coming in as a top-ranked recruit, she's lived up to the billing and then some. The young hitter hasn't had a soft landing either, going up against the top-ranked volleyball programs in college. Those programs have worked to expose her and push her numbers down, but she's unfazed and continues to excel in a variety of ways.
Kelly Sheffield said that it's not just the offense that Wisconsin fans should be paying attention to; she's elite in other ways. He lists three ways she's helping the Badgers. These are important needs for the Badgers, and if anything, Sheffield knows that his workload in the system is asking a lot of a true freshman, and he's hoping it doesn't wear her down.
"She's doing a lot for us right now." Sheffield said, "Can she keep the juice for the entire season? A lot of times, people who are having that kind of load early on get worn down; you hope that's not the case."
3 ways Aubrey Flanagan is helping the Wisconsin Badgers so far this season
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1. Attacking
The most obvious is the hitting. The attacks that she brings to the table have helped Wisconsin score points, and she's doing it against the best of the best. Sheffield is curious about how teams will adjust to her now that there is film on her attacking ability: "That's the challenge when you get more film."
However, he isn't worried as he knows that she will also do her own adjustments, and "She and others will continue to climb" as the season goes on.
2. Passing
"I think statistically, she might be our best passer, which is ridiculous." Sheffield said, "There's a consistency with the way she's handling the ball." Flanagan's ability to serve-receive and get the ball to Charlie Fuerbringer for the set has often been the gasoline in the engine for this offense. Sheffield is most impressed with this for Flanagan.
When he said it's ridiculous that she's statistically the best passer on the team right now, it's because the team is full of good passers. So, for the true freshman to be the most consistent and reliable passer is incredibly impressive.
3. Serving
"Statistically, she might be our first or second-best server," Sheffield said. This ability to get points from the service line, or at least get the opponent's defense on its toes, is incredible. She's had eight aces this season with only four service errors.
Flanagan is a marvel and her potential is sky-high. She still has a lot of freshman errors and mistakes as she learns to play at this high a level, but those are already being worked out. Having to take on the top programs in the country will force anybody to make errors. Yet, she's adjusting, growing, and by the end of the season, she will be listed among the best hitters in college volleyball.
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