It's Christmas morning and Kelly Sheffield runs down the stairs to his Wisconsin volleyball tree. He sees only two presents and both are exactly what he's looking for! The things he's hoping for the most this next season and as he looks into the transfer portal. Sure, there are more things he wants than two, but these two might be the biggest.
You can also read what Luke Fickell and Greg Gard are hoping to unwrap for Christmas, too:
Related: 3 Christmas gifts Luke Fickell is hoping to unwrap this year
Related: Greg Gard is really just wishing for one thing this Christmas
1. Wisconsin volleyball needs another libero
Right now, Wisconsin volleyball only has one listed libero on the roster: Kristen Simon. The other two, Maile Chan and Aniya Warren, have transferred out. This puts the depth remarkably thin behind Simon, and while she has proven to be a tough player, Kelly Sheffield can't go into next season with only one libero. He had four this last season.
He will almost assuredly get one out of the portal, and he's for sure working on that as we speak, but he's probably hoping there's one ready to go on Christmas morning.
2. The true freshmen to be electric
Wisconsin will be young again this next season and yet a bit older all at the same time. Sheffield won't have to play any true freshmen if they aren't ready (like he did this year). But he's hoping they come in ready. It's the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, and he's bringing in four players listed in the top-10 in one ranking or another, and then one other player that Sheffield is very high on.
Halle Thompson (PrepVolleyball.com Rank: No. 2), Audrey Flanagan (Prepvolleyball.com No. 4), Lynney Tarnow (Prepdig.com Rank: No. 7), Isabelle Hoppe (Prepvolleyball.com No. 7), and an under-the-radar player named Kymora Scott that Kelly Sheffield is thrilled about.
So, he's going to use these star freshmen and he's hoping they are electric and ready to go as true freshmen, at least a couple of them.