The Wisconsin Badgers had an amazing run in the NCAA Tournament, but that came to an end on Thursday, as they fell just short in a 3-2 loss to the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA National Semifinals.
It was a match where the Badgers were in control early, taking the first set 25-12, and led 2-1 after three sets. But, despite out-hitting the Wildcats and recording more kills in four of the five sets, Wisconsin lost the final two sets 26-24 and 15-13 to seal their fate as Kentucky advanced to the National Championship.
It capped an incredible run for the Badgers that included wins over Stanford and Texas in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8, exceeding expectations before their defeat on Thursday.
After the game, head coach Kelly Sheffield was very proud of his team’s effort, speaking to the leadership efforts from his stars and the resilience they showed throughout the game. While the season didn’t end in a championship, Sheffield acknowledged that this was one of his best seasons ever.
“At some point, we will dive into this very, very deeply,” Sheffield said about the loss. “Man, we lost a lot of players last year, and we brought in a lot of new ones. Either freshmen who were coming in or people that transferred in and you had other people that stepped up. Charlie [Fuerbringer], as a different level of leader, certainly Carter [Booth] is a different level of leader. And you just built a team. You just build and build and build and go through that entire process. I do not look at this as a failure.
“This is one of the most successful seasons that I’ve ever been a part of. Yeah, you can hurt, but also be proud. Both of those things are together. So, yeah, us losing 15-13 [in] the fifth, is not. What do you got to do to get over the hump? That is just nowhere near where my mind is. Could we have gotten a couple more points? Absolutely. This team came pretty darn close to maxing out. At the end of the day, that’s what you’re looking for. You want your team, you want your players to max out. Our seniors had a heck of a match. Our younger kids played with courage. They learned what courage was, and this team came together and grew. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Sheffield has enjoyed quite a career at Wisconsin, going 348-73 with several trips to the National Semifinals, including the Badgers’ national championship in 2021. So, it speaks volumes about his praise for this team that got hot at the right moment and gave fans some more memories with a new group.
