The Wisconsin Badgers will have a lot of turnover for the 2026 season, but they’re still expecting to be one of the best teams in the country, led by junior setter Charlie Fuerbringer, who returns for her third season in Madison.
Earlier this month, the Badgers were ranked as the No. 2 team in the Big Ten preseason poll, slotting in only behind the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were a unanimous selection for the top spot. Rounding out the top five after Wisconsin were Penn State, Purdue, and Minnesota
to set the tone for a competitive Big Ten.
Wisconsin is coming off a season where they went 28-5, including 17-3 in conference play. They had an incredible run in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four before falling short to the Kentucky Wildcats, with star outside hitter Mimi Colyer and middle blocker Carter Booth leading the way.
Now, in 2026, the Badgers have a younger team with a star-studded freshman class. But they do still have two players who were nominated to the preseason All-Big Ten team: Fuerbringer and transfer Jaela Auguste.
There were 19 total players named to the preseason All-Big Ten team, with Nebraska and Purdue each having three selections. Wisconsin, Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, USC, and UCLA each had two selections each.
Wisconsin hosted its alumni game last week, with the alumnae picking up a 3-1 victory. A couple of Badgers were held out or limited for precautionary reasons due to injuries, and freshman Audrey Flanagan led the way with 17 kills, while transfer senior Eva Travis had 10.
Fuerbringer had a solid outing as well with 35 assists to go with eight digs, but the alumni had a nice performance led by outside hitters Mimi Colyer, Sarah Franklin, and Temi Thomas-Ailara.
Wisconsin next faces Butler in an exhibition match this Friday before the AVCA First Serve on August 21st, where the Badgers face Kentucky.
