Breaking Down the Spring Season & B1G Picture

This spring was somewhat unprecedented in the sport of volleyball. With a myriad of legacy coaches announcing their retirement, and off-season scrimmages being streamed on mainstream networks – the game is certainly in an era of innovation. I watched all of the matches that were available to the general public, and here are my thoughts on the Big Ten scope next season.   

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Penn State vs. Pitt was the first exhibition of the season, and the Panthers beat the Nittany Lions in 5 sets – thanks to Olivia Babcock. Penn State was up 10-4 in the fifth before the National Player of the Year helped them storm back, willing Pitt to victory over the reigning National Champions. To be fair, there was a lot of turnover on both rosters – both teams had seniors and 5th year graduates that played an integral role on the team. Pittsburgh, who lost their libero and setter in Fairbanks and Klicka, has rebuilt with transfers and prior depth. Emery Dupes, out of Florida State, looked impressive at libero, Tautua’a was solid at setter, and Bayless held down the left side – but, you still got the sense that Dan Fisher wasn’t satisfied. He has picked up a few international outsides in the offseason, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went after some heavy arms in the portal to fill the void Stafford left.

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Although Penn State lost their main attackers in Mruzik, Hannah, and Trammel, the Lions picked up a promising potential in Emmi Sellman out of Ohio State, who lived up to expectations and carried a massive load of their attack. The Lions retained their solid passing and defensive core in Grimes and Nathan, and while National Freshman of the Year Izzy Stark runs an effective offense, she lacks terminal weapons on either pin – making it significantly less intimidating than last season. However, many of their offensive woes have been soothed by the recent commitment of National Player of the Year Candidate, Kennedy Martin. One of the main liabilities I noticed in the spring match was their lack of termination from the opposite team, and Martin will surely alleviate that issue. She also fills the role of main attacker that Sellman would otherwise be burdened by, able to clean up the trash on un-ideal sets as well as bringing a nasty serve. Honestly, her addition to the roster changes this teams energy completely and if I’m being honest – it worries me.

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Wisconsin held two exhibition matches at the Field House this spring, and they were one of the teams I was most intrigued to watch and analyze. Obviously, they graduated a senior class that seemed to be there forever – Smrek, Franklin, Robinson, Orzol, Crawford – the familiar faces we have grown to know and hate from across the net. It’s somewhat bittersweet to not see them on the court anymore, and I’m excited to see how the rivalry warps and adapts with the new generation. The Badgers only return two starters from last season; Fuerbringer and Booth, and their connection looked stronger than ever. At the outside, they brought in second-team All-American Mimi Colyer out of Oregon, whose  heavy arm and shot-selection are incredibly reminiscent of Franklin’s and will fill her role nicely. The second spot has been battled out between international recruit Vagajic and Ohio State transfer Grace Egan, but it’s rumored that Sheffield is looking for one in the portal.

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In regards to the rest of the positions, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Their former libero, Lola Schumacher announced she was entering the portal last week, but they bring in two impressive recruits in Aniya Warren and Kristen Simon. While Booth has her spot at middle locked down, they recently grabbed a transfer out of Baylor to fill the second position. Their biggest need, currently, is in the opposite position. They had gotten Grace Lopez out of the portal earlier this year, and she would be expected to take over the role, but an unfortunate ACL injury has left her sidelined for the year. In her place, Freshman Madison Quest has played in the spring games and was shockingly impressive – not only in her play, but demeanor. I thought she looked quite good for them at the right pin. 

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Many had assumed that Martin would land in Wisconsin, but I think Penn State makes a lot of sense with all of the cards laid out. Not only are they reigning National Champs, but now they hone (almost) all of the pieces necessary to run back that title. Martins’ commitment flips the script for a lot of people, who assumed it would finally be Nebraska’s season to take it all. I had written-off Penn State after this season, naively hoping that I would finally stop being tormented by opponent transfer players like Mruzik that took the sport by storm. It seems like an especially cruel twist of fate, and I can only hope that the laws of the universe level out and Nebraska is able to exact revenge. Conference play is going to be fierce this season, and both of the matches against Penn State are going to carry massive implications in the Big Ten battle and national picture.