The highly anticipated Wisconsin Badgers volleyball 2023 non-conference schedule has been released. At first glance, Wisconsin has a tough and grueling schedule. Of the nine non-conference opponents, four teams finished the season ranked in the top 25. The good news for this years Badgers’ team is that their non-conference travel is quite limited. But, a new season with new players brings on new challenges but the quest for another championship remains the same.
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Wisconsin vs. UIC @ UW Field House
The Badgers get to kick off their season in front of the home crowd. The UIC Flames will make the trip from Chicago and play an early afternoon game. The Flames play in the Horizon League and will be a great first match for the Badgers to build confidence and get out the early season jitters.
Big10/Big 12 Challenge @ Minneapolis, Minnesota
Wisconsin vs. Baylor
These two teams played last season during the Big10/Big12 Challenge. Baylor emerged victorious 3-2 and handed the Badgers one of their four losses on the season. In the final rankings of the 2022 season, Baylor finished as the 15th ranked team. This early test will not only bode well for the team to see how they stack up against tough competition but prepare them for the challenging conference battles they are sure to face.
Wisconsin vs. TCU
These two teams also played last season during the Big10/Big12 Challenge. The Badgers swept the Horned Frogs and will look to do so again. The Horned Frogs have a team consisting of primarily upperclassman. While the back to back may be challenging it’s nothing a top 5 ranked team can’t handle.
Wisconsin @ Arkansas
The Badgers will travel to Arkansas to play a two game series in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks finished 2022 with a 21-9 record and snuck into the top 25 for the final rankings of the season. Arkansas has a fairly young team with only two seniors and two graduates. One of those graduates is outside hitter Maggie Cartwright who is a native of Wisconsin. The Kimberly graduate will cherish a game against a team she likely grew up rooting for.
Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
The Badgers will return home to play the Volunteers. The Volunteers have a mixture of upper and underclassman and will look to improve upon their 2022 season where they went 17-14.
Wisconsin vs. Arizona
The Badgers will remain at home and take on the Wildcats. Much like the Tennessee Volunteers, Arizona had a little better than a .500 record in 2022. This game against Arizona begins a tough back to back to back stretch. Coming away 3-0 during this stretch will be an impressive feat.
Wisconsin vs. Miami
The Badgers welcome the Hurricanes to Madison for a two game series. In 2022, Miami went 19-11 but played well on the road. Looking over the Hurricanes roster, they don’t have a lot of height. Teams without height will struggle to block Wisconsin hitters like Smrek (6’9″) and Booth (6’4″) who will be able to hit over those blocks.
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Wisconsin @ Marquette – Fiserv Forum
The Badgers will travel to in-state rival Marquette and play at Fiserv Forum. It was released last fall that these two teams would play at the NBA arena. What better location to play a match with two Top 25 teams in the country than at Fiserv Forum? The two teams will square off on September 13th. This will be the first Division I volleyball match played at Fiserv Forum.
Wisconsin and Florida’s regular season attendance record is 16,833. It would be hard to image that number won’t be topped with Fiserv Forum holding a minimum of 17,385. However, this number will be irrelevant by the time these two teams play as Nebraska has recently announced that they will play Nebraska-Omaha in Memorial Stadium with a capacity of over 80,000.
The Badger women have had Marquette’s number recently. During the regular season, Wisconsin won the match 3-1. These two teams also squared off in a spring game that saw Wisconsin sweep Marquette. This matchup will certainly be one for the ages regardless of how many games it goes.
Wisconsin @ Florida
The Badgers will round out their non-conference schedule against a strong Gators team. Last season, Florida handed one of Wisconsin’s four losses in a tough match that saw the Gators winning 3-2. Wisconsin will look to avenge that loss and build momentum moving into conference play. It will won’t be easy as Florida ended the final rankings as the number 12 team in the country and secured a 25-6 record.
Stay tuned for when the conference schedule is released. The Badgers have two players who transferred to the program from conference teams.
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