Matches with Wisconsin archrival moved off holiday weekend (2024)

University of Wisconsin volleyball fans won’t have to cut short their Black Friday shopping ventures this year.

For the past three years the Badgers and archrival Nebraska have met on Black Friday with epic matches attracting record television audiences. But this year the Badgers will have an extra day to digest their Thanksgiving meals as they have the day off, according to the full 29-match schedule announced Wednesday.

The Badgers will play host to the Cornhuskers on Nov. 1 and then travel to Lincoln for a rematch on Nov. 23.

Nebraska is one of three teams the Badgers will play twice in the new Big Ten schedule format resulting from the addition of UCLA, Southern Cal, Washington and Oregon to the conference. Wisconsin also will play Minnesota and Northwestern in home-and-home matches.

The Badgers will open Big Ten play at Minnesota on Sept. 25, the start of a three-match road streak to begin conference action.

That will be followed by four consecutive home matches, including contests against Washington and Oregon.

Wisconsin will travel to USC and UCLA for matches on Nov. 14 and 16, respectively.

The Badgers are coming off a 30-4 season in which they finished second to Nebraska with a 17-3 conference record. They advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in five years, falling to eventual champion Texas in the semifinals.

The Badgers return the core of that team, led by outside hitter Sarah Franklin, the AVCA National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year in 2023. Other major players back are middle blockers Carter Booth and Caroline Crawford; right sides Devyn Robinson and Anna Smrek; outside hitter/libero Julia Orzol and defensive specialist Gulce Guctekin. They will be joined by a six-player freshman class led by setter Charlie Fuerbringer.

The nonconference portion of the schedule was previously released. The Badgers open Aug. 27 at Louisville in the AVCA First Serve Showcase season tipoff event at the KFC Yum! Center, which also is the site of this year’s Final Four. Kentucky and Nebraska also will meet in the event.

The Badgers will play four nonconference matches at home, facing Milwaukee on Sept. 10, Marquette on Sept. 17, Troy on Sept. 20 and Texas A&M on Sept. 21.