Minnesotan Sarah Wilhite Verbals the Badgers for 2013

Sarah Wilhite, an outside hitter for Northern Lights, has verbaled to the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball program. We've added her and middle Tori Blake to our projected rosters. Congrats to both.

Day One for Marquette Volleyball

Quick Phoenix Links

Ran across two items concerning Wisconsin-Green Bay volleyball this morning:

• Nice article on some former Green Bay area prep stars who are now with the Phoenix
• The team plans to share blogs by coaches and players this fall

Good luck to the Phoenix on their fast-approaching season.

New 2011 Verbal for Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball

Noticed this first on Volleytalk (via BadgerBill). Confirmed at Maverick club site. Have since added DS Demi Morales to Badgers prospective rosters. Congrats.

Future Badger an AAU All-American

We had listed the Wisconsinites who were named All Stars and All Americans at the recently completed AAU Championships in Orlando, but we should also mention that Class of 2013 Badger verbal Lauren Carlini of Sports Performance 16 Elite, an Illinois club, also earned All American honors in 16 Open. Congrats.

Singapore-Bound

Class of 2013 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball verbal Lauren Carlini is on the US Girls Youth National Team which will compete in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August. Best of luck from the Badger State.

Jeff Thomas Inducted into Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame

Jeff Thomas played left side for the UW-Oshkosh Titans from 2001-2006. And he's the newest member of the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame. Congrats.

For Sale: One Incredibly Historic Sport Court

You know you're going to submit a bid.

Projected Rosters Have Now Been Updated

Tonight, we tried to update our projected rosters for the Wisconsin Badgers, UW-Milwaukee Panthers, UW-Green Bay Phoenix and Marquette Golden Eagles.

They needed some serious attention. Please let us know where we've erred.

Today's big news, of course, appeared on the Sports Performance site, where Meghan Haggerty (Class of 2012) joined Courtney Thomas (Class of 2011) and Lauren Carlini (Class of 2013) as a Badger recruit from that storied program.

Coming Soon to a Division I University Near You

We know we could be doing a better job of covering our own state tournament, but when we happened to take a peek to the south this morning, we noticed that future Badger Annemarie Hickey was part of an incredible win last night in the Illinois high school tournament.

One question: Do they really only play three sets in the playoffs? Hmm, makes it sorta hard to have a five-set thriller, don't it?

What's So Special About 9/23 and 11/11?

On both dates, Wisconsin Badgers volleyball will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes, and you can watch all the action live on the Big Ten Network. Of course, you can also see the first of the two matches in person by showing up at the Fieldhouse. Let's get these seasons started already.

UW-Green Bay's Rochelle Meulemans Receives Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor from Horizon League

Here's the story on the Horizon League site. Here's the story on the Green Bay volleyball site. And here's the same story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette about Rochelle Meulemans (Wrightstown '05) receiving "the Horizon League's highest individual honor." Congrats.

A Report from A3

Brian Heffernan, assistant coach for Wisconsin Badgers volleyball, blogged about his recent work with the Girls A3 program in the Dells. Why not give it a read? It's also a good reminder that the 2009 High Performance Championships are just around the corner. Stay tuned.

Former Appleton Xavier Star Lizzie Machurick Joins Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball

A transfer from Kishwaukee College in Illinois, Lizzie Machurick (Appleton Xavier '08) joins the Badgers for the fall season. She'll have three years of eligibility with the Wisconsin volleyball team. Congrats.

Here a Recruit, There a Recruit (Plus Other News from Various Nationals)

OK, so we just updated the massive list two posts down with everything we think we know about what's going on. We've identified in bold any teams that will be playing in gold playoffs tomorrow, as well as final finishes where applicable. Please let us know where we've erred. Thanks.

Today in Louisville, two Badger volleyball recruits took center stage in the 17 Open and 18 Open JVDA finals. In 17 Open, Annemarie Hickey of First Alliance lost in a four-set final, while in 18 Open, Mary Ording of Munciana 18 Samurai won the championship in three. Congrats.

Franklin, Koehler, Bielski, Gonyo, Klingsporn and Henney to Headline at Summerfest Tomorrow

Hey, we don't make this stuff up. We strongly suggest you check out the Marquette volleyball site for complete details.

Pete Waite Has Been Around This Game So Long He Could Write a Book

And, well, that's just what the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team did. Congrats on the very recent publication of Aggressive Volleyball: Dictate the Pace, Determine the Outcome. (Is it just us or is that block gonna be just a little late?)

News from the Other 2009 Florida Nationals

Both Sky High 16 Black and Munciana 18 Samurai picked up national AAU titles in Orlando this past weekend. Whoa, did we just see you shrug your shoulders? Well, both of those non-Wisconsin clubs just so happen to feature a direct Badger volleyball connection: Ellen Chapman (Glenbrook South, IL '11) has verbaled to Wisconsin volleyball and Mary Ording (Cathedral, IN '09) has already signed with the Cardinal and White. Congrats to both (Mary Ording was also named an AAU All-American). You can see where each might fit into the Badger mix at our Wisconsin Badgers Projected Volleyball Rosters link.

Audrey Hepburn and Sideshow Bob?

We just wanna go on record that we are not the ones making those comparisons to the 2009 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team. If you go to this link, however, you'll find out who did. Funny stuff.

T.I.G.F.

No that's not a typo in the headline. It's the acronym for the Thembani International Guarantee Fund, which "offers a vehicle to invest in South Africa's democratic development."

So what does Thembani have to do with volleyball and Wisconsin? It's where one would find former Badger volleyball star Erin Byrd (1999-2002) these days as she completes her Master's degree internship in Pretoria, South Africa. Interesting stuff.