10:35 pm CTShare this update

Wisconsin calls last timeout while in 11-7 deficit

John Steppe

Wisconsin has showed some more life lately, but the Badgers still are in a deep hole here. Kentucky has an 11-7 lead. The Wildcats are hitting .500 in the set while the Badgers are hitting .200.

10:31 pm CTShare this update

Kentucky goes on 7-1 scoring run as teams switch sides

John Steppe

Wisconsin is in quite the hole here, trailing 8-2 as the teams switch sides halfway through the fifth set. UK has five kills on five total attacks.

10:27 pm CTShare this update

Wisconsin falls into 4-1 deficit in fifth set

John Steppe

Kentucky has all the momentum here in the fifth set, jumping to a 4-1 lead with four straight points. Wisconsin has called a timeout. UW has a short runway for another resurgence like what it had in the fourth set against Texas.

10:22 pm CTShare this update

Wisconsin vs Kentucky stats comparison through four sets

John Steppe

• Hitting percentage: Wisconsin .382, Kentucky .231
• Kills: Wisconsin 67, Kentucky 54
• Attack errors: Wisconsin 15, Kentucky 20
• Service errors: Kentucky 8, Wisconsin 13
• Blocks: Wisconsin 10, Kentucky 7

The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team is in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after beating Creighton, and will face the Wisconsin Badgers tonight to move on to the championship match. Coach Craig Skinner’s squad is looking to win it all for the second time in school history.

Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson are the big hitters on the Wildcats roster, and are the last two SEC Players of the Year. They both have the ability to take over a match, and make life difficult for opposing defenses.

Lizzie Carr has also been terrific so far in this tournament run. She is a great defender, but can also use her 6’6″ frame to get kills from the middle. Kassie O’Brien is the one primarily setting up her teammates, and is one of the best freshmen in the country. Molly Tuozzo, meanwhile, is the heart of the team, and has had some huge digs in the postseason.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo women’s volleyball head coach Brian Wright announced the signings of Maddy Bach, Janelle Green and Ava Siefke to the program as transfers on Thursday. All three will join the Rockets in the Spring 2026 semester.

Bach comes to Toledo following a year at Memphis, Green heads to the Glass City from Cincinnati, while Siefke joins the Rockets after spending the past three seasons at Eastern Michigan.

“I’m extremely excited to add these amazing young women to our program,” said Wright. “Each are extremely competitive and highly talented players that will be ready to work hard and be great learners starting in January. Each of them instantly connected with our current team on their visits and fully believe in the program’s goals of striving for championships while giving their best to a team, university and city that supports women’s sports. I am excited for this city to get to know each of them. I’m confident if you get to know them, you will want to support them.”

The following is a look at the three transfer student-athletes:

Maddy Bach | Sophomore | 5-9 | Setter | Chesterfield, Mo. | Parkway West HS | Memphis

Bach appeared in all 31 matches throughout her freshman season at Memphis, totaling 681 assists and dishing out 6.61 assists/set. Bach set a career best with 58 assists against Chattanooga and totaled 164 total digs on the season. In high school, Bach was named a 2024 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and ACVA All-Region honoree, helped Parkway West to an NSHSAA Class 4 District 2 Championship in 2023 and set the school record for career assists with 2,939. She also won the 2022 GJNC National Championship with USA Volleyball and took second in the 2025 Florida Fest USAV National Qualifier.

Brian Wright on Bach: “Maddy is an extremely hard working and high achieving student-athlete. Her experience setting this past season plus her willingness to train hard this spring makes her future as a Rocket very exciting. I am looking forward to having her in Toledo and seeing her get straight to work with the rest of the team in January.”

Bach on Toledo: “I chose the University of Toledo because as soon as I went on campus it felt like home. I was impressed by the passion of the coaches and players. I love the great culture and strong support from the Toledo community. I am very excited to be part of such a special program.”

Janelle Green | Redshirt Sophomore | 5-10 | Setter | Leawood, Kan. | Blue Valley North HS | Cincinnati

Green saw action in 15 sets across eight matches throughout her time at Cincinnati, totaling 44 assists and 12 digs. Green fired off 12 assists in a win over Texas Tech (11/14/25) and two service aces against Wake Forest (8/29/25). While at Blue Valley North HS, Green was named a 2023 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and was a three-time All-State Tournament Team and All-Conference First Team selection. She was the No. 1 ranked setter out of Kansas and No. 11 nationally ranked by Prep Dig. Bach won the 2021 6A State Championship and was named a Prep Volleyball 2024 18U Club All-American.

Brian Wright on Green: “Janelle has both a highly competitive drive and desire to connect with others. Her upbringing and determination to be great at everything she does mixed with her ability to build strong connections with her teammates puts her in a spot to have major growth in the gym this spring and also make a big impact on the growth of those around her. I am so excited to get her in the gym and have her get started with the rest of this group in January.”

Green on Toledo: “I chose Toledo because my goals and visions aligned with those of the coaches and the program. The girls on the team were very welcoming, and I felt like it was the perfect fit for me. It’s exciting to see how the city rallies around volleyball, and I can’t wait to see how much more it grows over the next few years. This is a special place, and I am excited to be a part of it!”

Ava Siefke | Senior | 6-1 | Outside Hitter | Cincinnati, Ohio | Saint Ursula Academy | Eastern Michigan

Siefke has appeared in 324 sets across 91 matches at Eastern Michigan, totaling 774 kills, 715 digs, 129 total blocks and 79 service aces. The Cincinnati, Ohio native led the Eagles on offense during the 2025 season and ranked third in the MAC, averaging 3.28 kills/set. Siefke tallied 23 matches with double-figure kills and set a career high with 22 terminations against Bowling Green (10/3/25). She chipped in 2.65 digs/set and led the team with 35 service aces (0.29 aces/set). During her time at Saint Ursula Academy, she was a Girls Greater Catholic League (GGCL) Second Team honoree and earned all-district third team accolades. She was also the runner-up in the 17-American at USA Nationals in 2021.

Brian Wright on Siefke: “From the moment I met Ava, I knew she fit with everything we stand for on and off the court. On the volleyball side, having played the past 3 seasons in the MAC, she brings the experience and leadership of what it takes every single day to be great. Her growth from each season to the next shows that she is a great learner. We are excited to help her continue that growth and have the best possible end to her career.”

Siefke on Toledo: “I really like the culture and how Coach Brian was talking about the program. He has big plans for the program and wants to see his team succeed at the highest level possible. People in Toledo really care about women’s sports and that is something super special about the university.”

 

CASPER, Wyo. –– Emma Hager is not a fan of public speaking. The Kelly Walsh High School senior held a ceremony on Wednesday to announce her signing with Black Hills State University, where she will compete in both volleyball and track and field. After signing her ceremonial letter of commitment, Hager took questions from media, and she laughed nervously throughout the entire Q&A session.

Luckily, she was not alone. The room at KW was full of friends, family and fellow athletes — all of whom gathered to show their support for her.

When asked what it meant to her to see such a large crowd, all gathered to support her, she said that “It’s great. It’s kind of scary, but it’s great.” The crowd laughed with her as she spoke about her decision to sign with Black Hills State, what she was most looking forward to in the coming years, and more.

Hager, a 6-foot-0 athlete who will graduate in 2026, is planning to major in Exercise Science at BHS, with the goal of eventually going to graduate school and becoming a physical therapist.

She stated that she was just “looking for something new” with her college decision, which is exactly what she will get at Black Hills State.

She said that it was the coaches at Black Hills State that first drew her interest, and she’s looking forward to being a part of the team as a freshman. She said she met a few of the team’s current players and she felt a good kind of chemistry with them.

Hager, who was there with her entire family, said another big reason why she chose Black Hills State was because it was still within driving distance of her home.

She also spoke about being a dual-athlete at BSU, noting that volleyball was her first love but that she’s just as enthralled with track and field.

“I’ve always loved volleyball,” she said, “ever since I first started playing. And track — I didn’t want to like, give it up after only doing it for a year. I wanted to keep doing both of those.”

So she will. Hager competes in long jump and said that her longest jump was 5 feet, 5 inches. Though track and field is her new passion, volleyball will always hold a special place in her heart. She said that she started playing volleyball in fourth grade and acknowledged that it will always remain her first love.

Hager said her teammates are her favorite part of playing volleyball.

“I really enjoyed playing with them this year,” she said. “I feel like I was able to build some really good relationships with them. I was able to build much closer relationships with the girls on my team than I have in any of the other years. So that was really awesome.”

Many of those friends were at her signing, an, after she signed the letter of commitment, a handful of friends and family members gathered to take pictures with the star athlete.

Hager answered a few more questions, smiling and giggling the whole time. When she was asked what message, if any, she would give to all of her supporters, she took a minute to think and then “phoned a friend.”

“Abby,” she pleaded with one of her nearby friends. “If I could tell everyone one thing, what would it be?”

“What would you tell us?” Abby responded.

“Yeehaw,” Hager said with a smile. “I love you all.”

Photos from the signing ceremony can be seen below:

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The most successful season in Texas A&M volleyball history continues following the No. 3-seed Aggies’ sweep of No. 1-seed Pitt, 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-20), in Thursday’s NCAA Championship semifinal match inside the T-Mobile Center.
The Aggies became just the third No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament history to dispatch of two No. 1 seeds joining UCLA in 2011 and Nebraska in 2021.

A&M will face either Wisconsin or Kentucky in Sunday’s national championship match (2:30 p.m., ABC).

More to come.