As the University of Wisconsin Volleyball Team opened the 2023 season Friday, there are some new faces you’ll want to get to know.
A year after reaching the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, the Badgers loaded up on talented transfers and a lone freshman.
Here’s a breakdown of each newcomer and their potential impact on the 2023 season.
Temi Thomas-Ailara | Graduate Senior | Outside Hitter
Thomas-Ailara is not new to the Big Ten. Spending four years at Northwestern, she amassed quite the resume.
Last season, she was second in the Big Ten with 4.33 kills/set en route to a First Team All-Big Ten selection — her third straight year gaining that honor.
A dynamite offensive performer, Thomas-Ailara brings both experience and major hops to a lineup with plenty of heavy hitters.
With Julia Orzol and Sarah Franklin at outside hitter, there was plenty of punch on the outsides in 2022. But, head coach Kelly Sheffield pursued Thomas-Ailara hard, giving the team a fifth-year senior that can be a bonafide focal point of the offense.
In their first contest of the 2023 season, a 3-1 win over No. 15 Baylor, Sheffield moved Orzol to the libero position, leaving Thomas-Ailara and Franklin as the primary outside hitters. However, in their second match against TCU, Orzol was slotted back in at outside hitter.
This gives the Badgers a wealth of depth all along their offensive front.
The only thing missing from Thomas-Ailara’s resume is postseason success. She has yet to play in an NCAA Tournament game, but the Badgers are hoping her years of Big Ten experience will translate on the biggest stage as they eye another NCAA title run.
Carter Booth | Sophomore | Middle Blocker
What Booth lacks in experience, she makes up for in accolades.
In her freshman season with Minnesota, Booth notched a 2022 First Team Big Ten selection — one of only two freshmen to garner that honor last season.
She ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 1.48 blocks/set in 2022, right behind former Wisconsin middle blocker Danielle Hart. Booth has slid right into Hart’s role as a defensive stalwart up at the net.
At 6-foot-7, Booth creates a nightmare for opposing attackers, especially alongside 6-foot-9 Anna Smrek or the experienced and aforementioned Thomas-Ailara.
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With plenty of eligibility remaining, Booth will make a lasting impact on the Badger program if she stays put in Madison for the rest of her collegiate career.
Saige Damrow | Freshman | Libero/Defensive Specialist
Ranked as the No. 2 libero in her recruiting class, Damrow, a native of Howards Grove, Wisconsin, is hoping to find some time in the back row for the Badgers. The lone incoming freshman for the Badgers in this 2023 class, she looks to be a bit of a longshot to join the main rotation this early in her career.
Unfortunately, for Damrow, the backend of the Badgers defense is quite crowded. Between Orzol’s potential move to libero and the experienced backend trio of Gülce Güçtekin, Sydney Reed, and Joslyn Boyer, Damrow might not have too many opportunities, especially once the grueling Big Ten schedule commences.
An early appreciator of Sheffield and the Badger program, Damrow verbally committed to the team in April of 2019 when she was just 13 years old.
Her Howards Grove high school team won four consecutive WIAA Divison 3 State Championships and often competed against girls two years older than her in club volleyball. So, she’s hoping that that experience along with her high volleyball IQ ready to take the leap to Big Ten play.
Fortunately, for the Badgers, their depth allows her to slowly enter the Badger’s system and the raucous Big Ten atmospheres.
Where Will the Badgers Finish?
The 2023 version of the Wisconsin volleyball team surely gives Badger fans reasons to expect success once again under Sheffield.
The team lost a solid chunk of production with Danielle Hart’s graduation, but the replenishments from Booth and added offensive firepower with Thomas-Ailara leave the Badgers with more experience, roster flexibility, and depth. These are just some of the crucial characteristics of teams that expect to make a deep playoff run.
While the Badgers’ 2021 National Championship run was spearheaded by super seniors Dana Rettke and Sydney Hilley, there’s no denying that key contributions came from those relatively new to the program.
At the time, Orzol and Smrek were just freshmen, yet Orzol finished second behind Rettke for kills/set on the team, and Smrek dominated both the National Semifinal and National Championship with a combined 34 kills at a .564 hitting percentage and seven blocks in the title game.
With performances like that down the stretch from the likes of Thomas-Ailara and Booth, the Badgers could see themselves in a similar spot at the end of the 2023 season.
