Wisconsin Badgers News: Volleyball splits Opening Spike Classic, new athletic facility named, more

Wisconsin Badgers volleyball opened its season this weekend, facing off against No. 14 Kansas and No. 5 Texas for the Opening Spike Classic, which the Badgers hosted within the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin treated fans to a five-set thriller in their opener against the Jayhawks on Saturday, which served as the official debut for many of the Badgers' offseason acquisitions.

Transfers Mimi Colyer (Oregon) and Alicia Andrew (Baylor) shined in their first regular-season match with Wisconsin.

Colyer, an outside hitter and 2024 AVCA Second Team All-American, led the Badgers with 26 kills and added 10 digs. Andrew, a middle blocker, posted a career-high 10 blocks and notched a kill on eight of 14 attempts.

The Badgers went down in straight sets to the Longhorns on Sunday.

Una Vajagic, a redshirt sophomore who has been held back by injuries, made her Badgers debut Saturday, and delivered a double-double in both matches. She tallied 10 kills and 14 digs against Texas.

Ohio State transfer and outside hitter Grace Egan logged her fourth career double-double in the loss

Wisconsin will play UC Davis on Thursday at the Field House.

Name of new athletic facility revealed

Wisconsin's $285 million new indoor practice facility finally has a name. The Kellner Family Athletic Center is named after Badgers alumni Ted (1969) and Mary (1968) Kellner and their family.

"The Kellner Family Athletic Center is a transformative investment in the success and well-being of our student-athletes," Athletic Director Chris McIntosh said in a press release. "Ted and Mary's lead gift has inspired hundreds of others to support the Building Champions campaign, with donors committing $90M toward our $100M fundraising goal.  We are thankful to every individual who is helping bring this program-changing facility to life."

Ted, a longtime supporter and donor to the university, was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020 as a special contributor. His father, Jack Kellner, was an All-American track and field star in the mid-1930s.

All 23 varsity sports will use the new facility which includes a 120-yard indoor turf field, a strength and conditioning center, 305 meter track, and much more.

The Kellner Family Athletic Center is scheduled to open in the Summer of 2026 and be fully complete in the Fall of 2027.

Women's Soccer slows up after historic start

The Badgers opened the 2025 season with four consecutive wins, a feat the program hadn't accomplished since 2008.

The hot start pushed them into the national rankings, holding the No. 21 spot ahead of Thursday's matchup against LSU in Baton Rouge.

The 2-2 Tigers held off a persistent Badgers attack before scoring a header in the 89th minute to break the 0-0 stalemate.

The goal proved to be the difference, handing Wisconsin its first loss of the season.

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