3 Wisconsin volleyball players training with Olympic gold medalists (2024)

There are three University of Wisconsin volleyball players who are on the golden coast for USA Volleyball spring training camp this week.

National Player of the Year Sarah Franklin, middle blocker Carter Booth and opposite Devyn Robinson are among the 17 collegiate players training in Anaheim, California, through Friday with a scrimmage scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday. They also will get to train with a pair of Olympic gold medalists in outside Jordan Larson, who played at Nebraska, and setter Jordyn Poulter, who played at Illinois.

It is not the first experience for the Badgers with USA Volleyball. It's the fourth time Booth has represented the country, which included a gold medal with the 2019 Girls Under-18 National Team alongside Robinson and Caroline Crawford at the FIVB World Championships. Robinson joined the 2020 U.S. Collegiate National Team — Gold, and Franklin is making her second training appearance.

“It will be inspiring to watch these collegiate athletes and their development over the next few years, and to follow those who might work their way into the Women’s National Team program,” USA Volleyball coach Karch Kiraly said in a release.

The other 14 players include: Pittsburgh opposite Olivia Babco*ck; Baylor libero Lauren Briseno; Louisville middle Cara Cresse; UCLA middle Anna Dodson; Pittsburgh setter Rachel Fairbanks; Georgia middle Sophie Fischer; Florida State middle Khori Louis; Purdue outside Eva Hudson; Stanford setter Kami Miner; Penn State outside Jess Mruzik; Stanford libero Elena Oglivie; Texas opposite Reagan Rutherford; Louisville libero Elena Scott; and Texas outside Madisen Skinner.

The Badgers will return to Madison and prepare for the three-match spring season. Carly Anderson's transfer from Montana gives the Badgers the opportunity to play a spring schedule since they have a setter to run the offense with Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill moving on. Wisconsin also will have two freshmen setters join over the summer in All-American Charlie Fuerbringer and walk-on Morgan Van Wie.

All three hitters training with USA were named AVCA All-Americans in 2023. Franklin was a first-team selection, Booth was named to the third team and Robinson earned honorable mention. Returning right-side/middle Anna Smrek was a second team selection.

Booth was fourth nationally with 1.56 blocks per set last season and, alongside Crawford, who is returning for an additional season, the Badgers were the country's best blocking team (3.07). Also returning is Julia Orzol, who played last season at libero after her first two seasons at outside, and Gulce Guctekin, who was the libero as a freshman and at times last season but was primarily a defensive/serving specialist.

Alongside Fuerbringer and Van Wie as part of the incoming freshman class are defensive specialist/libero Lola Schumacher, middle Tosia Serafinowska, outside Trinity Shadd-Ceres and defensive specialist/libero Maile Chan.

The Badgers will get a rematch with Texas, which beat Wisconsin in a national semifinal before winning the national championship, when the teams meet in a showcase event Sept. 1-2 at Fiserv Forum. The event features Stanford and Minnesota and will feature two matches on Fox and two matches on FS1. The rest of the schedule has yet to be announced.