UW hosts celebration as National Champion Badgers return home

Kyle Jones,
Posted:
Updated:
by Kyle Jones
Badgers Celebrate

MADISON, Wis. – Badger Volleyball captured the first National Championship in program history on Saturday. Now, fans got their chance to party with the team.

RELATED: Badger Volleyball takes down Nebraska, wins first national championship

A Welcome Home Celebration was Sunday at the UW Field House starting at 5:30 p.m.

Gates B and C opened at 4:30 p.m., and admission was free.

The Badgers left it all on the court Saturday, taking down Nebraska in five sets.

The championship was also a first for head coach Kelly Sheffield. His first head coaching job was with Albany in 2001, and he took over at Wisconsin in 2013 following four straight conference championships with Dayton.

The third time was indeed the charm for Wisconsin. The team had made the Final Four every year since 2019 but fell just short the last two years.

The Badgers become the third Big Ten program to win the NCAA Tournament since its inception in 1981, joining Penn State and Nebraska. They are the twelfth program to win the title nationwide.

Six of the twelve programs that have won the title won it again in the following season.

Saturday’s win served as a bit of payback 21 years in the making. In 2000, it was Nebraska who beat Wisconsin in five sets to capture the National Championship. That was the second national title in the Huskers’ program history.

Badger Volleyball is the ninth UW program to win an NCAA National Championship. The team is the third women’s program to do so, joining cross country and ice hockey.

Saturday’s win marked the 31st NCAA National Championship in UW history across all sports. It was the ninth won by a women’s team.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

MORE BADGERS VIDEOS

Submit a tip or story idea // Report a typo or error