The early surprise this season is true freshman Audrey Flanagan. While Badger fans knew she was coming in as a top-ranked recruit, she’s lived up to the billing and then some. The young hitter hasn’t had a soft landing either, going up against the top-ranked volleyball programs in college. Those programs have worked to expose her and push her numbers down, but she’s unfazed and continues to excel in a variety of ways.
Kelly Sheffield said that it’s not just the offense that Wisconsin fans should be paying attention to; she’s elite in other ways. He lists three ways she’s helping the Badgers. These are important needs for the Badgers, and if anything, Sheffield knows that his workload in the system is asking a lot of a true freshman, and he’s hoping it doesn’t wear her down.
“She’s doing a lot for us right now.” Sheffield said, “Can she keep the juice for the entire season? A lot of times, people who are having that kind of load early on get worn down; you hope that’s not the case.”
3 ways Aubrey Flanagan is helping the Wisconsin Badgers so far this season
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1. Attacking
The most obvious is the hitting. The attacks that she brings to the table have helped Wisconsin score points, and she’s doing it against the best of the best. Sheffield is curious about how teams will adjust to her now that there is film on her attacking ability: “That’s the challenge when you get more film.”…