UW's Sarah Franklin named Big Ten volleyball player of the year, Booth and Smrek first-team picks

MADISON – Sarah Franklin moved into the company of Dana Rettke and Lauren Carlini on Thursday.

The Wisconsin senior outside hitter was named the Big Ten volleyball player of the year in a vote of conference coaches after leading the Badgers to a second-place finish in the conference and a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The list of Badgers to receive the honor now climbs to six: Lisa Boyd (1990), Sherisa Livingston (2000), Lizzy Fitzgerald (2001), Carlini (2014) and Rettke (2021).

One of those players, Rettke, recently texted UW coach Kelly Sheffield about Franklin.

“She said, I’m playing against the best players in the world right now and I see almost nobody at our level, very few people doing what Sarah is doing right now,” Sheffield said Monday.

Sarah Franklin is the sixth UW player named Big Ten POY

Franklin was one of four UW players on the all-conference teams. Sophomore Carter Booth and junior Anna Smrek were first-team selections, and senior Devyn Robinson made the second team. Senior MJ Hammill was honored for sportsmanship.

What set Franklin apart was not only her efficiency as a hitter, but her shot making as well as her ability as a passer and defender.

The 6-foot-4 outside hitter ranked fifth in Big Ten play in kills per set (4.39) and fifth in average points per set (4.98). Her .330 hitting percentage in league play put her just outside the top 10 of the league leaders and is better than her overall hitting percentage (.308).

Franklin also started the Badgers’ offense as one of its leaders in serve receive. No Wisconsin player took more serves.

“She’s passing six rotations,” Sheffield said. “For three of those rotations she’s passing half the court and she’s seeing a ton of serves coming at her.

“Her blocking is getting better every week. She hits everywhere on the court, different depths, she’s got great vision of seeing where the defense is and then putting balls where they’re not. She is absolutely fearless.”

Rare condition threatened Sarah Franklin's career

The honor comes almost six months after Franklin was sidelined indefinitely with Quadrilateral Space Syndrome, a rare condition that caused blood clots in her right (swinging) arm and threatened her playing career.

Franklin returned in time for the start of the season, however, and has since put together a campaign that dwarfs her previous work. Heading into Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament first-round match with Jackson State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Franklin was averaging 4.17 kills per set and hitting .308 for the season. Her previous career highs were 3.96 kills as a sophomore at Michigan State (when she hit .224) and .230 last season.

“She has worked really hard on her game,” Sheffield said. “There’s just not too many people playing at the level and confidence that she is playing at, but all of that has come with a lot of work behind it.”

Nebraska swept the conference's other top awards: John Cook (coach of the year), junior Lexi Rodriguez (defense), freshman Bergen Reilly (setter) and Harper Murray (freshman).

Here is a look at the Badgers' other selections.

Carter Booth – The 6-7 middle blocker made the first team for the second straight season. Her .440 hitting percentage in league play was 0.039 better than second-best performer. She also led the league in blocks (1.65 per set) by more than two-tenths of a point.

Anna Smrek – The junior right-side hitter was recognized for the first time. She ranked third in league play with a .392 hitting percentage while posting the fifth-best blocks-per-set average (1.22).

Devyn Robinson – The senior right-side hitter ranked third on the team in Big Ten play in kills (2.37 per set) and fourth in blocks (0.88).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's Sarah Franklin named B1G volleyball player of the year