Wisconsin volleyball poised for big year with Izzy Ashburn, MJ Hammill running show at setter

MADISON – The way MJ Hammill sees it, the less we notice her and Izzy Ashburn, the better.

“We’re more in the background,” she said. “If we don’t get noticed, we’re doing our job.”

The Wisconsin volleyball team is filled with headliners. Outside hitters Sarah Franklin and Temi Thomas-Ailara along with right-side hitter Devyn Robinson were All-Americans last season. In the middle, sophomore Carter Booth was one of 18 players invited to train with the U.S. National team USA in March and senior Caroline Crawford hit close to .400 in Big Ten play last season. Junior Julia Orzol was the team’s No. 3 point-getter last season. Junior Anna Smrek can dominate in the middle or right side.

That is a lot of talent. Someone has to get them the ball. There is where Hammill and Ashburn enter the picture.

The two are unsung yet accomplished pieces to the Badgers who helped the team win a Big Ten title and reach the regional final of the NCAA Tournament last season. Not bad for their first year running the team. In Year 2 they bring an added level of confidence and experience that could help make 2023 a special year for the Badgers.

“They work together really, really well,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They empower each other at a level that's special. I don't see one trying to sabotage the other or upend … They're interested in helping each other be better.”

Using two setters is rare for Wisconsin

Sheffield didn't use a two-setter system during his first nine seasons at UW, but as he looked at the team’s talent at outside and right-side hitter last season he felt the system utilized the team’s talent best.

It was hard to argue with the results. While going 28-4 overall and 19-1 in the Big Ten, UW ranked first in league play in points per set (18.44) and second in hitting percentage (.264) and assists (12.76).

The 5-11 Ashburn averaged 6.15 assists per set overall and 6.42 in Big Ten play. She starts the match and therefore gets more rotations than Hammill. Ashburn's quickness and range are strengths.

Hammill averaged 4.29 and 4.51, respectively. She is 6-2 and has great upper body strength, which allows her to handle difficult opportunities easier.

Combined, their assist averages of 10.44 overall and 10.93 in Big Ten play would rank second in the conference's individual stats.

“I know her better than anybody around here and in times of stress that comes in handy,” Ashburn said of Hammill. "That is something this team is really special with, knowing each other personally, their personalities, what they need in times of stress, what they need to be hyped up, when they play their best. I feel that is something me and MJ are good at finding in each other and helping each other find that in other people."

The pluses and minuses of playing a 6-2 offense

Much like quarterbacks, setters must process a lot of information quickly.

Before the serve, they’re scoping matchups. Is there an obvious mismatch that should be exploited?

Then it gets crazy. As a pass comes Hammill or Ashburn's way, their thoughts race. What kind of blocking system is the defense using? Are the opposing players shifting to a certain side of the floor? What is the middle blocker doing?

Their eyes are on the ball, but in the periphery they're seeing what the defense is doing, too.

“It’s all on a split second,” Hammill said. “That is why we try to implement game play and stress in our practices so that when we get to the floor in front of fans (we're ready)."

But before any of that happens, Hammill and Ashburn put in a lot of work behind the scenes, on the court and watching film to make their different playing styles as similar as possible.

“It takes a lot of reps together," Ashburn said. "Whereas a lot of setters can come in on their own a lot of times and work through things, a lot of setter work is me and MJ in here together looking at how the other person is setting, looking at what the other person is doing with different balls.”

The biggest benefit of the 6-2 offense is the ability to share information with each other. When one setter is in the game, the other is on the bench watching and offering suggestions as well as taking note of how the other is attacking the defense.

"Really it has to be a partnership," Hammill said. "We just have to be willing to elevate each other’s play all the time and have each other’s back."

Izzy Ashburn, MJ Hammill will serve as captains for second straight year

Each player brings an intangible quality that helped her get the votes to be a captain for the second straight season.

“Both of them have excelled at whatever role has been asked of them,” Sheffield said. “They’ve been great teammates. They hold each other and themselves accountable. They put the work in on and off the court. They’re the epitome of what we think a Badger volleyball player should be. They bring it every day.”

Ask Sheffield about Ashburn's leadership qualities and he notes her ability to communicate in a way that gives teammates confidence and keep them calm.

"She is probably the grittiest player I’ve ever played with and against," Hammill added. "She can make everyone else around her just go into the dog fight. It’s a really special quality."

When it came to Hammill, Sheffield noted her competitive spirit, ability to communicate and how she cares about the well being of her teammates.

"She’s very observant of what other teams are doing," Ashburn said. "She’s very prepared within that. I feel that is her specialty and that is what she has shared with me the most, just seeing the game, letting me know what she sees."

The two have been a winning combination so far. Their journey together resumes at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Minneapolis when the Badgers open the season against No. 15 Baylor.

Neither player shied away from the high expectations for this year's team, which enjoyed a competitive foreign tour in June and opened the season ranked second in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

"I would say knowing what we’re capable of makes us so ready to go...," Hammill said. "We got to train in the summer and go to Europe. You get to play other teams so much earlier than we did last year and it lights a fire in you. You see the potential early on so all you want to do is start and go."

More: Six questions facing Wisconsin volleyball as it begins the season

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball thrives with Ashburn, Hammill running show