Wisconsin volleyball's Sarah Franklin joins esteemed company with first-team All-American honor
TAMPA, FLA. – Sarah Franklin continues to place her name among the greatest in the history of the Wisconsin volleyball program.
The senior outside hitter became the fifth Badger named first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The team was released Wednesday and features three other UW players: Anna Smrek, Carter Booth and Devyn Robinson.
Franklin joins Lauren Carlini (2014, '15, '16), Sydney Hilley (2019, '20, '21), Sherisa Livingston (2000, '01) and Dana Rettke (2017, '18, '19, '20, '21) as first-team All-Americans for the program.
Wisconsin (30-3) faces defending national champion Texas (26-4) in a national semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner will meet the winner of the Pitt-Nebraska semifinal (first serve 6 p.m.) at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Franklin, the Big Ten and AVCA Northeast player of the year, leads the Badgers with 4.19 kills per set while recording 1.94 digs per set and hitting .305.
The honor adds to an especially special week for Franklin. A native of Lake Worth, Fla, she expect to have a lot of family and friends in attendance for the national semifinal.
“I'm very thankful that I can be put in that position,” Franklin said during the team’s interview session in at Amalie Arena in advance of the Final Four. “I think it's a team effort. I wouldn't be able to get that without the team.
“I think getting on to the next game is where my head's always at. There's still a lot of work to do. That's great, but there's still a lot of work to do. We have two big games ahead.”
Here is a look at the other players honored:
Anna Smrek, junior right-side hitter
This is the first AVCA honor for the 6-9 Canadian. The second-team selection enjoyed the best season of her college career. She is posting career bests in kills (273), kills per set (2.65), hitting percentage (.396), total blocks (119), blocks per set (1.16) and points (.337).
Carter Booth, sophomore middle blocker
This is the first AVCA honor for the 6-7 Booth. A third team selection, she ranks third in the nation with 1.60 blocks per set. She is also third in the nation with a .444 hitting percentage and averages 1.8 kills per set.
Devyn Robinson, senior right-side hitter
This is the third time Robinson, an honorable mention selection, has been honored. She was a third-team selection as a freshman and junior. This season she is averaging 2.48 kills while hitting .315.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball's Sarah Franklin named first-team All-American
