The Wisconsin Badgers had a mediocre season this year. Coming off an NCAA semi-final appearance in 2023, the side had an overall record of 26-7 and got knocked out by the Nebraska Huskers in the Elite Eight. The campaign had the blemish of being the one where Wisconsin suffered the most losses since 2019. This showed that the side that the Badgers had built after that seems to have run its course with the team, and they’re in desperate need of a new side.
However, it seems that the Badgers are not getting the best start to their process as some players are leaving their program. Three days back, it was Gulce Guctekin, the defensive specialist, who left the team in search of a better opportunity with the Tennessee Titans. The player herself announced this on her Instagram, saying that she’s excited to join the new program. Now, another player has followed her to the door. It was libero Saige Damrow who had spent two years with the team and had shown potential to be one of the team’s main players in the future.
The news was first reported by Lincoln Arneal from Huskers Illustrated on X. He said, “Saige Damrow will continue her college career at Creighton. During her two years at Wisconsin, she appeared in 21 matches and started five matches at Libero. She suffered an injury in 2023 and has three years of eligibility left. She averaged 2.24 digs per set as a sophomore.” While the player wasn’t important in this year’s team, she did have the potential to become a great player in the future who would have helped the Wisconsin Badgers rebuild their team.
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Saige Damrow will continue her college career at Creighton. During her two years at Wisconsin, she appeared in 21 matches and started five matches at libero. She suffered an injury in 2023 and has three years of eligibility left. She averaged 2.24 digs per set as a sophomore. pic.twitter.com/qezaBzIXSN
— Lincoln Arneal (@Lincoln_VB) December 28, 2024
But the player may have made quite an interesting decision by joining Creighton University. As the team is ranked quite behind the Wisconsin Badgers in the rankings, this would give her a better opportunity to break into the team and make a name for herself. The Wisconsin Badgers libero has shown that she’s capable of performing but can now probably show the world that she’s consistent too. Thus, let’s hope for the best for the player and the team.
But Wisconsin will have to show a much-improved performance in the NCAA next season to surprise their fans too. This is because the team ended their campaign on quite a not-so-good note.
How Wisconsin Badgers lost to Nebraska Huskers
Nebraska Huskers and Wisconsin Badgers are two of the fiercest rivals in the NCAA itself. Thus, it was always set to be a great game in the regional finals when they were to meet in the game. But the Badgers’ performance did not reflect the tough rivalry as the team immensely struggled to break the Huskers’ line-up, eventually leaving themselves completely lost in the match. Nebraska eventually won the game 3-0, giving Wisconsin an embarrassing defeat.
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Thus, they were eliminated from the NCAA in extremely tough circumstances, which showed that they needed to work more. What makes matters worse is the fact that the team faced Huskers twice before this and lost to them on both occasions too. Thus, having a rival who has such a strong advantage over you can be an embarrassing position that no team hopes to be in. Hopefully, the Wisconsin Badgers will work more on their skills with the new season coming up and will come out as a stronger team.
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Is the departure of Saige Damrow a sign of deeper issues within the Wisconsin Badgers' program?
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