On November 14 this year, the Wisconsin women’s volleyball team entered the iconic Galen Center to face the home team. However, the stats had been on the Badgers’ side. Yet it was their away match and the arena was buzzing with anticipation, fully draped in USC’s color. The energy in the rival camp was high. But did it bother the guests? No. Rather, in front of 3,056 fans in the gallery, Kelly Sheffield’s mentees, especially Sarah Franklin, set something unbelievable. 

In the game, the Badgers took just 81 minutes to silence the crowd. The valiant approach handed USC a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-12) defeat. And guess who took the responsibility of disrupting the host’s game in the arena? The 6’4” senior Sarah Franklin. The outside hitter made USC taste the bitter pill in one of the shortest games in college volleyball history. But this is what she does best and has been doing for years. Want examples? Here are her few achievements!

Sarah Franklin shines brighter in her new role

On that Thursday night against USC, Sarah Franklin put on a show in Galen Center. She entered the game as the reigning Big Ten player of the week and justified every bit of it. She hit her season-high .632 with 13 kills. The numbers were staggering. But there were more. She scored 19 swings and only one hitting error. But don’t lose your sweat; Sarah Franklin has a few more huge numbers. The Florida native started this season being the skipper of the Badgers. And look how she has been carrying that responsibility! 

In Badgers’ 26 matches this season, Sarah Franklin has played all the games. Among those 26 matches, she has scored double-digit kills in 24 matches. Not only that, against Marquette University, Sarah had 33 kills, the program record for having a season-high number of kills. She had to jog in the arena during that match. Reason? Sarah marked that score while suffering from excruciating back pain. However, she never let the pain claw at her performance and eventually completed her 1,500 career kill. Last season, her fireworks remained almost the same. 

In 2023, Sarah Franklin appeared in 33 out of 34 games. Again, her leadership role came in handy as she scored 4.15 kills per set. She extended the magic in 28 games where she had double-figure kills. And in her story, Marquette came. How? Against the lineup, she reached her 1,000th career kill. Have you spotted the coincidence? However, in 2022 as well, she breathed fire in a much similar way. 

Again, Sarah started as a vital cog in the lineup in 2022 and scored 3.51 kills per set. She had three matches with 20-plus kills and 20 matches with double-digit ones. Her teammates have witnessed those valiant efforts every time. A few of them have acknowledged it as well. One such came from Carter Booth, the middle blocker. Expressing her satisfaction with her teammate’s performance, she ultimately said, “She’s sort of like our motor. She helps to make our system lethal, and that’s something that’s irreplaceable.” However, in 2020 and 2021, Franklin played for Michigan, showing the initial signs of her success. But what accomplishments has she achieved till now? 

Sara Franklin wins milestones while reigning over the college volleyball

On November 12 this year, Sarah Franklin was featured in the Big Ten volleyball’s weekly list as the co-player. However, she clarified her mindset in the meantime. In an interaction with Big Ten Volleyball, she said, “I was like, I’m going to make this season freaking count!” She is already flying, aiming for her goal. But last year as well, she had no off day in the office. Last year, Sara Franklin had the laurels for her remarkable performances. Those are the following:

• 2023 AVCA National Player of the Year 
• 2023 AVCA First-Team All-American
• 2023 AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year
• 2023 Big Ten Player of the Year 
• 2023 First-Team All-Big Ten
• AVCA National Player of the Week: Nov. 28, 2023
• 2023 NCAA Regional All-Tournament MVP
• Big Ten Player of the Week: Oct. 17, 2022, Oct. 16, 2023, Oct. 30, 2023, Nov. 27, 2023

But the 22-year-old marked these accomplishments while facing two career-threatening injuries. The first blow came in her forearm and the second one followed in her ankle. 

Sarah Franklin’s stint in the USA Volleyball 

Apart from college volleyball leagues, Sarah Franklin has had her moments for USA volleyball as well. She played a dominant role while playing for the national team in the Dominican Republic this year. It was her first appearance for the national team. Riding on her 33 kills, four blocks, two aces, and a 54% attack percentage, the squad earned silver in the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six. 

The major issues in fitness scared the squad 

In 2023, no one could believe that Frank the Tank would have to face something difficult in fitness. The lanky player had always been consistent and much more likely to take the workload. But the continuous pain in her arm caused her to go to the scan table. Meanwhile, the scan revealed three minor blood clots in her right forearm, all of which were caused by a larger blood clot elsewhere in her body and required surgery. That helped explain why her palm was white, chilly, and clammy during sessions, and why every slam of the ball hurt.

After talking with experts, she discovered there were two causes: thoracic outlet syndrome and the far rarer quadrilateral space syndrome. Thoracic outlet syndrome, a collection of disorders characterized by compression of blood vessels and nerves between the neck and shoulder, was regarded as the more dangerous of the two. Quadrilateral space syndrome, or compression of the nerve and artery in the shoulder, had a considerably quicker healing time.

The weight of the issues can be realized through a few lines shared by Sarah Franklin last year. In the interaction, she said, “I was told before surgery, if it was thoracic, if your artery is pinched too much, you won’t be able to play because you’ll be at more risk for blood clots.” However, a 5.5-hour surgery saved the day for her. But the lightning struck her second time this year in July while playing for the national team in the Dominican Republic. The injury resulted in a sprained ankle with a minor fracture. However, she regained her health under the supervision of the physicians at the University of Wisconsin. 

Currently, Sarah Franklin is in her fifth year. She has a few more months left to finish her COVID-extended year in the camp. However, the phenom counts her inclusion in the team as the Badger has been her highest prize. For her, the link with volleyball has always been there because of her mother, who once played for Virginia in her collegiate years. But for Sarah, Wisconsin has always been her top choice. Reason? She narrated, “I chose the University of Wisconsin because of the high drive of the team culture to be the best we can be everyday.” Now, here she is, winning the milestones for her dream team!