The Badgers have a familiar foe on the docket to open 2026.
The Wisconsin Badgers haven’t shied away from playing top competition to start the season, and that won’t change in 2026. The Badgers will be a part of the AVCA’s First Serve to kick off the 2026 season, which will be hosted nearby at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
In the opening matchup, Wisconsin faces a very familiar foe: the Kentucky Wildcats, who knocked the Badgers out of the Final Four last month. That will take place on Friday, August 21st, while the Badgers will take on the Louisville Cardinals the day after.
Wisconsin is returning a number of key pieces, but will lose star Mimi Colyer and surprise transfer Una Vajagic. They have a top high school class coming in with four top-10 recruits in the nation, including No. 1 recruit Audrey Flanagan, and brought in Florida transfer middle blocker Jaela Auguste and UC Santa Barbara transfer outside hitter Eva Travis.
The First Serve event will host eight of the top 12 teams from this past season, including each Final Four team: Texas A&M, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Pitt. The other four top-12 ranked teams include Arizona State, Louisville, SMU, and Texas.
Wisconsin had an impressive season, finishing 28-5, which earned them a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They made an incredible run, upsetting No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas 3-1 to reach the Final Four, where they were narrowly beaten by Kentucky.
Now, it’s time for the rematch to start the 2026 season.
Category: General Sports
