At the end of their season in December, the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team bid farewell to six excellent players who were core components of their success, including 2024 Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin.
With Franklin and several of her teammates leaving the team, head coach Kelly Sheffield turned to the transfer portal and signed three new players.
Mimi Colyer
Senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer, a transfer from Oregon, is Sheffield’s biggest and most decorated pick-up. Colyer is one of the top outside hitters in the country and boasts honors such as 2022 AVCA National Freshman of the Year, 2024 AVCA Northwest Region Player of the Year and three-time AVCA All-American. During the 2024 season, she earned 4.73 points per set and had double-digit kills in 28 of Oregon’s 32 matches.
Colyer made the decision to leave Oregon following a coaching change and selected Wisconsin for her senior season. Sheffield reached out to her, and she quickly accepted his offer to join the team because of its competitive culture and success on the court.
“The drive that this program has and the high expectations they set for themselves is something I’ve always tried to incorporate into my volleyball career and the expectations I hold for myself,” Colyer said.
Grace Egan
Sheffield also signed outside hitter Grace Egan, who previously spent two seasons at Ohio State. Due to injuries that cut her 2023 season short, she has three years of eligibility remaining. Egan played all six rotations and contributed an average of 2.53 kills per set and 0.46 blocks per set in 2024. She played her best match against the Badgers on Nov. 27, when she earned a career-best 22 kills.
“We saw first-hand [Egan’s] skill and competitive drive when we played against her in our last weekend of the regular season. She can get on the ball fast and has good touch on the ball when she passes,” Sheffield said.
Grace Lopez
Finally, the Badgers added sophomore right-side hitter Grace Lopez, who joins the team from the University of Miami. Lopez is a two-time AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and All-ACC First Teamer. At Miami in 2024, she played in every match and earned an average of 3.54 kills per set and 0.67 blocks per set. As a previous leader for the Hurricanes, Lopez brings an impressive resume with her to the Badgers.
“She is fearless and seems to play her best against the best teams. She hits well from either pin, has a nice top-spin and float serve and defends her area of the court well. We'll be able to run things fast with her, which is something I'm excited to do,” Sheffield said.
These three veterans will bring much-needed depth, skill and energy to Wisconsin, which is crucial because of how many young players are currently on the team. Colyer, Egan and Lopez have started training with the Badgers this spring and played in two matches together against Hawaii last week. The Badgers will play another spring match at home against Marquette on April 16.
