Wisconsin Badgers remind Kelly Sheffield ‘why you got into coaching’
This year’s Badgers ‘constantly remind you why you got into coaching,’ volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield said ahead of the NCAA tournament.
The surging Wisconsin volleyball team begins its NCAA tournament run in a familiar and comfortable setting.
The third-seeded Badgers play Eastern Illinois in a first-round match on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the UW Field House. It’ll follow the matchup between the Texas-El Paso and North Carolina.
As a top-four seed, it’s the seventh straight year, not counting the 2020 COVID season, that coach Kelly Sheffield’s team is hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. And that means good things.
Wisconsin hasn’t lost in these rounds at home during this stretch and is 28-2 all-time at the UW Field House in the NCAA tournament. Overall, for the last 12 seasons under Sheffield, the Badgers have advanced out of the opening weekend and into the regional semifinals every year.
Watch Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on ESPN+
The Badgers (24-4), who lost in the reginal finals last season to Nebraska, are also playing their best volleyball of the season over the last month. Since a loss to the No. 1 Huskers on Oct. 31, Wisconsin has won its last nine matches, seven of them sweeps. The Badgers will be playing in their 29th NCAA tournament.
Eastern Illinois (24-7), the Ohio Valley Conference champion, is making just its third trip to the tournament, but the second in three years. And the Panthers are getting familiar with teams from Wisconsin in the tournament. They lost in the first round to Marquette two years ago.
Here’s how to watch and listen to the Wisconsin-Eastern Illinois match in the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament:
What channel is Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on tonight? TV, livestream
Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois time tonight
- Date:Â Thursday, Dec. 4
- Time: It’s 30 minutes after the 4:30 p.m. first-round match between Texas-El Paso and North Carolina
How can I listen to Wisconsin volleyball vs Eastern Illinois on the radio?
Wisconsin NCAA volleyball tournament schedule
Here’s the schedule for the NCAA volleyball tournament if the Badgers win:
- Dec. 5: Second-round match at UW Field House, 7 p.m. CT
- Dec. 11-14: Regional semifinals and finals at highest-seeded teams, dates and times TBD
- Dec. 18: National semifinals at Kansas City, Missouri
- Dec. 21: National championship match at Kansas City, Missouri
Wisconsin volleyball bracket
Here are the top eight seeds in the Badgers’ region and their first-round opponents. The top four seeds host first- and second-round matches. If the seeds hold after the first two rounds, Wisconsin will play second-seeded Stanford in the regional semifinals.
- Texas, vs. Florida A&M
- Stanford, vs. Utah Valley
- Wisconsin, vs. Eastern Illinois
- Indiana, vs. Toledo
- Colorado, vs. American
- UTEP, vs. North Carolina
- South Dakota State, vs. Arizona
- Penn State, vs. South Florida
2025 NCAA tournament bracket
Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh are the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Here’s the full bracket of the NCAA volleyball tournament
