Wisconsin volleyball’s Devyn Robinson heats up during Final Four run
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Wisconsin’s Kelly Sheffield, players preview NCAA regional final
The Badgers volleyball coach and players met with the media on Friday, one day before their regional final against Oregon.
MADISON – There is no way Kelly Sheffield could have known what lay ahead, but he knows Devyn Robinson.
Before the Wisconsin volleyball team began its NCAA tournament run, Sheffield was asked to give his thoughts on the senior as she closed in on her 1,000th kill. His response drew from three-plus seasons of watching the 6-foot-2 right-side hitter come through in some of the toughest circumstances.
“This is her time of year,” he said. “She loves this time of year. You see a different glow and energy. When you get into postseason, some people tend to get quiet and they start worrying and things. You get your best Devyn at this time of year.”
That is turning out to the be the case again.
More: Wisconsin volleyball’s Anna Smrek returns to Final Four poised for another big performance
Robinson has raised her hitting percentage from .312 in the regular season to .344 during the tournament. She was especially on the mark last weekend in regional wins over Penn State and Oregon when she averaged 2.38 kills per set and recorded a .409 hitting percentage.
To call it a comeback is too strong for a player who earned All-American from the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the third time, but Robinson is back to playing carefree after going through a season in which she was slowed by a shoulder injury and fought a mental battle of meeting her own expectations.
“That’s kind of a calming feeling where you feel like you’re vibing and you’re in your zone,” she said. “That is how I’ve been feeling these last couple of weeks in practice, just in our zone because we’re moving so well as a team.”
Wisconsin’s Devyn Robinson will make her third NCAA volleyball Final Four appearance
The last time Robinson hit as well in back-to-back matches as she did in the regional was in sweeps of Illinois and Maryland in early November. She also had a hot start to the season, hitting .377 during the first five matches.
The stakes are much higher now.
Wisconsin (30-3) faces Texas (26-4) in a national semifinal Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa with a chance to advance to the championship match for the fifth time.
The event finds Robinson at the opposite end of the spectrum from her first two Final Four appearances. Now she’s the wily vet helping make sure others are comfortable on the biggest stage of the college game.
Two years ago, she was the one getting pep talks from Dana Rettke.
“She’d be like, we’re going to go do this or setting goals for us to reach during a game,” Robinson said. “Those little things gave me the confidence to go out there and do the things I needed to do. I’ve been trying to sprinkle that into the younger players or…
Read More: Wisconsin volleyball’s Devyn Robinson heats up during Final Four run 2023-12-14 12:07:38