Suburban volleyball players savor national championship at Wisconsin

Posted December 25, 2021 10:00 am

By Mike Miazga Daily Herald Correspondent

Geneva graduate Grace Loberg was a part of the University of Wisconsin women's volleyball team that recently won the NCAA national championship. Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison Sports Information

Former Geneva High School girls volleyball standout Grace Loberg recalls the University of Wisconsin being one of the first colleges that expressed interest in her.

"I ended up not hearing from them for a while, and I was like, 'Wow. My favorite school (isn't getting back to me),' " she said. "We eventually reconnected and it was super apparent that was the school I wanted to be at."

And it's a school that Loberg and three other Chicago-area natives helped bring an NCAA women's volleyball national championship to earlier this month in Columbus, Ohio.

Loberg, Benet Academy alum Lauren Barnes, Montini graduate Joslyn Boyer, and Riverside-Brookfield's Dana Rettke were front and center in Wisconsin's five-set win over Nebraska in the national final in front of a record crowd of 18,755 at Nationwide Arena and nearly 1.2 million viewers on ESPN2. This was Wisconsin's first NCAA title in its fifth trip - third in a row - to the sport's annual final-four networking extravaganza.

"It's hard to put into words," said Loberg, who along with Barnes were two of four Wisconsin players who took advantage of a pandemic-added year of senior eligibility.

"It's surreal having the chance to do this with this team, these coaches and this program - knowing it was these super-seniors' last season with that extra year of eligibility. It's an amazing feeling."

For Barnes, her journey to championship gold had an extra twist to it. Barnes, the Badgers' libero and team captain, started her collegiate career at Minnesota and transferred to Wisconsin in April of her sophomore year in 2019.

"Gosh, this is a dream come true," said Barnes, a 2021 second-team All-American, who has an undergrad degree in finance and will graduate in May with a masters in business analytics. "This is a credit to the alumni. They helped build an amazing culture here. This took all 18 players and all the coaches. Everyone bought in and put in the work. This is the result of a lot of hours in the gym and a lot of dedication to being the best for my teammates, buying into the team and trusting my teammates. Trust was the key."

The 6-foot-8-inch Rettke recently was named national player of the year and is the first five-time first-team All-American who leaves Madison with nearly 1,700 career kills and nearly 700 career blocks.

Loberg, a graduate of the university's human development family studies school, is currently working on her graduate degree in education leadership and policy analysis., She had 13 kills in the five-set semifinal win over Louisville, while Barnes had 19 digs. Loberg, who helped the Badgers clinch their third Big Ten title in a row in late November with a key performance against Indiana, was Wisconsin's most-set attacker in the five-set title win over Nebraska (10 kills), while Barnes brought up 31 digs against the Huskers.

Boyer, a junior transfer from Iowa, had 164 digs this season as a libero/defensive specialist. She said she did not visit the campus or meet with the coaching staff in person prior to transferring.

"It ended up working out pretty well," said Boyer, who could have as many as two years of eligibility left and is applying to the university's business school as a finance major. "When I was at Montini, I definitely did not think I would be a national champion and I didn't think I would be one with Lauren Barnes from Benet. I reached out to her before I chose Wisconsin and we have become very close friends. We just drove home together for Christmas break."

The 31-win Badgers were 14-2 against Top 25 nationally ranked teams and burned through the NCAA bracket with six consecutive wins, including the two 5-set barnburners in Columbus against No. 3 Louisville in the semifinals and No. 2 Nebraska for all the marbles.

"The biggest thing was we had the opportunity to play in a lot more pressure situations," explained Loberg, one of 14 players given the Big Ten Conference's sportsmanship award this year.

"In past seasons, we would get to the end and we hadn't been in super-close, high-pressure situations. This year, we faced a ton of those competing in the Big Ten (Seven Big Ten teams finished ranked in the Top 25 and eight made the tournament), and then beating Minnesota to move on to the Final Four. In those tight matches and pressure situations, we got better. When we got into what we called the red zone (score in the 20s), we found ways to score."

Boyer, a Downers Grove native, references a word Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield has been using to describe the team's run to greatness.

"Kelly uses the word epic," Boyer said. "I couldn't agree more."

Montini graduate Joslyn Boyer was a part of the University of Wisconsin women's volleyball team that recently won the NCAA national championship. Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison Sports Information

Benet Academy graduate Lauren Barnes, a Naperville resident, was a part of the University of Wisconsin women's volleyball team that recently won the NCAA national championship. Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison Sports Information

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