Brittany Robinson
  • Information Technology & Marketing
  • Class of 2020
  • Menomonee Falls, Wis.

Menomonee Falls's Robinson Earns Spot on 2017 UW-Whitewater Volleyball Roster

2017 Aug 29

Brittany Robinson, a native of Menomonee Falls, WI, and graduate of Menomonee Falls High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team during the 2017 season, which begins this Friday and Saturday at the Mabel Lee Invite in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Robinson, a junior at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in marketing.

The 2017 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team looks to repeat its championship performance from a season ago and continue an impressive streak of national success.



The Warhawks enter the new campaign as the favorite to win the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for a second straight year and as the No. 12 team in the nation according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll. They also look to extend their streak of consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances to 26 and enter the season with the third-longest active streak in the nation.



In 2016, UW-Whitewater earned a share of the WIAC regular season championship, claimed the conference tournament title and was selected to host the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament, reaching the third round for the first time since 2007. The team finished with a 29-7 record, including a 5-2 mark in league play during the regular season.



Seniors Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot) and Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb), who were each tabbed third team All-America by the AVCA following breakout performances last season, lead the 2017 Warhawks.



Racky, a right side hitter, also garnered honorable mention All-WIAC and first team All-Midwest Region accolades after tallying a hitting percentage of .296, good for second in the conference, and totaling 327 kills (2.48 per set).



Wagner, a middle hitter, was named first team All-WIAC and first team All-Midwest Region after collecting 145 blocks (1.09 per set), good for first in the WIAC and seventh in the nation. She also registered a league-leading .299 hitting percentage and 354 kills (2.66 per set).



Other returning starters include junior defensive specialist/libero Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and sophomore middle hitter Ashton Doll (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster).



Robinson finished with 650 digs (4.89 per set), good for second in the conference, and 54 service aces, good for third. She was selected honorable mention All-WIAC, first team all-region and honorable mention All-America.



Doll ranked third in the WIAC with 116 blocks (1.04 per set) and added 95 kills.



Other returners with significant playing experience include sophomore outside hitter Alexandra Bialo(Greendale, Wis./Greendale), sophomore middle hitter Amanda Spera (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) and sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Tworek (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic).



Bialo appeared in 27 matches in 2016, tallying 147 kills (2.04 per set), and Spera played in 24 contests and finished with 138 kills (2.16 per set).



Tworek helped solidify the defense, placing second on the team with 349 digs (2.62 per set) and adding 38 service aces, good for third on the team.



Other returners include senior defensive specialist Shelby Clifton (Mountain Grove, Mo./Mountain Grove), junior middle hitter Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels), junior setter Elizabeth Niestrom (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South), sophomore outside hitters Rachel Butterfield (Milton, Wis./Milton)and Olivia Sobbe (Burlington, Wis./Catholic Central), sophomore defensive specialist Mackenzie Evers(St. John, Ind./Lake Central) and sophomore middle hitters Samantha Kavajecz (Roscoe, Ill./Rockton Hononegah) and Cassie Peters (Theresa, Wis./Hartford Union).



Clifton, a defensive specialist, appeared in 15 matches a season ago, and Berk played in seven contests, including the team's NCAA third round match against Washington-St. Louis.



Niestrom and Butterfield each appeared in nine matches. Kavajecz played in eight, Evers appeared in four, Peters competed in three and Sobbe appeared in one.



UW-Whitewater begins its challenging 2017 schedule, which includes matches against nine NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a season ago, on Sept. 1-2 at the Coe (Iowa) Invitational.



After a trip to 2016 NCAA second round qualifier Elmhurst (Ill.), the Warhawks open the home slate with the UW-Whitewater Invite on Sept. 8-9 at the Williams Center.



UW-Whitewater visits San Antonio, Texas, for the Trinity Fall Classic on Sept. 15-16. It will face a pair of 2016 national qualifiers in Trinity and Southwestern (Texas), which reached the Final Four last fall.



The Warhawks open conference play on Sept. 20 against UW-Stevens Point in Whitewater before starting a four-match road swing on Sept. 22 at 2016 NCAA participant St. Norbert.



UW-Whitewater begins a packed October schedule on Oct. 3 against Carthage at home. After a trip to Augustana (Ill.) on Oct. 5 and a home match against UW-Platteville on Oct. 10, the team heads west for the weekend of Oct. 13-14, facing UW-Stout, 2016 Final Four qualifier Northwestern (Minn.) and St. Mary's (Minn.).



The Warhawks close the regular season with six more matches, including a showdown against fellow NCAA third round participant Texas-Dallas on Oct. 21 in Oshkosh.



UW-Whitewater will host its annual Dig Panici Night and Senior Night on Oct. 27 against UW-Eau Claire. Dig Panici Night is a fundraiser toward a scholarship named for former Warhawk Lisa Panici, who passed away in December 2012 after a two-year battle against brain cancer.