Big Ten Volleytalk Emily Ehman

Big Ten volleyball is finally back! And Big Ten Volleytalk is now here in podcast form, so you can listen on the go!

Coming off a National Championship match in 2019, the No.1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers have high expectations heading into this 2021 Spring season. Legendary head coach Kelly Sheffield shares his thoughts with Emily Ehman on the team's upcoming schedule, who he’s looking to to lead this team, how being an “idiot as a head coach” can even help the team out and so much more. You can catch the Badgers in action this Friday night as they open up play against Purdue on Big Ten Network.

(1:10-3:23) Sheffield on playing this weekend, the importance of a hard B1G schedule and how the new schedule setup might change team’s strategy night one to night two

(4:18-5:46) Thoughts on being ranked preseason No.1 and any pressure that might add

(6:06-7:43) What practices have been like for the last few weeks: arriving to campus, COVID-friendly practices and meeting an testing 9 different times a week

(8:16-9:42) How his team is addressing the mental health of athletes and how having an “idiot as a head coach” helps brighten the mood

(9:48-12:08) Personnel: naming captains, how leadership is coming from everywhere and having extra bodies in the gym with early enrollees

(12:23-14:34) Playing in the Fieldhouse with no fans (don’t worry, you can get your cutout) and why creating energy will not be an issue for any team this season

(15:25-end) Final thoughts: giving thanks for the people behind the scenes