Wisconsin volleyball unveiled its 2023 NCAA semifinalist banner before an exhibition match against Bradley on Aug. 20, 2024.
Charlie Fuerbringer has a message for nervous University of Wisconsin volleyball fans: Chill.
A fair number of Badgers fans have been feeling some anxiety over the state of Fuerbringer's balky right knee after she sat out the Red-White scrimmage and exhibition match against Notre Dame.
The concern is only natural given that the sophomore setter is one of just two returning regulars for the Badgers and as such is a linchpin for a young team.
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While not detailing what the issue has been with the knee, which limited her participation early in preseason workouts, Fuerbringer emphasized that she's ready to go for this weekend's matches against Kansas and Texas in the Opening Spike Classic at the Kohl Center.
"It was something really minor," Fuerbringer said about her knee issue. "It wasn't worth it for me to use my knee a lot in the scrimmage. I'll be fine. I'm in the healing process as we speak. I'm still coming back, but I'm not taking any steps back. We're only going forward from here. It's all good now."
Fuerbringer returned to practice on a full-time basis Saturday as she ramps up for the season.
Coach Kelly Sheffield expects Fuerbringer to build on a successful freshman season and establish herself as one of the premier setters in the nation.
"I see a player that's more mature than she was last year," Sheffield said. "I see a player that's more vocal than she was last year. I see the same drive that's always been there. The work ethic has always been there. She commands the court. She commands what she wants done. There's a lot more self confidence."
What is it precisely that sets apart Fuerbringer from other high level setters? Let Sheffield count the ways.
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"Her volleyball IQ is off the charts," he said. "No. 1, I don't know an elite setter that doesn't want to dive into film. She loves watching film. She loves being in the gym. Because she watches so much film, her IQ is really high. She learns pretty fast.
"She was one of the best freshman servers I've ever had, if not the best. She was an elite defender in high school and club and the first third of the year it took her some time to get adjusted to the speed of the game. But then her defense got a lot better, as we knew it would, the later half of the season.
"She just brings out the best in others. She says the right things, she thinks the right things. And I think people want to play hard for her."
Those traits all were apparent when Sheffield recruited Fuerbringer, who was ranked as the No. 1 setter in her class by PrepVolleyball.com. The daughter of All-American and national championship volleyball players Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer and Matt Fuerbringer arrived from Hermosa Beach, California, with lofty expectations following in the footsteps of Wisconsin legends Lauren Carlini and Sydney Hilley.
She largely lived up to the billing, leading the Badgers to a 27-6 overall record and 17-3 Big Ten Conference mark, advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. She earned second team All-Big Ten and third team AVCA All-American honors. By comparison, Carlini was named second team All-American as a freshman, while Hilley received honorable mention.
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And Fuerbringer stepped into a much more stressful situation, joining a team loaded with veteran players while both Carlini and Hilley came in with young squads that were able to grow together.
"There were a lot of older people on the team, a lot of talented players," Sheffield said. "That can be intimidating. But she had a tremendous first year in college. She has a lot of things to build on, like every freshman, but I couldn't have been more pleased with how her first year went."
Fuerbringer doesn't deny that the circumstances of her arrival at Wisconsin were challenging, but her memories of the whole thing are a little fuzzy.
"If I'm being honest, my freshman year is like a blur to me," she said. "It went by so fast and everything was happening and I was just trying to adjust as it was going on. I don't think I really took time to soak it all in. I can barely remember details in games and things like that. I am a tremendously different person than I was when I first got here.
"First of all, being a new kid on the block is super hard. It's already hard to be a leader because people know what they're talking about and sometimes you don't. So at first I really sat back, took it all in, saw what my captains were saying and doing and tried to emulate that. I think I did a fairly good job of that.
"And on the court as the season wore on, I took on more of a leadership role, leading my offense, really taking advantage of that. But it was super weird because we had all these amazing athletes who had way more experience. I'm so glad I came into that because I was able to see what the best of the best do before I become one of them, or try to."
There's no doubt in Sheffield's mind that Fuerbringer already is among the best of the best. He won't say so explicitly, but it's clear that he wouldn't trade her for any of the other setters in the game.
And while Fuerbringer certainly has received her share of accolades, the outside volleyball world seems to place her a notch behind the other most celebrated Big Ten setters, namely Penn State sophomore Izzy Starck and Nebraska junior Bergen Reilly.
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Last year, Reilly was voted Setter of the Year by the Big Ten coaches, Starck was voted Freshman of the Year and both were named to the first team all-conference, while Fuerbringer was second team. Reilly and Starck also were second team All-Americans, while Fuerbringer was on the third team.
All three were named to the first team in the preseason All-Big Ten voting this year, but Reilly and Starck were unanimous selections while at least one coach left Fuerbringer off that list.
Big Ten Network analyst Emily Ehman ranked her among the top 20 returning players in the conference, with Reilly at No. 1, Starck at No. 3, Purdue's Taylor Anderson at No. 11 and Fuerbringer at No. 12.
Fuerbringer isn't one to obsess about such things, but neither is she oblivious.
"Individually, there's a little chip on my shoulder," she said. "I'm just going to go play my game. All I'm trying to do is help my team win games. I could care less about individual preseason rankings. That's really nothing. But it gets me fired up. It's obviously out there and I see it and it gets me fired up."
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Likewise, Fuerbringer is aware of the slight dip in outside expectations for her team, which was picked third behind Nebraska and Penn State in the conference and No. 8 nationally, its lowest preseason ranking since coming in at No. 9 in 2018.
"I don't think the rankings are invalid because they have no idea what we're going to be like," she said. "But I know what we're like and we're a fricking hardworking team that's going to win some good games. So I'm excited to see us out there. We don't take it to heart, but definitely a little chip on our shoulders."
Fuerbringer realizes that she will have to take her game up a level in all aspects for the Badgers to reach their goals. That includes a greater leadership role, as evidenced by her teammates voting her one of the team's captains, along with senior Carter Booth.
"Just like that," she said about her transformation from new kid on the block to veteran leader. "I definitely had to take on more of a leadership role. I knew that coming into this spring, and I really focused on my voice on the court, my confidence on and off the court. I really made it a goal of mine to make sure that everyone feels connected, that we're all in this and to be a leader on this team.
"For one, being a setter I have to naturally be a leader, and two, we have a whole new team and I'm one of only two players who actually played on the court last season. So I knew coming in that this was going to be a time I would have to step it up. I think I did a great job of that in the spring, learning. I made mistakes myself in the spring and now I'm locked in and ready to go."
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