As his players gathered in front of the student section to sing “Varsity” one last time this season, University of Wisconsin volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield stood by his team’s bench late Saturday night, watching with his arms behind his back.
He broke that gaze to take one last look up at the giant video board at the UW Field House, perhaps just to make sure he could believe what he was seeing. Yep, the bad news was still there: Pittsburgh in five sets, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13. The thinnest of margins, and so it’s the Panthers off to the Final Four while the defending champion Badgers come to grips with their hopes of a repeat dashed.