Wisconsin volleyball to hold match against Florida at Kohl Center with goal of sellout

Wisconsin volleyball will play one of its signature nonconference matches at the Kohl Center instead of the UW Field House.

The Badgers’ Sept. 21 match against Florida will be in the 17,071-seat Kohl Center in a return of the Kohl Center Classic. UW announced the location in a press release with the stated goal of trying to sell out the arena.

The first Kohl Center Classic — a 2022 Wisconsin-Florida match — drew 16,833 fans, which set an NCAA indoor attendance record at the time. When the Badgers faced Marquette at the Kohl Center in 2024, they drew 15,084 fans.

The marquee venue will feature a marquee opponent. Florida has advanced to at least the second weekend of the NCAA tournament in seven of the last eight seasons. SEC coaches picked the Gators to finish sixth in the conference this year, however, amid an offseason coaching change.

Florida’s new coach, Ryan Theis, has plenty of familiarity with Wisconsin. He previously was the head coach at Marquette for 11 seasons and went 1-7 against the Badgers. (The one win was the Golden Eagles’ first ever against their in-state rival.)

The match is set to begin at 12 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network. Single-match tickets are scheduled to go on sale on Aug. 7.

The Wisconsin-Florida match will not be the only opportunity to see volleyball at the Kohl Center. The Opening Spike Classic, which already has tickets available, will feature Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas and Creighton on the Kohl Center on Aug. 29-31. UW will face Kansas on Aug. 29 and Texas on Aug. 31.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball to hold match against Florida at Kohl Center