Wisconsin volleyball signs Madison Memorial's Alyssa Konrad, fills 2026 roster

MADISON – Wisconsin volleyball did not have to look far to fill its last remaining roster spot ahead of the 2026 season.

Former Madison Memorial standout Alyssa Konrad, a 5-foot-10 libero/defensive specialist, has signed with the Badgers, the team announced on June 18.

Konrad attended UW’s prospect camp earlier in June, with UW coach Kelly Sheffield comparing her story to that of Rudy Ruettiger – the inspiration for the 1993 film “Rudy.”

“Her plan was to go to college here,” Sheffield said in a phone call with the Journal Sentinel, “and then we got a phone call not too long ago from one of her coaches that said, ‘Hey, she’s going to school there. If you got a spot, she might be a good fit.'”

Konrad, Sheffield said, was “probably the talk of the camp” with her defense.

“Defensively she really made just play after play after play,” Sheffield said.

Konrad was a team captain and three-time all-conference honoree at Madison Memorial. She also competed on the Madtown Juniors club team.

“I always looked up to the players and resonated with the culture of this program,” Konrad said via the press release. “It’s a dream come true to play at the place that had a huge impact on my volleyball career.”

As Konrad fills UW’s 18th roster spot, she joins a libero position that already has sophomore Kristen Simon and international signee Anna Bardaro. Simon started right away as a freshman, and Bardaro has been on highly successful international teams.

“There’s a lot of different ways to help out a team and to contribute,” Sheffield said. “You want every single player on your team to give more than they take.”

Konrad also will be one of three Wisconsin natives on the 2026 roster, joining Pewaukee native Madison Quest and Waunakee native Morgan Van Wie.

“Any time that you can get a hometown kid that stays here, it’s really cool,” Sheffield said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers volleyball signs Alyssa Konrad, fills 2026 roster