MADISON – Anna Smrek, in a sense, is back where it started.
The NCAA women's volleyball Final Four is in Tampa this year rather Columbus, Ohio, but in terms of the breakout point of her college career, the 6-foot-9 right-side hitter is back where it began.
It was on this stage two years ago that the then-freshman gave everyone a taste of what her potential looked like and in the process provided the Wisconsin Badgers a boost that helped them win the national championship.
She returns as second-team All-American as well as a reminder of how much a surprise star can boost a team’s fortunes. The Final Four can do that to a player.
“It’s just an insane volleyball environment and as many fans as there might be around you I just remember being so honed into what was happening within those lines that it just got muted out,” she said. “You get so absorbed by volleyball. You’re in the fight. It’s gritty and it’s tough and it’s crazy.”
ANNA SMREK IS B1G AT THE NET @BadgerVB 🦡#NCAAWVB x 🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/a8YaBk9YQo
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 2, 2023
Anna Smrek is putting up career bests in a variety of statistics
Wisconsin (30-3) faces Texas (26-4) in a national semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The Badgers would reach the final for the fifth time with a win, an outcome Smrek figures to play a key role in.
The junior has enjoyed the best season of her college career. She is posting career bests in kills (273), kills per set (2.65), hitting percentage (.396), total blocks (119), blocks per set (1.16) and points (.337).
She ranks second on the team in kills per set, hitting percentage and points, and is third in blocks.
“I feel very good about where I’m at in the season, where my growth has progressed,” she said. “I definitely have so much to do, but I had a goal this season to start off much stronger than I had in the past. I put in the work to do that. … It’s not even just me it’s so many other players on the court working to get better. That is why our team feels so prepared now.”
Smrek heads to the Final Four fresh off a high-level performance in the regional final. She tied her season high of seven blocks in the four-set win over Oregon on Saturday while recording 10 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
It is one of seven matches this season that Smrek reached double-digit kills and hit at least .400.
More: Here's what to know about Wisconsin volleyball star Anna Smrek, a Final Four MVP
How far has she come as a player? She had double-digit kills in 12 matches this season compared to eight in the previous two combined.
Getting back to the Final Four brings back a lot of memories for Smrek. The first thoughts about things that happened off the court.
“Honestly it’s a completely different team experience that you don’t get until you get there and you’re in the hotel….” Smrek said. “It’s the last time you play with a lot of them who are seniors. It’s just a very good bonding moment outside of volleyball because that’s what’s left of it.”
A look back at Anna Smrek's epic run in 2021 Final Four
Smrek wasn’t old enough to fully grasp all of that last time UW was in the Final Four.
She was getting about 3.2 attempts per set and average 1.6 kills per set heading into the Final Four. In the national semifinal and final she averaged 3.4 kills per set with about 5 1/2 attempts per set. Her hitting percentage skyrocketed to .554.
While her play in the championship match – she had 14 kills, seven blocks and a .429 hitting percentage – is most remembered, she may have been more dominant in the semifinals when she finished with 20 kills, three blocks and a .704 hitting percentage that still remains her career high.
Getting back to this point after losing in the Elite Eight last season has been a driving factor in Smrek's play, reminiscent of how the 2021 squad went about its business after losing in the semifinals the previous year.
"A lot of them came back for their COVID year to get that job done," she said. "Everyone was hungry and as a freshman I wanted to be part of that for them because they made it there so many times and came up short. That year we felt we had a confidence and we weren’t leaving without it.
"Going with that mentality and falling short of the Final Four last year and having that experience of winning it my freshman year, we want it back. Now that we’re in (the Final Four), we’re that much closer and we’re just going to keep balling out and going for it."
More: Mindset has helped Wisconsin volleyball's Carter Booth become an elite blocker in nation
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Breakout season brings Wisconsin volleyball's Smrek back to Final Four
