A Volleyballer Goes Hollywood
Sarah Franklin x’25 isn’t just a star on the court. She’s a star on ESPN, too.
The news came as a complete surprise.
When UW volleyball player Sarah Franklin x’25 received an email telling her that ESPN had nominated her for an ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award, she felt confused by the subject line.
“I was in the Dominican Republic at the time with Team USA,” she says. “And I was going through my emails. I see an email from [UW coach Kelly Sheffield], and it said ESPYs. I’m like, ‘Why does it say ESPYs? There is no way that this is happening.’ ”
Franklin texted Sheffield to confirm that the nomination was real, and she found out that the network had named her a finalist for best female college athlete of 2024, up against Iowa basketball sensation Caitlin Clark, Louisiana State gymnast Haleigh Bryant, and Northwestern lacrosse player Izzy Scane.
The nomination marked a high point in Franklin’s career. When she was a high school volleyball player in Florida, she wasn’t highly recruited, and she began collegiate play at Michigan State, where her freshman season ended early due to injury.
After the UW volleyball team won the 2021 national championship, Franklin decided to transfer to Madison.
“I was looking for something that I knew was going to challenge me, skills-wise, character-building–wise, on the court, off the court. [The UW volleyball program] just has a very, very strong culture. When I visited, I could tell that all of the coaches and all of the players were so invested in being their best selves.”
An outside hitter, Franklin quickly became a team leader, earning All–Big Ten and All-American honors. She was named the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year. But an ESPY nomination meant glamour — a trip to Beverly Hills and a televised ceremony.
Franklin was a scoring force for the Badger volleyball team. She led the squad in kills for the third straight season.
“I had two weeks’ notice,” Franklin says. “I had two weeks to find a dress. And then my mom was coming with me, so she had to do the same thing. And all during this time I had a busted ankle. But it was a great red, sparkly dress — absolutely perfect.”
ESPN flew Franklin to California first-class and put her up in a luxury hotel. There was a speaking engagement and a red carpet. Ultimately, Franklin didn’t win the award — it went to Clark.
After just two days, she was on a plane back to Madison for summer training.
She and her teammates had another solid season in 2024, finishing 26–7 overall and 17–3 in the Big Ten — good for third place and an invitation to the NCAA national tournament.
However, the two schools that finished ahead of the UW in the Big Ten standings — Penn State and Nebraska — continued to thwart the Badger squad. The UW lost to rival Nebraska in the quarter-finals, and Penn State defeated Nebraska in the semifinal round.
But Franklin is treasuring her ESPY memory, because this was her last season of collegiate play — going forward, she may try to play professionally, and she may try coaching. But most likely, she will never again experience anything quite like the ESPYs.
“I tried to slow it down as much as possible to be able to enjoy it,” she says, “because it did go by very fast. I just kept turning to my mom and saying, ‘This is awesome. This is really, really cool.’ ”