Wisconsin volleyball: Kelly Sheffield adds a grad transfer for the 2020 season

The national runners up from 2019 are still stockpiling new pieces to help them get to the mountaintop in 2020. On Monday morning, the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team announced that they were bringing aboard Deahna Kraft, a transfer from Pepperdine University, who will join the Wisconsin volleyball team this fall.

Per UW’s press release on Kraft, she is: a 6-foot outside hitter/defensive specialist, Kraft has spent the last three years competing in sand volleyball for the Waves. She earned VolleyballMag.com second-team All-America accolades and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-America honors in 2018 after being named the West Coast Conference Defender of the Year. A two-time first-team All-West Coast selection, Kraft also named to the WCC All-Freshman team in 2017.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of indoor players that have transitioned to the beach game later in their careers, but this is the first time I’ve seen a beach player move indoors after her college beach career is over. We are both looking forward to seeing how the transition goes. I know this, she’ll fit in great with our team and is excited about helping this team get better,” Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield said.

Photo by Stephen Nowland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

In her three-plus seasons at Pepperdine, Kraft ranks No. 11 with most individual career wins with 67, tallying a career record of 67-30 (.691). She has aided the Waves to two West Coast championships and a pair of top-five finishes at the NCAA tournament, including a runner-up finish in 2017. In 2019, Kraft and her partner Brook Bauer, finished second at the USA Collegiate Beach Championship.

“I’m excited to have Deahna wearing a Badger jersey this fall,” Sheffield said. “We recruited her when she was in high school and got to know her when she came here on a visit. I’ve always liked the way she plays the game. She is a fiery competitor who absolutely loves playing, and has a complete game. She’s got great ball control, can hit with range, and reads the game well.”

Kraft, a native of Seattle, Wash., will be the fourth member of the incoming 2020 class joining freshmen Jade Demps, MJ Hamill and Devyn Robinson. According to the release from UW, Kraft will have at least one year of eligibility with the Badgers.