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Marquette and Wisconsin will play first volleyball match at Fiserv Forum next September

ben steele, milwaukee journal sentinel
·2 min read
The last time Wisconsin played in Milwaukee was the 2021 season at Marquette's Al McGuire Center. The two teams will face off at Fiserv Forum in 2023.
The last time Wisconsin played in Milwaukee was the 2021 season at Marquette's Al McGuire Center. The two teams will face off at Fiserv Forum in 2023.

College volleyball is coming to Fiserv Forum.

Marquette and Wisconsin will play against each other on Sept. 13, 2023, MU announced at halftime of the school's basketball game against UW in the building.

Before the teams met in September this season, Golden Eagles coach Ryan Theis floated the possibility of holding the match at the state's largest arena.

Now it is a reality.

"We like the home and home with Wisconsin," Theis said at halftime at Fiserv Forum. "They did Kohl Center this year with the floor to match. We've been dying to pull something like this off.

"We've sold out last time we were at our place. We've been excited to try at make it happen. We found a date to make it work and we gave it to the Fiserv people and looked like they make it work. Then it was let's make it happen."

UW beat MU in four sets when they played in September in Madison as the Badgers unveiled their national championship banner.

The programs are among the best in the country, and both teams hosted first- and second-round matches in the NCAA Tournament this season.

MU made the announcement one day after advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.

Fiserv Forum's seating capacity is 17,385 for basketball, 15,178 for hockey and 18,000 for concerts. It is unknown what the capacity will be for volleyball, but Theis hopes to beat the crowd of 16,833 fans UW had for its match against Florida this fall.

"I never thought I'd coach a volleyball match in front of over 17,000 people," said Theis, a Madison native who attended UW-Milwaukee. "So for me, it means a lot."

More:Wisconsin volleyball blows past Quinnipiac in NCAA first-round in front of fired-up Field House crowd

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette, Wisconsin volleyball teams to play at Fiserv Forum in 2023