Decelise Champion set to join Wisconsin volleyball
Puerto Rican star outside hitter Decelise Champion has arrived in Madison and is set to join Wisconsin volleyball after wrapping international duty, with coach Kelly Sheffield easing the 16-year-old into the Badgers' system rather than rushing her onto the floor.
Key Takeaways
- Champion moved onto campus around Sept. 1 after Puerto Rico national-team duty, per Sheffield.
- The 16-year-old recently led a major tournament in scoring and collected multiple awards.
- Sheffield plans to ease her in for chemistry and system familiarity before heavy minutes.
- Fans may first see her in early September, not in the Stanford or Pitt matches she missed.
For more celebrity breaking news, BlasterPost is tracking how Champion's arrival reshapes the Badgers' outside-hitter picture.
When does Decelise Champion join the Badgers?
According to WKOW, Champion was set to go from Puerto Rico international play to the college gym in roughly a week and a half, Sheffield said.
Reporting around her campus arrival put her move-in as the day before classes started—Sept. 1—after she finished national-team responsibilities. That timeline meant she missed Wisconsin's matches against No. 5 Stanford and No. 4 Pitt.
The first home date fans eyed was No. 17 Florida on her first day as a Badger, though Sheffield was not expected to throw her straight into the fray. Later reporting pointed to Auburn on Sept. 3 or No. 8 Texas A&M on Sept. 11 as likelier windows for a first real contest once she knows the system.
Why does Champion matter for Wisconsin volleyball?
Champion is a highly regarded outside hitter who has been carrying major minutes for Puerto Rico while still a teenager. Sheffield has repeatedly stressed her age: she does not turn 17 until September and has been competing alongside much older national-team players.
In June she won Best Opposite at the NORCECA Women's Final Four as Puerto Rico took bronze. In a more recent tournament she was the top scorer overall and earned Second Best Spiker—one of only two players to win multiple awards at that event.
Sheffield has framed her transition as a chemistry-in-process move: she can score from multiple positions, but she is learning Wisconsin's offense and defense after helping her national team pursue Olympic qualification.
Will Sheffield ease Champion into the lineup?
Yes. Local reporting says she arrived playing from behind on chemistry and system knowledge. Sheffield has downplayed savior expectations and emphasized that she is only 16.
Opinion coverage from Badger of Honor argued he should not shield her from pressure once she is ready, noting Puerto Rico already placed heavy expectations on her as a leading scorer. The coaching priority cited across sources remains acclimating her to Wisconsin volleyball and teammate chemistry before cutting her loose.
Wisconsin's outside-hitter rotation has been unsettled beyond true freshman Audrey Flanagan's early production, leaving a path for Champion when Sheffield judges her ready.