Sarah Franklin (volleyball)

Sarah Franklin (born February 27, 2002) is an American volleyball player for the Wisconsin Badgers. A 6 ft outside hitter, she was named the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2023.

Early life
Franklin was raised in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, the daughter of engineers Todd and Michelle Franklin, and has three siblings. She played soccer as a goalkeeper before taking up volleyball at age 11, which her mother played collegiately at Virginia. She played high school volleyball for Lake Worth Christian School beginning in eighth grade, winning state championships in 2015 and 2019, and was named the Sun Sentinel player of the year in 2019. She played club volleyball for Palm Beach Juniors.

College career
Franklin spent two seasons with the Michigan State Spartans. In her sophomore year in 2021, she led the team with 3.96 kills per set on a .224 hitting percentage, receiving first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors. Following that season, she transferred to the reigning NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers. Franklin led the Badgers with 3.51 kills per set on .246 hitting in the 2022 season, helping the team earn a number-one seed in the 2022 NCAA tournament, where they fell to Pittsburgh in the regional finals. Later that school year in June 2023, Franklin underwent seven-hour surgery for blood clots caused by quadrilateral space syndrome, recovering before the fall season.

Franklin recorded a career-high 4.15 kills per set on a career-high .298 hitting in the 2023 season. She led the Badgers to a number-one seed and the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA tournament, where they lost to eventual champions Texas. Franklin received multiple honors, including Big Ten Player of the Year, AVCA first-team All-American, and AVCA National Player of the Year. She was nominated for the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award. She has a fifth season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.