The last time the University of Wisconsin volleyball team played in the Final Four, Anna Smrek stood tallest, figuratively and literally.
Then a freshman, the 6-9 middle blocker/right side hitter was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2021 after the Badgers defeated Louisville and then Nebraska in five-setters to secure the NCAA championship.
Smrek posted a career-high 20 kills against Louisville, including the termination that clinched the national semifinal win, and then notched a season-high seven blocks against Nebraska in the final.
More: Wisconsin volleyball’s Anna Smrek returns to Final Four poised for another big performance
There’s a chance Smrek and the Badgers will again see Nebraska with the NCAA title on the line Saturday. First comes a Thursday battle with defending national champion Texas.
Here’s what to know about Smrek.
She’s the tallest player in Wisconsin history
At 6-9, she’s the tallest player in UW history, just a nudge taller than five-time All-American and former teammate Dana Rettke.
Anna Smrek is from Canada
The Welland, Ontario native played at Notre Dame College School and played for the Canadian Youth National team from 2018-20, which took her to tournaments in Honduras, Egypt and the United States.
Before that, she was a competitive dancer through middle school. In an interview with the CBC, she said her grandfather, who had been a national-level water polo coach in Croatia, got Anna involved in volleyball.
She also said she never had much interest in basketball, which is interesting because…
Anna Smrek’s father played in the NBA as a teammate with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan
It’s too bad the HBO series “Winning Time” was canceled after two seasons. The show based on Jeff Pearlman’s book “Showtime,” chronicling the Lakers dynasty, never got to the Mike Smrek era.
Mike Smrek, who is given multiple mentions in the book, shared a rookie season with teammate Michael Jordan with the Bulls in 1985-86. He briefly saw the floor in a playoff win over Boston, when Jordan had a legendary 63-point performance.
He spent the next two seasons with the Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Lakers won NBA titles both years. Mike averaged 7.9 minutes per game over those seasons with 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
The Lakers beat Boston for the 1987 crown and Detroit for the 1988 title. Smrek played through the 1992 season and saw action in 194 NBA games with the Clippers, Warriors, Spurs, Lakers and Bulls.
How do you say Anna Smrek’s last name?
It’s exactly what it looks like. Smrek. You can do it.
Anna Smrek has racked up a ton of accomplishments at Wisconsin
Smrek was named first-team All Conference in the Big Ten this season and earned All-Region honors, as well. Her season-best performance in kills came against Nebraska, when she posted 18 in three sets as UW handed the Huskers their only loss of the season, a sweep at the UW Field House to close the regular season.
She’s played in 30 matches thus far heading into the Final Four, matching her output as a sophomore last year.
She played in 25 matches as a freshman and immediately made an impact, posting a .366 hitting percentage that ranked second on the team.
She was named the team’s Most Improved Player in 2021.
Anna Smrek’s brother was also a college athlete in the state of Wisconsin
Luke Smrek spent four seasons playing tennis at Marquette University in Milwaukee, earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors in 2017 and twice earning first-team honors in the Big East.