The 2025 UW‑Whitewater volleyball season began with uncertainty and ended with a team that learned how to grow, trust and compete together through one of the biggest youth movements in recent program history. After graduating eight seniors the previous year, the Warhawks entered the season with a roster that was almost entirely new, forcing returning players to step into leadership roles and young players to adapt quickly to the college game.
Two players stepped up and answered the call: juniors Abbie Dix and Aubrie Krzus. Dix led the Warhawks in kills with 327, while Krzus led in assists with 1,138. Behind this duo, UW-W went 26-8 and returned to the NCAA playoffs.
Dix, a Brodhead native, represented that transition in real time. Over the course of the season she earned All-WIAC and All-Region awards, but those were just stepping stones to her being named as a third team All-American.
But going into this season, Dix knew that she didn’t need to just step up on the court, she needed to step up off of it. Dix put an emphasis on taking a leadership role for the Warhawks and setting the tone for the younger members of the team.
“The parts of my game and mindset that grew the most was that I had to become a leader on and off the court with how young of a team we were,” Dix said.
With her presence in the middle, she anchored both the offense and defense, becoming a dependable force at the net as younger teammates found their footing.
With so many unfamiliar faces sharing the floor for the first time, building chemistry became the team’s biggest priority. What started as a group simply trying to learn one another’s strengths and tendencies gradually turned into a cohesive unit that trusted each other in high-pressure moments.
“We grew to trust each other more on the court while we were playing,” Dix said.
That trust didn’t come easily. The toughest challenge of the season was not a specific opponent but the reality of playing as one of the youngest teams in the WIAC.
“Being very young was the toughest challenge,” Dix said. “We basically had a brand new team playing together. We had to learn how to play with each other and learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.”
But what helped the Warhawks get off to a fast start was Krzus being a calming presence. Not only did Krzus set her teammates up for success on the court, she did it off of the court.
“Success in volleyball means building connections with my teammates and coaching staff,” Krzus said. “That’s such a special thing in this program. We’re all just best friends, and people notice it. Other teams ask us how we’re so close, and what we do differently.”
Being prepared to step into this leadership role was three years in the making for Krzus. As a freshman, she wanted to soak everything in. In her sophomore and junior seasons Krzus slowly took on more and more responsibilities.
“It’s been such a journey from my freshman year to now,” Krzus said. “Me and my team are completely different from when I started here. I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person and a player.”
While Krzus is more reserved off the court, as soon as she steps foot on the court, her demeanor completely changes.
“I’m very introverted off the court, but when I step on the court, I feel like I’m a completely different person,” Krzus said. “My teammates bring out a side of me that people don’t usually get to see, and I think that’s awesome.”
As the Warhawks close the book on 2025, the season will be remembered not for its obstacles but for how a young team learned to find its voice, build trust and grow together. Players like Dix and Krzus rose to the occasion, providing experience, leadership and a steady hand at the net when the Warhawks needed it most.
