Dentist in Middleton, WI.

Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield, from left, freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin speak after a loss at Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.

A coming attraction on Jada Rae Media: A young girl grows up dreaming of playing for her hometown college volleyball team, carrying on something of a family athletic tradition. But after a relatively modest prep career she settles for a supporting role at a lesser program, experiencing positive personal and athletic growth along the way.

And in the final act she makes a longshot attempt at realizing that childhood goal and against all odds is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.

The starring role in this production is being played by Jada Cerniglia, who committed to joining the University of Wisconsin volleyball program this fall as a walk-on Thursday.

Volleyball

Even after living out this plot the past few weeks, Cerniglia can hardly process what has happened.

“To be completely honest, this is all very surreal,” Cerniglia said. “This has been my dream since I was 2 years old. Since the moment I could walk, I’ve had a volleyball in my hands. I was around Badger athletics from the time I was born. I’ve been immersed in this Badger world for my entire life. I still can’t believe it. When I wake up, I’m a Badger. It’s insane.”

Wisconsin athletics has truly been a family affair for Cerniglia, a 5-foot-3 defensive specialist who is transferring from Northern Illinois with one season of eligibility remaining. Her mother, Aleah (Coughlin), played one season of volleyball for the Badgers and then-coach John Cook. Her father, Mike Cerniglia, played four seasons of hockey under coach Jeff Sauer and later served on the administrative staff in the Barry Alvarez era and as executive director of the National W Club. And her brother, Mike Jr., similarly finished out his collegiate football career as a Badger after previously attending Northern Illinois and Illinois.

“So it really is a full circle moment for me and a dream come true,” Cerniglia said. “I found a picture of me in a Wisconsin cheerleader outfit when I was probably about 3, which was super cool to see. So yeah, to say that Badger blood runs deep would be an understatement.”

Despite that depth of emotional commitment, the chances of Cerniglia ever getting a chance to live out her dream seemed remote, at best. Lightly recruited coming out of Middleton High School, Cerniglia chose to walk-on at Northern Illinois, a middling program that would fall upon hard times during her years there.

Volleyball

After redshirting her freshman year, she saw limited action in 14 matches in 2022, recording one dig and one service ace. A coaching change after that season saw an increase in opportunity as Cerniglia played in 26 matches with 14 starts. She averaged 1.64 digs per set and had 20 total aces.

That performance, along with her overall contributions to the program, helped her earn a scholarship and one of three captain spots for 2024, although her playing time ultimately diminished as the team limped to a 4-24 record.

“Being a walk-on, you’re never handed anything,” Cerniglia said. “You always have to work twice as hard for those things, so getting that scholarship was a really cool moment for me.

“Growing up, my dad would say to me almost every day, ‘work hard, have fun and be a good teammate.’ So I always knew that even if I wasn’t the best player in the gym I would be the hardest working one and it didn’t always matter about skill. To round out a team you need a lot of different personalities and strengths.

“Obviously, the reality is that there are only six players on the court so more than half of us are going to be on the bench, which is just fine and we’re going to work together and support each other no matter what. From a very young age that’s always been my role.”

Volleyball

And she understood that would almost certainly be her role when she entered the transfer portal in December with ambitions of getting the experience of being part of a bigger program.

Of course, the No. 1 school on her list was Wisconsin, and she reached out to assistant head coach Brittany Dildine a couple times and talked with head coach Kelly Sheffield a couple times. Their message was ambivalent, as they were down to just two open spots on the desired 18-player roster. She was told it might be March or April before they would know if there was a spot available.

The message was much the same from the other schools she communicated with, including Big Ten Conference bottom feeder Iowa.

Then a couple weeks ago she received a call from Sheffield, asking, “Do you want to be a part of this program?”

“I was like, ‘Absolutely, I do,’” Cerniglia said. “And he was like, ‘Let’s do it. It’s a great morning, you’re a Badger.’ I was just like, wow. It’s totally crazy how it happened.”

Volleyball

With highly regarded freshmen Aniya Warren and Kristen Simon joining incumbent libero Lola Schumacher in the backcourt, Cerniglia understands that her primary role with the Badgers will be as a practice player and a veteran leader.

“I don’t think me being on the court or not is going to define me as a player,” she said. “I think my personality, my presence on social media and who I am as a person is really going to help the team out. I’m going to bring some maturity to the team. We’re pretty young so being a fifth year grad student is going to be helpful in bringing different perspectives to the team.

“It’s going to be a year of growth for sure, but that’s what makes me so excited about it because I’ll come out on the other side of it so much stronger mentally and physically. Knowing that I am not the typical recruit for Wisconsin volleyball, but knowing that Kelly brought me on for a reason and just reminding myself of that.”

Jim Polzin

Before spending Saturday with her new teammates, Cerniglia only knew a couple of them, defensive specialist Maile Chan and setter Morgan Van Wie. But it didn’t take long for her to feel like part of the team.

“I spent the day with them and it just feels like family, like I’ve been a part of the program for two years already, which is so amazing and such a blessing,” she said. “Coming into a program you don’t really know what to expect until you get there, but I can already tell that Kelly has worked really hard on the culture and making sure that everybody feels supported regardless of skill or background.”

Cerniglia is finishing up academically at Northern Illinois and will graduate in May with a degree in media studies. She’s looking to find a similar graduate program at Wisconsin. While at NIU, she formed her own company, Jada Rae Media, producing photography and videography with tie ins to social media. “That’s my thing,” she said. “People sometimes call me ‘Jada Rae Media’ on the NIU campus.”

She will begin working out with the Badgers in late May and already is imagining what it will be like to wear a Wisconsin jersey this fall. That jersey will be No. 13, the same number her mother wore more than 30 years ago. She sprung that surprise Thursday when making her commitment official.

Recruiting

“It’s kind of cool because she told my dad that I’m sort of finishing what she started because she played for her first year and I’m playing for my last year,” said Cerniglia, who found one of her mom’s old jerseys this week in their basement in Cross Plains. “It’s kind of cool that I’m able to do that for her.

“Being able to finish my career at Wisconsin and play in front of my hometown is super cool.

I think it’s such a unique experience for a person like me, because I have grown up around Wisconsin volleyball and I’ve watched it from a very young age. I’ve been in the Field House as a fan and I know what that’s like and I know how deep the love is that the fans have for the team. So it’s going to be really cool to be on the flip side of that and be on the court and be supported in that way.”

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Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield, from left, freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin speak after a loss at Neb…