COLUMBUS, Ohio – Concordia University Wisconsin men's volleyball head coach Curtis Madson was selected once again to coach the Badger Region High-Performance Program. Madson served on an all-NACC coaching staff for the Badger Region Boys U17 High-Performance All-Star Team, which represented Wisconsin at the 2026 USA Volleyball All-Star Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
The USA Volleyball All-Star Championships bring together boys and girls teams representing regions from across the country to compete for national championships. The Badger Region U17 team featured 12 of Wisconsin's top athletes born in 2010 or 2011.
The Badger Region U17 All-Stars competed against teams from Arizona, Florida, Gateway, Garden Empire, Iowa, New England, North Texas, Ohio Valley, Oklahoma, Puget Sound, Rocky Mountain, Southern and Western Empire.
Entering the tournament as the No. 3 overall seed, Badger Region was placed into one of two seven-team pools. After posting a 4-2 record in pool play, the team finished in a three-way tie with Arizona and Gateway. Badger Region advanced to the International Division semifinals by owning the highest set-winning percentage among the tied teams.
During pool play, Badger Region earned straight-set victories over Gateway, New England, North Texas and Rocky Mountain before dropping four-set matches to Arizona and Ohio Valley.
In the semifinals, Badger Region defeated the Southern Region All-Stars in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-18) to earn a rematch with Ohio Valley in the championship.
Badger Region opened the title match with a commanding 25-12 victory in the first set before holding off Ohio Valley in the final two sets, 25-23 and 27-25, to claim the International Division championship. The victory also secured the Badger Region's lone gold medal at the event.
The 2026 USA Volleyball All-Star Championships marked the most successful event in Badger Region history, as all six Badger Region teams earned medals. The region also placed second in the overall Region Cup standings, finishing behind only Florida.
The Badger Region U17 team also featured the tournament's Most Valuable Player and three additional athletes who earned International Division All-Tournament Team honors.
"To get back to the podium is such a great honor," Madson said. "It is even more special to do it again with another gold medal. I am so proud of the work this team put in, and the buy-in they had to do something special was amazing."
"Wisconsin has some very high-level athletes, and to see them come together and compete at the national level is amazing," Madson said. "To once again be honored with the opportunity to work with some of the state's athletes is something I am grateful for. I'd like to thank the Badger Region once again for giving me the opportunity to represent them on the national stage."
The Badger Region Boys High-Performance Program provides Wisconsin's top volleyball players with advanced training and national-level competition opportunities under some of the region's premier coaches. As the regional chapter of USA Volleyball's National Team Development Program, the program follows international age-group guidelines and includes three stages: tryouts, training team/camp and championship team selection.
