SPORTS
Wisconsin set for home opener against Villanova
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Also by Michael Poppy:
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- UW has room for progress (May 10, 2007)
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- Wisconsin doesn't lose game en route to 2005 InnTowner title (September 19, 2005)
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by Michael Poppy
Friday, September 16, 2005
This weekend, the UW volleyball team will host the InnTowner Invitational at the Field House as Villanova, Valparaiso and UCLA compete against the Badgers in a round-robin tournament.
Head coach Pete Waite's squad returns to Madison for their home opener with a 5-1 record and a No. 13 ranking, having fallen four spots following their loss to No. 14 Missouri at last weekend's Holiday Inn Invitational.
While the loss to the Tigers was disappointing for the Badgers in the young season, it provided Waite an opportunity to evaluate how his team matches up against one of the better teams in the nation.
"I wouldn't say we struggled with our block but they had some great hitters who avoided our blockers," Waite said. "We had a couple of leads but couldn't quite hang on to them. There were some times we were playing some great ball and that's exciting for us but at the same time, they taught us some lessons we're going to have take with us and improve on before our next match."
Needless to say, the Badgers bounced back thereafter in the game against Montana State and will hope to continue their success as they open the InnTowner Invitational against Villanova Friday night at 7 p.m.
This will mark the first time Wisconsin has ever faced the Wildcats, and while Villanova is off to hot start at 10-0, the Badgers' home-court advantage should be enough to will them to victory on UW Student Night.
"I would think its pretty tough for opposing teams to play here in front of our crowd," co-captain Sheila Shaw said. "We have so many people and they're so loud and they really get into it. The band really helps us, too."
Following the home opener Friday night, the Badgers play again Saturday night against Valparaiso at 7 p.m.
The Crusaders, too, are off to a hot start this season, winning seven straight with a record of 8-1.
With the Badgers opening their home schedule against two hot teams, there is definitely some pressure to keep their current 10-game home winning streak alive. However, the main event of the tournament will undoubtedly be Sunday when UW tips off against the No. 11 UCLA Bruins.
"Sure [there's pressure in keeping the home winning streak alive]," Waite said. "These teams are good. Even when we see Villanova first, they're 10-0 right now. Valparaiso is 8-1. And, of course, UCLA is an awesome program.
"We look at it like anyone else does, one match at a time, but obviously we've got to gear up for UCLA the most and they're the biggest threat," he continued. "Our kids are excited about that. We played teams like [this] at the end of the year [last year]. UCLA is very strong. So we expect a huge crowd and it's going to be an awesome match."
In preparation for their featured match against UCLA, the Badgers have been working extensively on their passing game in practice this week.
Having ball control was a key lesson the youthful Badgers learned in their loss against the top-ranked Missouri Tigers and will definitely be a key as they prepare for UCLA.
"I think one of the big things that we're going to focus on is our ball control and passing," co-captain Aubrey Meierotto said. "We knew coming into the season that the one thing we're really going to have to work hard on is passing just because that's a huge part of the game so I think that's going to be a big key. And the other key is going to be coming out strong and maintaining strong play for the entire game."
UCLA leads the series with Wisconsin 2-1, but the Badgers defeated the Bruins most recently in the 2000 NCAA Mideast Regional final in Madison 3-2 to advance to the Final Four.
The Bruins, much like the Badgers, boast a rather young team with seven freshmen and one transfer. They also had to replace two All-Americans, setter Krystal McFarland and libero Chrissie Zartman.
Nevertheless, the Bruins haven't missed a beat with their new players as they have opened the season 5-1, only losing to No. 6 Hawaii this past Sunday.
Freshman Kaitlin Sather is leading the Bruins with 3.73 kills per game and is assisted by junior Nana Meriweather, a transfer from Duke, with 3.70 kills per game. Regardless of the Bruins' young talent, the Badgers will be hoping to upset the No. 11 team Sunday and in order to do so they will need to play at the top of their game.
"I think they're definitely a very good team," Meierotto said. "We're going to have to come in really intense and work on everything that we've been working on in practice to do well."
"They're a really strong team," Shaw added. "They have an awesome defense and some quick hitters so hopefully it will be a good match."
