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Home ‘Field’ advantage

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Also by Ben Solochek:

Home 'Field' advantage (November 30, 2007)
Salow matures, sees role expand for Wisconsin (November 15, 2007)
Wisconsin survives, wins another 5 game match (November 12, 2007)
UW to host IU, UM (November 7, 2007)
Wisconsin splits weekend set (November 5, 2007)

by Ben Solochek

Friday, November 30, 2007

The Wisconsin volleyball team begins their march to the Final Four on Friday against the Northern Iowa Panthers at the UW Field House.

It is the Badgers' 12th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, UW lost in the Sweet 16 to Texas. Their best finish came in 2000, when they lost in the championship game.

The Field House will also host a match in which Iowa State will be playing No. 16 San Diego. Last year, Iowa State played Wisconsin in the second round of the tournament but lost 3-0. The winner of the game will play the winner of Wisconsin vs. Northern Iowa.

"I was really excited to come back," Iowa State senior Lauren Cummings said. "Last year was a great experience and coming back to a place we've played last year, you know, really helps us out, and the crowd last year was a great atmosphere."

The Badgers, who are the No. 1 seed in their region and the seventh seed overall, will host the first two rounds of the tournament as well as the regional finals. The next potential road match for Wisconsin would be the Final Four in Sacramento, Calif.

"I would say they are excited. I don't think they are nervous at all," UW head coach Pete Waite said. "I think they get up for big matches and they know how important these are. They are happy to be home and happy they can be playing in front of their fans, and the crowds that have been so great so far here."

Having home court advantage until the Final Four is not only advantageous for the team but for the seniors as well. If the Badgers do not make it to the semifinals, the seniors will be able to finish out the Wisconsin careers at home.

"Playing here at the Field House is unlike playing anywhere else," Wisconsin senior setter Jackie Simpson said. "The fans are fantastic and they always raise our level up. I know the seniors are really excited because, if we don't make it to the Final Four, at least we get to end at home."

The tournament's other teams also stand to benefit from playing at the Field House. Many coaches and players commented on how great it is to play in front of a crowd that enjoys good volleyball.

"I think we are really comfortable playing in front of a crowd," Northern Iowa senior setter Kristin Belzung said. "I think whomever you are playing in front of, a crowd's a crowd, and it's really fun to feed off the energy that's there and I'm really excited to play in front of that many fans.

Northern Iowa is making its 13th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their second in a row. Last year, they were swept in the second round against Nebraska in Lincoln.

Friday will be the second time the Badgers have faced the Panthers this season. The two teams met in the BYU Molten Classic in early September, which the Badgers won 3-0. Since their early season meeting, both teams have made several improvements.

"I think we are both very different teams," Northern Iowa head coach Bobbi Petersen said. "But one of the biggest differences is in the defensive side of things. I think we have picked up our defensive game a lot since the first month and a half."

The Badgers were able to finish their season strong with victories over Iowa and Minnesota, and they finished second in the Big Ten behind Penn State, who is ranked No. 1 in the country. The recent success has Wisconsin going into the tournament clicking on all cylinders.

"I would say the serving and passing has really stepped up to a whole new level," Simpson said. "We have been serving a lot stronger and pulling teams off their offense, which makes our defensive end and transitional offense a lot easier to run."

With the depth and experience the Badgers have, there have been comparisons made to the team that went to the championship in 2000. Though they have a long way to go to reach the finals, Waite says they have the necessary tools to go the distance.

"For what they have accomplished this season, it's a very comparable team," Waite said. "It's a balanced group, which is important. You can't have any weak spots to do what they did in the Big Ten season. It's an experienced group and a group that's very intelligent. They have got a lot of court smarts and that wins a lot of matches for them."

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