Volleyball takes on rival Marquette

by Tom Hager

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 00:00

After an early exit from last season’s NCAA tournament, the Wisconsin volleyball team looks to erase the memory of last fall as the spring season starts. The first opportunity to turn the page will be today in the first game of the spring season against in-state rival Marquette.

Although last year’s second round loss to Iowa State still hurts, the new spring season will provide a chance for the Badgers to look forward.

“We do kind of have that in the back of our minds giving us that little energy or fire to work hard and not let it happen again,” junior Morgan Salow said.

Marquette, who finished last season 10-16, is also coming into the matchup on a sour note. After losing eight consecutive matches in a key 10-game stretch to end the season, the Golden Eagles were unable to qualify for the NCAA tournament. However, the Badgers are not taking the game lightly.

“We’re very excited to be able to go out and play another team again and see how we match up,” Salow said. “It’s always fun to get out there and see some new faces across the net from us and have to defend different things instead of our own teammates in practice all of the time.”

The matchup will feature a different Wisconsin team from the one fans saw earlier in the season. Although it is still the same school year as the fall, the seniors are ineligible for spring play. And while the team will miss players like All-American Jackie Simpson, the coaching staff looks at the spring season in a positive light.

“We want the younger classmen given the best opportunity to get a lot of repetitions in practice and competition,” head coach Pete Waite said.

Not only are the Golden Eagles the first of three matchups this spring for Wisconsin, but they are also the only actual team the Badgers will play until the fall. Later in April, the Badgers, who are ranked 14th nationally in the AVCA poll, will play a game against UW Alumni and then compete in an eight-player tournament in San Diego. The game against Marquette will be one of the best ways for the coaching staff to evaluate the team before the regular season begins again in the fall.

“For the most part, we want to get a good gauge on where our team is at, considering we’re halfway through our spring training,” Waite said.

The players are looking forward to showing how much they’ve improved since last fall.

“We are approaching this match with some good energy and a desire to get on the court and show people who we really are, and how good we will be this fall,” Salow said.

One of the ways Wisconsin prepared for Marquette and the other spring games was a training visit to San Diego. In addition to a scrimmage against San Diego State, the team practiced on the beaches.

“Everybody on the roster improved a lot,” Waite said. “It helped all their games dramatically.”

The players appreciated the opportunity to improve as well.

“I think this spring season has been one of a kind with all of the different opportunities that we’ve had come our way, so we’ve all been able to really work on our all-around game and improve in so many areas, so that’s very exciting for us,” Salow said.

The team will find out if all the offseason training has paid off when the Badgers and Golden Eagles face off tonight.