SPORTS
Badgers, alumni set to hit court
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Also by Stephen Watson:
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- Fridays give UW trouble (February 26, 2008)
- UW jumps back into WCHA mix (December 4, 2007)
- UW concludes fall slate at Big Tens (November 9, 2007)
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- Badgers welcome in-state rival for spring match (April 12, 2006)
- UW volleyball team hosts Badger Invite (September 10, 2001)
- UW volleyball home opener yields disappointment (September 10, 2001)
by Stephen Watson
Thursday, April 24, 2008
For UW volleyball alumni, it’s their chance to relive the glory days. For the current members on the Wisconsin roster, it is their last test during the spring season.
Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the annual alumni volleyball game will take place at the UW Field House. The event will showcase the 2008 fall squad and allow their former teammates to enjoy the sport they love.
This past weekend, the volleyball team finished fifth at the Collegiate Nationals in San Diego. The event took place on the sand, which required a 2-on-2 matchup rather than the normal 6-on-6 indoor games.
Head coach Pete Waite noted how this change has been difficult to make in such as short amount of time.
“We have to get used to being on the hard court again, and it’s a really different game,” Waite said. “You are playing doubles in the sand. The movement is different and the teamwork is different when you come indoors. There are six people in their positions, and they have played it all their lives, but it is a big change to pick up the speed of the indoor game.”
After working hard last week to prepare for the sand, the Badgers have focused on teamwork this week since they will be changing back to the normal format of play.
“Having more than two people on the court was important because we could be more vocal and improve our communication with each other,” junior Caity DuPont said. “Now that we can jump higher in the gym, different shots are open to us and our games are elevated inside.”
DuPont teamed up with junior Katherine Dykstra and senior Faye McCormack this past weekend at the Collegiate Nationals. Together they went 2-0 to win their pool with two straight-set wins and were the catalysts to the teams overall success, despite their 2-0 loss in the semifinals.
Another one of the changes the team will face will be the use of setting the ball again. During practice on Tuesday, Waite made sure that they took part in several setting drills since it was prohibited during the beach games.
By practicing and playing at an up-tempo level, he believes the team will be ready to face their former teammates on Thursday for the intense challenge.
“It’s always kind of a rivalry,” Waite said. “We had five players finish their season in the fall so they are ready to come back and win. Then we have a couple of players from previous years that are coming back because they miss the game, so it should be a good battle.”
Two recent Badgers who will take part in the match are Jill Odenthal and Morgan Shields. Odenthal, currently in medical school at UW, and Shields, who is working on her master’s degree in Milwaukee, are both looking to get a win as recent additions to the alumni team. However, Pete Waite believes the matchup has more meaning than just bragging rights. Instead, he is anxious to see how the underclassmen perform in their last game before training for the fall season.
“There is no other way to prepare for Thursday because they are both my teams and play the same style,” Waite said. “This match is more for our underclassman group to change over from the sand game to the hard-court game, which should be a challenge.”
Nearly half of the team includes underclassmen, so this game will give them the chance to step up and shine going into next year. After a strong fall in 2007, the team realizes the improvements they need to make over the summer and set a high goal for their upcoming season.
Anonymous (April 24, 2008 @ 8:56pm):
Nice crowd tonight and much more competitive than the football Spring game. I look forward to the fall.
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