[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′]
[/media-credit]Wisconsin's volleyball team learned firsthand just how much of a rollercoaster ride the Big Ten can be.
After dominating then-No. 9 Purdue and Indiana at home last weekend, the Badgers suffered a disappointing sweep to No. 17 Minnesota this Wednesday, the team's third conference loss of the season.
"If you want to be Big Ten champions, what you need to do is win on the road," said senior floor captain and outside hitter Maria Carlini.
The Badgers will have a chance to redeem themselves Saturday as they travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes.
Iowa is currently at the bottom of the Big Ten with a 1-7 record (12-8 overall), but boasts a fairly young starting lineup.
The Hawkeyes live and die by their sophomore class, with outside hitter Catherine Smale leading the team in kills (3.18 per game), libero Emily Hiza tops in digs (4.69 per game) and setter Kiley Fister the team leader in assists (11.36 per game).
In just her third season as head coach, Cindy Frederick has already begun to turn the program around, despite what her team's current record may imply.
"This is a staff that's come in over the last two or three years and has taken up the energy and intensity level of this team of where it was," UW head coach Pete Waite said. "[Frederick's] getting closer as far as getting those big wins, but it's not an easy thing to do in the Big Ten to move up from the bottom."
But most importantly, the game will be a good opportunity to see how Wisconsin responds from the loss to Minnesota and performs on yet another road match.
"It's going to be a test to see how we can bounce back from Minnesota," Carlini said of the Iowa match. "The last couple games we've played on the road we haven't played too well."
"We need to regroup," said Waite in a phone interview. "But I think one thing this team always does well is bounce back after a loss and be a better team."
Struggling on the road in the Big Ten has become a recent trend, however, and not just for the Badgers.
Last weekend, No. 24 Ohio State suffered disappointing losses on the road to two of the conference's perennial bottom feeding teams in Northwestern and Illinois.
"It's brutal," Waite said of the Big Ten. "Teams are doing really well at home right now, but then getting on the road and finding it real tough."
Wednesday was the first match back for Carlini, who had missed the previous three games with a foot injury.
While Carlini finished the game with a team-high 13 kills and a .212 hitting percentage, she had trouble adjusting early on.
"I hadn't really touched a volleyball in about 12 days so it was hard at the beginning," Carlini said. "But after the first couple swings, I started to get back in the rhythm."
Waite was glad to see Carlini back on the court and is hoping to see her continue to recover from her injury.
"When you're not playing in matches or practicing, you need a little time to shake off the rust," Waite said. "We weren't sure how it was going to go, but she came through pretty well."
While Carlini is not yet playing at 100 percent, she feels a lot better after sitting the past week and a half out.
"I'm probably at like 80 or 90 percent," she said. "The time off definitely helped."
When Carlini sat out, freshman outside hitter Caity DuPont stepped up in her place.
DuPont earned her first two starts of the season last weekend and recorded a career-high nine kills against Purdue. She also put down eight kills the next day against Indiana.
However, with Carlini now back in the lineup, it would appear as though DuPont's spot is back on the bench.
Not so, says Waite. DuPont still played in two games against Minnesota Wednesday and figures to continue receiving playing time as the year goes on — with, or without, Carlini healthy.
"Caity proved herself when Maria was out that she can go in there, take some good swings and get some kills for us," Waite said. "Every bit of court experience she gets is greater for our team and makes us a deeper program."
