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.