The sixth-ranked UW volleyball team plays its final weekend of Big Ten competition Friday and Sunday at the UW Field House.
Coming into the weekend first in the Big Ten with a 15-1 record, the Badgers will look to defeat Iowa and Minnesota to further solidify their hold on first over Ohio State. With a 14-2 conference record, the Buckeyes are Wisconsin’s only roadblock on the way to their second straight Big Ten title.
However, before Wisconsin can look forward to the end of an extremely successful regular season and a return to the NCAA championship, they have four more conference games to take care of.
Iowa (3-13) comes to the Field House Friday night and will look to upset the unstoppable Badgers.
Although ranked tenth in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes do have some formidable weapons that may pose a problem for UW.
Iowa’s biggest offensive weapon and the basis of their entire offensive strategy is senior OH Sara Meyermann. Although her team ranks last in the Big Ten in hitting percentage, Meyermann is first in the conference in kills, averaging 5.54 per game.
Ranking higher in the category than UW’s all-American MB Sherisa Livingston, Meyermann will definitely be the player that the Badgers will focus on. Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite emphasized the importance of his team to key in on Meyermann.
“Going against Iowa you really have to prepare for Meyermann, who gets 60 to 70 attempts a match hitting,” said Waite. “So you really have to be ready for her in the front row and the back row.”
The Badgers will have extra incentive to win Friday night — it is senior night at the Field House. Seniors Livingston ,Sara Urbanek, Marie Meyer, and Lizzy Fitzgerald will be honored for their years of hard work and dedication to the UW volleyball program.
In their four years at Wisconsin, these players have transformed their team into a formidable national competitor, and would like nothing more than to go out in their final weeks of play and bring another conference title to their school — possibly even a national championship.
Continuing their final home weekend of competition, UW will take on Minnesota Sunday afternoon.
The Gophers (9-7) are tied for fifth in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Like Iowa, Minnesota has one major player that the Badgers will need to focus on.
Voted the Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 12, senior Stephanie Hagen poses the biggest threat to a Badger victory.
An all-American MB, Hagen led the Gophers to four wins last week, including conference victories over Iowa and Purdue. In last Monday’s non-conference match against Wisconsin-Green Bay, Hagen posted 24 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks, including four solo stops.
As he did with Iowa’s Meyermann, Waite emphasized the importance of his team being ready to defend against Hagen.
“[Hagen is] almost unstoppable at times,” Waite said. “So we have to do what we can to slow her down — and then stop the rest of their offense.”
Fatigue may be a factor for UM because of the number of games the squad has played recently, and the Badgers’ fast-paced offense will definitely be hard for the Gophers to defend.
Wisconsin takes on Iowa at 7 p.m. Friday night and faces Minnesota at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.