After a disappointing loss in the NCAA tournament last year, UW’s volleyball team is hoping that this spring will restore its wilting rose into a sky-bound beauty.
The loss of four-year starter Erin Byrd, along with middle blockers Lori Rittenhouse and Amy Hultgren, has the Badgers looking for players to step up big this season. The prime suspect to fill the shoes of Byrd is last year’s libero, Lisa Zukowski.
After ending her 2001 season with a knee injury and playing the 2002 season at the newly introduced libero position, Zukowski has moved back to her outside hitting position where she can once again attack the net.
Head coach Pete Waite watched as Zukowski rehabbed her knee last season and believes she has regained her confidence. Zukowski is still refining her game but will be looked to to lead the team in 2003.
In 2002 Zukowski was second on the team, averaging 2.83 digs per game, recording double figures in 14 matches and a career high 21 against both Northwestern and Penn State.
The move of Zukowski from the libero spot back to her outside hitting position has left room for junior Jill Maier to crack the starting lineup.
Described by coach Waite as an extremely quick athlete who covers the court well and does a great job defensively, Maier appears to be the one to fill in at libero. Maier played in 19 matches last season and recorded a career high 12 digs against Penn State.
The Badgers suffered yet another roster casualty this spring with the departure of its defensive specialist Korie Gardner. Gardener had been a key sparkplug off the bench for the Badgers last season, but has decided to stop playing volleyball at UW.
“She’s decided to focus more on her academics,” coach Waite said. “We’re going to miss her a lot, not just her defense, but her personality in the gym. Everyday she was a real upbeat person and fun to be around.”
With the changes to the lineup and the loss of Gardener, the team may still be looking to solidify its 2003 roster, but they are already beginning to play as a cohesive unit.
In its first spring action, Wisconsin started Morgan Shields at setter, Sheila Shaw and Lauren Ford at middle blockers, Aubrey Meierotto and Marian Weidner at left-side hitters and Zukowski as the right-side hitter. Maier saw action as the libero, while Angie Sanger came in as a defensive specialist.
Although Zukowski and Shields are the only two players to have started every match last season, the players haven’t forgotten their 1-3 loss to Miami to end the year. The team also knows that their performance in 2002 wasn’t up-to-par with what Waite or the Badgers are known for.
The team’s 14-6 Big Ten record marked the worst in Waite’s coaching career at UW, and its failure to reach the regional round of the NCAA tournament left the team with its earliest exit in three years. This spring, however, the team has been able to use last year’s disappointment as motivation.
“They walk into the gym everyday, you know, wanting to improve and change from last year, and I think part of that is chemistry,” Waite said.
The chemistry being built this spring season will be put to the test in 9 days when the team officially concludes its workouts at the Minnesota Triangular, where the Badgers will play the defending Big Ten champion Gophers as well as a very tough Nebraska team.
After those matches the burden of improvement is placed squarely upon the shoulders of each athlete, as the university must abstain from contact with them. For many of the players, the summer will consist of schooling, conditioning and preparing for the fall.
With injuries occurring late last season to Rittenhouse and Byrd, and Zukowski in 2001 summer conditioning is crucial for those players hoping to make an impact next season.
With all the moving around and the spring season coming to an end, the Badgers still appear to be in great position to make a run at next season’s Big Ten title.
“The team is really starting to come together just as a unit,” Waite said. “The chemistry is really starting to improve from where we were even last season.”
