The Wisconsin volleyball team (16-5, 8-2) has reached the midpoint of the Big Ten season on the heels of four consecutive wins. As it does so, it finds itself in a three-way tie with Illinois and Minnesota for first place in the conference. Ranked No. 20 in the most recent USA Today/ AVCA poll, the Badgers’ 8-2 record in league matches has them in the driver’s seat for the second half.

“We’re at where I hoped we would be,” head coach Pete Waite said, “but it was hard to tell how quickly we would get to this point, as far as team chemistry and playing at a higher level. There were times we had some inconsistencies early, but I like what we’ve been doing the last two weekends.”

All five Badger losses have come at the hands of ranked opponents. Washington, who dealt UW its first defeat at the Badger Invitational while unranked, currently sits at No. 10 in the polls. Georgia Tech, which Wisconsin took to five games, and Pepperdine join the Huskies in the top 10, at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Michigan State was ranked No. 14 when it bested the Badgers, while Big Ten co-leader Minnesota has climbed to 23rd.

Lacking a true star player, the Badgers have featured a balanced offensive attack. All-American setter Morgan Shields has run the offense, putting up 13.45 assists per game, with junior outside hitter Jill Odenthal and sophomore Aubrey Meierotto being the primary beneficiaries. Odenthal leads the team with 3.73 kills per game, while Meierotto has contributed 3.49 per game. Sheila Shaw has given the team a boost in the middle, hitting .333 and racking up 2.92 kills per game, while leading UW in total blocks with 61.

“I think they are taking turns this year, that’s the nice part,” Waite said. “There’s no one go to person every night, yet there is a different player who fills the role that we need. The benefit of having a balanced attack is we’ve got four hitters who may be in double-digit kills, while the opposition might only have two or three.”

No Badger has been more versatile this season than senior Lisa Zukowski, who has seen time at both outside hitter and libero, several times switching positions mid-match. The fiery co-captain is averaging 2.59 kills per game while digging at a clip of 3.08 per game.

Thanks to that flexibility, Waite has been able to feature several different lineups. Jill Maier and Zukowski have both seen time at the libero position in 2003. When Zukowski has moved to the back, Marian Weidner has replaced her at outside hitter, giving Waite and the Badgers plenty of options.

“That’s another thing that has helped us win a number of matches,” Waite said. “The team has been open about changing lineups. One person might be tired or off their game, (and) somebody else comes in and has a great contribution. A lot of teams do not have that same kind of depth. A lot of people have stepped up, and that’s made us the team we are today.”

Freshman Maria Carlini began the season starting at middle blocker but was replaced by fellow freshman Amy Bladow, who took hold of the position and has not let go, starting UW’s last 15 matches. Carlini has provided depth at all three frontcourt positions since the switch.

“Early in the season we were going back and forth with Amy and Maria in the middle and they both had some good nights,” Waite said. “Amy just started coming on more, which actually gave us an opportunity to use Maria in other ways. We are able to use her on the right, the middle, or the left at any given time, and she’s good in all those spots. It’s really been huge that she stepped up her game.”