By J

If actions are louder than words, Jill Odenthal is speaking volumes for the Wisconsin volleyball team this season. While her quiet on-court demeanor is in sharp contrast to the fire and enthusiasm of Lisa Zukowski or the emotion of Morgan Shields, Odenthal leads by example.

“I’m more of a consistent, quiet person,” Odenthal said. “I don’t have a very loud voice, so it’s just about stamina and staying consistent.”

Consistency has been the name of the game for Odenthal in 2003. The left-handed outside hitter has recorded double figure kills in 16 of Wisconsin’s first 21 matches, including a career high 22 in a loss to Washington. Her early season efforts earned her a place on the Badger Invitational and InnTowner Invitational All-Tournaments teams. In her junior campaign, “Odie” is pacing UW in kills per game at 3.73, and her .312 hitting percentage is second best on the team, as are her 0.39 service aces per game.

“She’s real steady, a quiet player,” head coach Pete Waite said. “That’s one thing she’s working on: [becoming] more loud and outgoing on the court. But she shows what she can do through her actions more than through her words.”

In the Badgers’ thrilling 3-2 win over Penn State, Odenthal spearheaded a game-five comeback, hammering five kills in the game and finishing with a match total of 16.

“She is a great athlete and at the net sometimes she amazes me with the shot she brings,” Waite said. “Whether she’s hitting from the right or the left, she is very tough to stop, whether it is in practice or in a match. She just has natural instincts for scoring. In the back row she’s improved a lot. She’s become a better defender, and become one of our primary passers, and that’s made us a better team.”

Odenthal worked diligently in the spring and off-season to improve her passing ability.

“I’ve never really been a confident passer,” she said. “I think I’ve definitely made strides there, I still have a ways to go.”

A native of Geneva, Ill., Odenthal wanted to stay relatively close to home after high school. She considered Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Illinois among others, before settling on the University of Wisconsin.

“I came here for a visit and talked to the coaches, and my dad and I just walked around campus and people we didn’t even know would show us around and get all excited,” she said. “I really liked the people, so I came here.”

A 2002 Academic All-Big Ten selection, academics are as much a part of Odenthal’s life as volleyball. When she’s not on the court, she is working towards a degree in genetics.

“I had a great biology teacher in high school, and it’s just something I love,” she sad. “A lot of my relatives are in the sciences, so it runs in the family I guess.”

Staying on top of school work is challenging for any student, and throwing volleyball into the juggling act makes things a bit more interesting for Odenthal.

“It’s not bad this semester because I don’t have as many labs, but usually it’s a sizeable amount of work,” she said. “Scheduling is huge, scheduling my time and trying to take naps when I can. Getting a lot of sleep is huge for me because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to function. The biggest thing for me is to pay attention in class because then I hardly have to study.”

In her occasional free time, Odenthal enjoys taking in a movie with her teammate and roommate Aubrey Meierotto.

For now, Odenthal is keeping her post volleyball options open.

“Right now I’m looking at research, but there are a lot of possibilities,” she said. “Med school, whatever, I haven’t decided.”

In the meantime, Odenthal will be on the volleyball court, quietly going about her business.