The Wisconsin volleyball team closed out the 2003 regular season with wins over Indiana and Purdue. The Badgers (21-10, 13-7) disposed of Indiana in four games 30-22, 28-30, 30-14, 30-26 Friday then swept Purdue 30-25, 30-26, 30-25 on Saturday.
The Badger hitters stormed out of the gates Friday, out-hitting the Hoosiers .432 to .194 as a team in game one. UW never trailed in the game, and led by as many as nine while cruising to the 30-22 win. Lisa Zukowski and Aubrey Meierotto each had six kills in the game.
Wisconsin took an early 6-2 lead in game two but saw that advantage disappear when an illegal set by Morgan Shields tied the score at 12. The game was tied as late as 28, but UW was unable to close out Indiana and went into the locker room with the score tied at one game apiece.
“We talked about battling,” head coach Pete Waite said. “We always talk about it, but it’s easier said than done. They definitely realize when they don’t bring their best game how we can be in a tough match with a team, and they did a great job coming out of the locker room with a lot of energy.”
UW came out of the intermission swinging, jumping out to an 8-3 lead in game three, then extending it to 21-10 after an attack error by Indiana’s Nikki Hall. Sheila Shaw took the Badgers the rest of the way with a trio of kills and a service ace.
Indiana made Wisconsin work in game four. The score was tied at 18 before a Zukowski kill gave UW a lead it would not relinquish, winning the game 30-26, and the match three games to one.
“Tonight was a good win,” Waite said. “It’s tough to play a team like Indiana, this was their last match of the season very likely and they had nothing to lose, they could come out, play relaxed and do some good things.”
For the match, Wisconsin hit .316 as a team compared to Indiana’s .161 percentage. Four Badgers tallied double-digit kills, led by Meierotto’s 21 and 20 from Zukowski. Jill Odenthal chipped in with 15 and 11 digs, while Shaw contributed 15 and 10 digs. Setter Morgan Shields totaled 66 assists and 16 digs.
“I think defensively we were passing a lot of balls on target, just digging a lot of balls right to Morgan (Shields),” Zukowski said. “There were a lot of options, it was pretty fun to hit tonight.”
Once again the Hoosiers brought out the best in Meierotto. The redshirt sophomore recorded a career-best 25 kills against Indiana on Oct. 18, giving her a total of 46 kills in the two matches.
“I actually had a few days to rest my knees before this game, so I pretty much felt fresh,” Meierotto said. “I think that was a big thing, and, me having some off games, I think it was important just to remember to be aggressive and just go up and swing.”
Prior to Saturday’s match, UW honored seniors Shields, Zukowski, Jill Maier and Angie Sanger. The seniors responded by leading the Badgers to a 3-0 victory, as Zukowski hammered 16 kills, Maier recorded 14 digs, and Shields put up 43 assists.
“I think it’s a great way to go out and finish our home schedule in the Big Ten,” Waite said. “Winning in three against a team like Purdue, who has given a lot of teams fits this year, feels good. It was nice to see our seniors go out and play a good match, we’re going to miss them, there’s no doubt.”
Wisconsin fell behind early in game one, opening with three straight hitting errors. After trailing by four, the Badgers fought back to even the score at 10, then take the lead on an Odenthal kill. Purdue made it a one point margin after a kill by Renata Daragan, but Meierotto responded for UW with two kills. Shaw later nailed two of her game high six kills to secure the 30-25 win.
The Badgers found themselves trailing again in game two, as the Boilermakers grabbed a 13-10 advantage, and led as late as 22-20. Once again, Shaw came up big down the stretch, giving UW a 26-23 lead with three consecutive kills. After Purdue closed the gap to 28-27, kills from Shields and Meierotto gave Wisconsin the win.
Game three began as a seesaw affair before Wisconsin went on a 6-0 run while Meierotto was serving. Purdue would get no closer than four points, as the Badgers took the game and match behind Zukowski’s five kills. Shaw finished the match with 12 kills.
“We played two solid matches, did some nice things. Now we find out who we play and where we play,” Waite said. “That’s the exciting part; you work so hard all season and this is really when the main season starts. Now anything can happen in tournament time.”
The win over Purdue marked the final match of the season in the Field House for Wisconsin, as any home NCAA tournament matches will be held in the Kohl Center.
