Sometimes it seems like Sheila Shaw has been a part of the Wisconsin volleyball program forever. Though just a junior, Shaw has been a constant on head coach Pete Waite’s squad since her freshman season. And, despite her age, she has been the team’s most experienced middle blocker ever since that freshman season came to a conclusion.

“I was a veteran as a sophomore,” Shaw said with a laugh.

As a result, Shaw began serving as a mentor to the team’s younger middle blockers as a sophomore, when newcomers Amy Bladow and Maria Carlini made the jump to college.

“I guess it’s not that weird for me at all,” Shaw said. “I really enjoy helping other people make that transition to middle blocker in college — it’s a completely different game. It’s so much faster paced.”

Shaw, more than anyone, knows what it is like to be thrown straight into the fire as a freshman. After a standout prep career at Muskego High School, she saw plenty of action as a true freshman in 2002. Starting 18 of the 27 matches she played in, Shaw finished third on the squad with a hitting percentage at .310 and averaging 2.04 kills per game.

“It was a little overwhelming at first, but it was still fun,” Shaw said of her freshman season. “My teammates really helped me out. They made it easy. I think I made the transition really well.”

Shaw’s strong debut campaign earned her a place on the 2002 Big Ten All-Freshman Team. More importantly, the season gave her ample opportunities to adjust to life in the always-competitive Big Ten conference.

“It’s really good court experience, for one,” Shaw said. “You get better from playing so much, not just drills in practice everyday. Court experience is crucial in the Big Ten.”

The playing time Shaw earned in 2002 paid dividends one year later. The only middle blocker on the Wisconsin roster with game experience, Shaw answered the call with another solid season. Leading the team with a .313 hitting percentage, she was one of four Badgers to play in all 123 games. Averaging 3.03 kills per game, Shaw established herself as a consistent offensive threat in the middle.

“Every year, it just grows and grows,” Waite said of Shaw’s progression. “Part of it was just her getting physically stronger her first year — she did a great job of that. She’s just a player that really loves to play the game, any chance she gets, anywhere she gets.”

This year, Shaw has shouldered some extra responsibilities. In addition to helping another pair of rookie middle blockers — Taylor Reineke and Maya Carroll — adjust to life in the NCAA, she has taken on an expanded role in the UW attack. That process began during the 2004 spring season and continued into the summer, when Shaw honed her craft on the UW Natatorium sand courts.

“Last spring, we really worked on expanding her game,” Waite said. “Part of that was in the back row on defense: digging, passing and hitting out of the back row. Also expanding what she’s doing in the front row: not just hitting in the middle, but hitting on the left side and the right side. Her game and her confidence have really taken off this season. She’s got some great shots that really give us a boost during the match.”

So far, the results have been positive ones. Shaw has stormed out of the gates, averaging 3.45 kills per game through UW’s first five matches. She may have turned in her best performance of the young season at last weekend’s Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. In Wisconsin’s three matches, Shaw averaged 4.27 kills and 1.45 blocks per game on her way to all-tournament honors. Her best match came in a loss to Kansas, as she hammered down 20 kills.

“It feels awesome, really, being a leader physically on the court — knowing that your teammates need you,” Shaw said. “Knowing that you’ve got to get this next big kill is a great feeling.”

As Shaw assumes a more prominent role, her early success has opened up more options for outside hitters Jill Odenthal, Aubrey Meierotto and Marian Weidner.

“It just makes it more difficult for the blockers to just set up on the same people all the time,” Waite said. “It lets us — if we have Sheila hitting on the left side — have Aubrey hitting some twos and Marian in the middle. It just keeps the blockers guessing.”

With the extra kills comes some added pressure, but nothing the junior who has her heart set on a Big Ten title cannot handle.

“When I’m playing, I just swing away. I don’t think about it at all. I don’t think about the pressure — well, maybe, serving a game point,” Shaw said with a laugh.