[media-credit name=’Ben Smidt’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]It hasn’t taken long for Jo Wack to settle into her new role as Wisconsin’s starting libero. Ten matches into the season, the 5-foot-11 freshman is averaging 4.33 digs per game, tops on the team and good for fourth in the Big Ten. After recording nine digs in her Badger debut against Missouri, Wack has reeled off nine consecutive double-figure dig performances.

“We’ve been really happy with the way she’s played,” head coach Pete Waite said. “Defensively, she’s got a great feel for the game and a read on opponent’s hitting. She’s working on being more aggressive and assertive and getting comfortable taking balls from upper classmen, which is something she’s getting better at every day.”

Wack’s play has been impressive to say the least. After a standout career at Westosha High School, she has immediately stepped into a starting role on a perennial Big Ten contender — a somewhat daunting prospect — and has not missed a beat.

“It was a little intimidating, but stepping in the Field House, out in front of all the fans very quickly settled me down,” Wack said. “I’m not nervous at all when I play. I’m just digging balls and passing. I’m not really a freshman on the court anymore.”

An outside hitter as a prep, Wack made the move to the back row and libero when she came to Madison. The change was nothing out of the ordinary for Wack, a naturally gifted defensive player who saw significant time in the back row while recovering from knee surgery in high school. Originally recruited as an outside hitter, Wack spurned offers from schools like UCLA to come to Wisconsin, where she has willingly and enthusiastically taken on a new role.

“It wasn’t too different because I was out for a while with my knee,” Wack said. “Then, toward the end of club season, and I was playing more back row. I knew coming here that they wanted me to play libero, so I was ready for it. I was happy about it, because I was not ready to be an outside hitter yet. I’ve embraced it. It’s pretty exciting.”

The surgery was the result of lingering knee problems that had been bothering Wack for some time.

“It was supposed to be a couple month recovery, but it ended up longer. It still kind of bothers me,” Wack said. “It was kind of frustrating. Actually, it was a lot frustrating.”

While she did not get to fully showcase her offensive skills after the surgery, Wack impressed the Wisconsin coaching staff with her all-around skill, particularly her ability in the back row.

“She was a great defender in high school,” said Waite, who has compared Wack’s abilities to those of former Wisconsin standouts Sara Urbanek and Erin Byrd. “She’s always calm on defense and fluid on the floor. She’s got a great volleyball mind and is very accurate in her passing.”

Thus far, she has not disappointed. In her first taste of Big Ten action, the rookie from Salem, Wis., recorded a combined 41 digs in matches with Ohio State and Penn State, averaging 5.86 digs per game for the weekend. Against the Buckeyes, Wack had the chance to dig one of the nation’s best hitters, All-American outside hitter Stacey Gordon.

“We watched a lot of tape, especially of Gordon,” Wack said. “We knew she has pretty much every shot, but a lot of the balls come across the court — my way. The blockers did a pretty good job of channeling the ball to me. I just tried to be ready. It’s a good feeling, digging a really good hitter.”

Wack proved up to the challenge, popping up 19 digs in the Badgers’ 3-1 loss. She followed that performance by tallying a career-high 22 digs against the Nittany Lions. She has been equally impressive in her service receive. Wack was not aced in either conference match — heady stuff for a true freshman starting in the Big Ten.

“She’s next to a couple of seniors most of the time,” Waite said. “Usually freshmen will defer to the senior early in the season because they think she should back off and it’s the upperclassmen’s ball, but we’ve let her know she should go for everything she can. The more aggressive she can be, the less our hitters have to pass and then go hit. It really opens it up for our offense when she starts taking more balls.”