The 2004 Wisconsin volleyball team is certainly a young one.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the back row, where freshmen defensive specialists Megan Mills and Amanda Berkley have joined rookie libero Jo Wack in handling the Badgers’ defense and passing.

“I’ve never coached a team like that,” head coach Pete Waite said. “There’s time where you look across and we have those three passing in the back row — three freshmen — plus a freshman setter or a sophomore, then another freshman middle or a sophomore middle. It’s a very young group but it’s encouraging for us and they’re working very hard at what they’re doing.”

Early in the season, Waite had allowed outside hitters Aubrey Meierotto and Jill Odenthal to remain on the court when they rotated to the back row. The freshman duo of Mills and Berkley, however, gradually began working their way onto the court in place of the veteran front row players.

“For Aubrey [Meierotto], we were trying to get her a little more of a rest so in the front row she’d really be fresh with her legs,” Waite said. “‘Berks’ (Berkley) and Mills were coming on and playing really well in practice, so it made us think about them with their defense, their passing and their serving. ‘Odie’ (Jill Odenthal) went through a stretch where she was struggling with her serve and pass for a little bit, so they stepped in and helped us out and made us more of a solid team.”

Hailing from Portage, Wis., Mills did not make her UW debut until the Badgers’ fifth match of the season, a meeting with Rhode Island at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. She made her first home appearance against Marshall at the InnTowner Invitational. Her first extended action came in the Badgers’ Big Ten opener against All-American Stacey Gordon and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“I was actually more nervous after I made the first pass because it was Stacey Gordon who served it at me,” said Mills, whose aunt Andrea York played volleyball at Wisconsin from 1989-90. “After I passed it, I was more nervous, just thinking ‘Oh my God.’ Once you get in there, you just get caught up in the moment.”

A natural perfectionist, the 5-foot-6 Mills endured an at-times shaky preseason while adjusting to NCAA volleyball.

“I do put a lot of pressure on myself to make that perfect pass, so I start thinking too much and things just crumble,” Mills said. “It was definitely a rough preseason, but I’ve bounced back and done better.”

Mills has responded by averaging 0.88 digs per game while playing back row and periodically serving in place of Odenthal. Appearing in Wisconsin’s last eight matches, she has been a consistent presence in the Badger rotation throughout the conference season.

“She’s settled into things now,” Waite said of Mills. “Her game has improved a lot since the first three weeks. I think she was trying too hard and was playing a little tight on the court. She’s getting much more comfortable. She’s coming through with a really tough serve at times and her passing has become real consistent, too.”

Berkley took an unusual route to the Field House court. A sophomore academically, she earned her place on the Wisconsin roster through an on-campus open tryout in the spring.

“I had tried out for soccer and I didn’t make it, so I was like, ‘I’ll try out for volleyball,'” Berkley said. “I had emailed the coaches and they told me when the open tryout was. I came and it was an hour-long tryout and they asked me back. I played with them for a month and then they asked me to be on the team for the fall.”

Berkley received the news well.

“I was so excited,” Berkley said. “I wanted to cry, my whole family was so excited. I’ve always wanted to be a part of this program. When I was little I’d come to Badger games and it was just awesome.”

She played prep ball at Washington Park High School in Racine, where she was a two-time first-team all-conference selection.

The first player to make the team via on-campus tryouts in Waite’s six-year tenure, Berkley won over the Wisconsin staff with her consistency and determination.

“She’s a well-rounded athlete, didn’t have a great wealth of time on the court as far as being a club player, but she was very consistent,” Waite said. “Her personality is great, too. She’s very positive, just loves playing volleyball and loves being a Badger.”

Not expecting much playing time in her first season, Berkley has found herself on the court frequently, averaging 1.12 digs per game. She recorded her first career dig in UW’s season-opening loss to Missouri at the Badger Challenge.

“The first time on the court, my legs were shaking,” Berkley said. “I was just so nervous in front of that many fans.”

The two freshmen now find themselves playing next to, and sometimes taking balls from, the team’s veteran players. While the idea was somewhat nerve-wracking in the beginning, it has quickly become old hat for the rookies.

“It’s kind of in the back of your head — you hope they’re not mad,” Mills said. “But in the end, it doesn’t matter who’s doing it, we need a team effort to get the win. I don’t think about that too much now.”

Instead, they can concentrate on their important role of initiating the Wisconsin offense.

“We’ve got a much bigger team, so we’re blocking much better this year,” Waite said. “Our offense is pretty good, but without great defenders and passers, we’d be nothing.”