[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]After bringing home their second Big Ten tournament title in school history, the Wisconsin Badgers (13-8-2) are headed to Milwaukee to battle in-state rival Marquette (17-3-2) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This year marks the Badgers 14th trip to the NCAA tournament and they are one of five Big Ten teams in the field this year as Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State and Illinois also received bids.

This season can best be described as a daunting rollercoaster ride for the Badgers. After starting out the season 3-0, Wisconsin ran into one bad bounce after another and saw its overall record drop to 6-8-2 as it fell far out of the national rankings.

However, after qualifying for the Big Ten tournament and dominating their opponents on their way to the title, Wisconsin is riding a seven-game winning streak and seems to have all the momentum on their side of the field once again. For head coach Dean Duerst, this season has been one-of-a-kind.

"I've never experienced a season like this in which the ending result was us winning a Big Ten title," Duerst said. "We have had other seasons where we have played a couple overtimes that didn't get the breaks we needed [but] not as many as I have seen us have this year.

"Now with the turnaround as strong as it was, it just shows that this team is a special group and they proved that. They made history this year with the kind of year they had."

Marquette, who hasn't appeared in the tournament in the past two seasons, has had an outstanding year. Led by forwards Christy Zwolski and Lauren Weber, Marquette has won nine out of its last 11 games, including a victory over defending national champion Notre Dame.

Zwolski and Weber have been constant offensive threats for the Golden Eagles as they are first and second respectively on the team in goals, points and shots. However, the strength of Marquette is its sophomore goalie, Lauren Boyer.

The Iowa State transfer has been a force for Marquette, starting every game this season. She has allowed only 18 goals on the season, an average of less than one per game.

Marquette's style of play, according to senior captain Amy Vermeulen, is a lot like that of a Big Ten team and will provide a good opening round challenge for the Badgers.

"They are pretty similar to a Big Ten team," Vermeulen said. "We have played them basically every year except this year and we know what to expect. We know that they are going to be really tough and we're looking forward to that challenge."

Duerst agreed, stating that Marquette is a balanced team that combines high energy and competes at a high level every game.

"They are a really hard working, energy-filled team. They don't have a [Penn State forward Tiffany] Weimer superstar on their team [because] the team is the superstar. They all work for each other very hard. Their coaches motivate them really well and they use their home field for energy with their fans. That's who they are."

Duerst is expecting a hard-fought battle between the two in-state foes.

"I think both teams match up really well with each other," Duerst said. "There is a lot of respect between our programs, which is a good thing. There is no way you ever overlook any team in your state."

Along with Vermeulen, seniors Marissa Brown, Katy Lindenmuth, and Jessica Ring have been cornerstones in the Wisconsin program for the past four seasons. Their play and team chemistry have helped Wisconsin compile 52 wins over the past four seasons.

"We have the seniors here that have been in the NCAAs and have experienced those games," Duerst said. "They also want to go further than they ever have gone before."

To achieve that goal, the Badgers would have to get past the second round of tournament play. They lost to Pepperdine 2-1 in 2002 and Notre Dame 1-0 last season. This season however, the extra year of experience and the momentum the Badgers are carrying has them poised for a run at history.

"This is a team that knows they can play with anybody in the country because of the experience on the field for us," Duerst said. "The seniors, in particular, they want to go to the final four. If you're in athletics, you want to go to final four and that's our destination. They want to make real history and go all the way to the finals."