The Wisconsin volleyball team has been almost unbeatable at home this year, and will look to continue its dominance in the Field House while hosting Northwestern and Illinois this weekend.
"It's really one of our goals just to win our matches at home and take advantage of our home crowd," head coach Pete Waite said. "Obviously for the Big Ten race and the NCAA pairings, these are big matches for us. We are taking these [matches] very seriously."
Coming off wins at both Michigan and Michigan State last weekend, the Badgers are currently riding a five-match winning steak.
The key to the Badgers' play over their streak has been a balanced attack, hitting over .300 as a team in four of the last five matches.
"They have really changed their attitude," Waite said. "They are more confident on the court, more aggressive in everything they are doing. [Junior setter Jackie Simpson] has sped up the offense and really opened up her hitters more than she [had] in the first month of the season. She is doing that because the back-row players are passing and defending really well."
Friday night, Wisconsin will face a surging Northwestern team. The Wildcats have won three straight and moved into a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten with Ohio State. The team brings in a balanced attack, with five players averaging over two kills per game, and junior outside-hitter Lindsay Anderson averaging 3.58 kills per game.
"Northwestern has a real balanced attack," Waite said. "They are the kind of team where if they light it up and they can get going, they can go on some good streaks. They are right in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten right now. That's obviously a dangerous type of team."
In Saturday night's matchup, Wisconsin will face a team that is heading in the complete opposite direction of Northwestern in Illinois.
After starting the year 12-5, the Illini have lost five of their last seven games to fall into a tie for eighth place in the conference.
Illinois is lead by sophomore outside-hitter Kayani Turner, who is second in the Big Ten with 4.73 kills per game, and middle-blocker Vicki Brown.
"Illinois [has] Turner on the outside who has been doing really well," Waite said. "Brown's a very quick player. There where times when we were down in Illinois, where she was hitting over the top of our block and scoring, so we know she is capable of doing some great things."
Even though the Illini have been struggling of late, they are still fighting for their playoff lives.
"Both Illinois and Northwestern are teams that are fighting to have a shot at a NCAA bid," Waite said. "If they get a couple of good wins under their belts in the next couple of weeks in Big Ten play that can really make the difference to them and turn their season around. We know they are coming in with that attitude, and we have to step up our game and play a good weekend."
If the Badgers are going to avoid a letdown this weekend, Waite said the key is to maintain the momentum they have been able to build during their winning streak.
"I think we have to continue the pace of play we've had since the Penn State-Ohio State weekend," Waite said. "We did a nice job last weekend on the road in Michigan-Michigan State.
"The team is really focused in all the meetings and in all the practices," he added. "They are excited about the last stretch of the season here."
