[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]The Wisconsin volleyball team finished its road trip last weekend with victories over Northwestern and Michigan State, winning each series three games to one. The wins gave UW a record of 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. UW will finally return home this weekend against Purdue Friday and Indiana Saturday.

Wisconsin has not played a home game since late August. During that stretch, the team has recorded only one loss, which occurred against Brigham Young Aug. 31.

Head coach Pete Waite said in his press conference Monday that the European trip this summer helped them get used to playing on the road.

"I think our preparation for our European trip and being on the road for two weeks in the summer made it easy to go on the road for four or five weekends in the fall because they are spread out," Waite said. "You are leaving Thursday and coming back on Saturday, so it doesn't seem as bad as it sounds. You are still in hostile environments and not in front of your home crowds, so I was really pleased with the way we grew as a team, and we solidified our lineup, which is what we wanted to do."

Over the month-long span of games on the road, the Badgers solidified their spot in the national rankings, moving as high as ninth in the CSTV/ACVA rankings.

A targeted team

Playing volleyball in the Big Ten is hard enough, but going on to an opposing team's court with a top 10 ranking makes it even tougher. The Badgers have had to travel with a bull’s-eye on their backs. However, Waite said that his team was prepared and had a plan to win.

"I think it's something that we have been used to," Waite said. "You know, the top three teams have been Penn State, Minnesota and Wisconsin, so anyone else is targeting you on your calendar and making it a big occasion. It's something the team is used to.

"But, they go through each team with a game plan, and we know the weaknesses, and we will try to make use of those and get the win."

Home court advantage

With any sport, having the fans behind you at your home court is always encouraging. They can help the team rally to victory or distort the opponents so they can't execute their strategies. Either way, it's an advantage to play at home. Waite said it could even add up to as much as four points per game.

"I've never thought about it in terms of points, but I would say four or five points and just the energy it gives the team," Waite said. "Our fans, if we get down one or two points, you hear a roar in the crowd, and they start clapping, and it gets the kids refocused and gives them another burst of energy. So, it could be three or four points per game, which adds up to a lot because a lot of these [games] come down to two points every time."

The Badgers ranked among the top in the Big Ten in attendance, according to a UW release. Their average of 4,328 fans per game is a league record for attendance.

Jeffers in the middle

After sustaining back injures last year, junior Audra Jeffers has been moved from an outside hitter to a middle blocker. Since then, she has received the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors and has been among the top of the league in blocks. Against Michigan State, she also racked up eight kills.

"One reason that we moved her was that we feel the cause of her back injury was that she arches so much to get power in her spike," Waite said. "Some kids turn and turn sideways to get their power, but she arched backwards, and we feel that was part of the stress fracture. In the middle, you don't have as much time to arch your back. It's just a very quick jump and a very quick arm swing, and she's got that fast swing."

Waite has been pleased with Jeffers’ transition and her ability to quickly adapt to the new position.

"She is also a very fast learner," Waite said. "Ever since her freshman year, you would tell her something, and she would pick it up very quickly."

Waite also said that Jeffers was moved because of the emergence of Kat Dykstra, who is taller and has a higher vertical leap than Jeffers. Waite moved Dykstra to the outside because she could defend against their opponents’ top hitters better than Jeffers.