The Wisconsin volleyball team begins their march to the
Final Four on Friday against the Northern Iowa Panthers at the UW Field House.

It is the Badgers' 12th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Last year, UW lost in the Sweet 16 to Texas. Their best finish came in 2000,
when they lost in the championship game.

The Field House will also host a match in which Iowa State
will be playing No. 16 San Diego. Last year, Iowa State played Wisconsin in the
second round of the tournament but lost 3-0. The winner of the game will play
the winner of Wisconsin vs. Northern Iowa.

"I was really excited to come back," Iowa State senior
Lauren Cummings said. "Last year was a great experience and coming back to a
place we've played last year, you know, really helps us out, and the crowd last
year was a great atmosphere."

The Badgers, who are the No. 1 seed in their region and the
seventh seed overall, will host the first two rounds of the tournament as well
as the regional finals. The next potential road match for Wisconsin would be
the Final Four in Sacramento, Calif.

"I would say they are excited. I don't think they are
nervous at all," UW head coach Pete Waite said. "I think they get up for big
matches and they know how important these are. They are happy to be home and
happy they can be playing in front of their fans, and the crowds that have been
so great so far here."

Having home court advantage until the Final Four is not only
advantageous for the team but for the seniors as well. If the Badgers do not
make it to the semifinals, the seniors will be able to finish out the Wisconsin
careers at home.

"Playing here at the Field House is unlike playing anywhere
else," Wisconsin senior setter Jackie Simpson said. "The fans are fantastic and
they always raise our level up. I know the seniors are really excited because,
if we don't make it to the Final Four, at least we get to end at home."

The tournament's other teams also stand to benefit from
playing at the Field House. Many coaches and players commented on how great it
is to play in front of a crowd that enjoys good volleyball.

"I think we are really comfortable playing in front of a
crowd," Northern Iowa senior setter Kristin Belzung said. "I think whomever you
are playing in front of, a crowd's a crowd, and it's really fun to feed off the
energy that's there and I'm really excited to play in front of that many fans.

Northern Iowa is making its 13th overall appearance in the
NCAA Tournament and their second in a row. Last year, they were swept in the
second round against Nebraska in Lincoln.

Friday will be the second time the Badgers have faced the
Panthers this season. The two teams met in the BYU Molten Classic in early
September, which the Badgers won 3-0. Since their early season meeting, both
teams have made several improvements.

"I think we are both very different teams," Northern Iowa
head coach Bobbi Petersen said. "But one of the biggest differences is in the
defensive side of things. I think we have picked up our defensive game a lot
since the first month and a half."

The Badgers were able to finish their season strong with
victories over Iowa and Minnesota, and they finished second in the Big Ten
behind Penn State, who is ranked No. 1 in the country. The recent success has
Wisconsin going into the tournament clicking on all cylinders.

"I would say the serving and passing has really stepped up
to a whole new level," Simpson said. "We have been serving a lot stronger and
pulling teams off their offense, which makes our defensive end and transitional
offense a lot easier to run."

With the depth and experience the Badgers have, there have
been comparisons made to the team that went to the championship in 2000. Though
they have a long way to go to reach the finals, Waite says they have the
necessary tools to go the distance.

"For what they have accomplished this season, it's a
very comparable team," Waite said. "It's a balanced group, which is important.
You can't have any weak spots to do what they did in the Big Ten season. It's
an experienced group and a group that's very intelligent. They have got a lot
of court smarts and that wins a lot of matches for them."