With a win in this weekend’s InnTowner Invitational, UW volleyball head coach Pete Waite will celebrate his 500th career win.

“The plan was to get it last weekend and not wait until this weekend, but this is how it laid out,” Waite said in his press conference Monday. “You know, it will be great, especially to be here in front of the fans. And so many of the fans, especially for me, this is my 10th season. So, for nine years a lot of those wins are right here, almost half of my career. So, that’s special for me because of how many people come out to watch the games, both the students and the people in the community.”

Waite got his first major coaching job at Northern Illinois University, where he became the most successful coach in school history with a 266-102 record over 11 years. Under Waite, the Huskies won eight regular-season conference titles and six conference tournaments. He was also named conference coach of the year three times.

After his successful run at NIU, Waite became head coach of the Badgers in 1999. Since then, the Madison-area native has led Wisconsin to an impressive 228-67 record and two Big Ten titles. He also led the volleyball team to a second place finish in the NCAA Tournament in 2000.

However, Waite does not see it as a milestone. Instead, he continues to look toward the future and the potential of his current team.

“It’s just another number for me, actually,” Waite said. “It just makes me remember and think about the people who have helped — the staff and the assistant coaches over the years. The tough times, the times you battle for some of those wins, the times you squeak some out that you might have taken losses on. In general, I hope there’s many more to come in the future, but it’s just a number, really.”

Loss of core players contributes to first loss of the season

At the UNLV Invitational last weekend, the Badgers experienced their first loss of the season to Miami (Ohio), 3-1. Throughout the game, Wisconsin was held to just a .141 hitting percentage while the Red Hawks had three players with double-digit kills.

Waite said the team lost because of a disconnect between the team and their game plan. Although the team has experience, Waite said, they are missing the core players who graduated last season who controlled the ball most of the time.

“We played Miami of Ohio, who is a really solid MAC team,” Waite said. “Unfortunately we took a loss there, and it’s something that’s going to help us become better because we found some things we need to work on.”

Their loss in the tournament caused the Badgers to drop four spots in the AVCA Poll to No. 14. Although they lost against the Red Hawks, the Badgers were able to rebound that afternoon by sweeping Cal State Fullerton.

Freshman towers over rest

With the addition of freshman middle blocker Elle Ohlander, the Badgers not only get an excellent player, but they build on an already tall lineup. Ohlander is listed as 6-foot-6-inches and has already contributed both skill and personality to the team. 

“She’s hilarious out there,” Waite said. “She just cracks us up. She will make a play, make a great score and she will turn around and make some sort of cheer that’s just a riot. She came after serving a play ball on defense, and I think it went in front of her. She did the splits and just looked like a giraffe going down on the ground. I mean she is tall.”

So far, Ohlander has become a major contributor to the offense. She is averaging just over 1.5 kills per game and is constantly a threat on the block along with 6-foot-3-inch outside hitter Katherine Dykstra.