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The match at the Field House will try to divert some of the attention away from State Street Friday night, as the Wisconsin volleyball team will try to complete the week sweep against Michigan State.
The No. 25 Badgers are coming off a three-game victory over Northwestern Wednesday, which put a halt to a four-game losing streak that accumulated over the last two weeks.
“The win was great,” senior middle blocker Audra Jeffers said. “Not just the fact we won, but the fact we played really well as a team. You can tell people were really fighting for each other, really wanting to get a good pass or put up a good block. Just play as a team.”
Wednesday, the Badgers were consistent on both ends of the floor. They were able to hit .274 while limiting the Wildcats to just .119. The Badgers were also able to rake up 42 kills and 39 digs as a team.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” junior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner said. “Just the way we handled them in there — it felt really go to flow and have good passing and good hitting.”
The Badgers came out for Wednesday’s game with more confidence than they had during the previous few weeks. Jeffers attributes the team’s victory to mental toughness as well as their solid all-around play.
“I think it’s just our mentality,” Jeffers said. “We came out mentally tough. We came out with an attitude that we were going to win. Whereas in our last four losses we came out without an aggressive mentality.”
During Wednesday’s match, the Badgers found the consistency they were looking for during their losing streak. Now they are looking to find some success in the second half of the season.
“We would like to put together a string of wins,” Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said. “We were a little up and down in the first half, and I think the team is going to come together and be much more focused and focused on their individual jobs and playing as a team.”
The Badgers are going on a short week of practice because of Wednesday’s games. However, both the players and the coaches think the few days of practice will help them carry the momentum into their next game.
“It’s not bad,” Waite said. “In ways, it’s actually better because you are not training too hard, you are going a little lighter, and you are ready to refocus right away and get back out there. The players look forward to the matches more than anything.”
Friday’s match against Michigan State (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten) should help the Badgers continue their strong start to the second half of the season. The Spartans are led by sophomore Jenilee Rathje, who is averaging 3.93 kills per game, which ranked her fourth in the Big Ten entering the week.
“They bring a lot of different weapons in the front row,” Dolgner said. “They have a bunch of good freshmen on the right side and left side. I think they are going to bring different shots we haven’t seen yet.”