For the second time this spring, the University of Wisconsin volleyball team showed it might need a bit more time to return to its winning ways.
However, while Wisconsin split the four sets played Saturday in an exhibition match against the North Dakota State Bison, it showed improvement unseen last week against Iowa State, when the Badgers lost all four games to the Cyclones.
The small crowd on hand at the Field House had a chance to see junior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner for the first time this spring after she sat out last week due to a minor illness. According to her teammates, her presence on the court made a big difference in the exhibition match.
“[Brittney] made a huge difference. She always does,” junior setter Jessa Benson said. “Her energy level is always there no matter how our team is playing. As far as the intensity level goes, it’s awesome. She always has a way of bringing up the team and energizing the team, so it was a huge help.”
“She balances out our team,” interim assistant coach Cathy Noth added. “She really is a go-to player. Those last couple of points she really put them away for us and that’s the kind of player she is — she can make plays and put us in a good situation.”
Dolgner was also excited to get back on the court after missing her first spring match.
“It feels really good to be back out there with the girls and training for the first full week has been really good and, a lot of good things have been happening,” she said.
Without Dolgner last week, the Badgers tested out their new 5-1 offensive scheme against the Cyclones. Though they didn’t do much damage against Iowa State, UW clearly made improvements over the course of the week, as it came back from two sets down to end Saturday’s match with a split.
Noth was pleased with the way the Badgers bounced back to earn the split.
“It’s always nice to a coach to see that comeback and for them to figure out what needs to happen on the court,” Noth said. “They provided more energy, they had more celebrations, they started to come together as a team, and that really builds a team. It builds a team’s confidence and betters themselves for the fall season.”
While the exhibitions have no effect on the team’s standing, Noth and the players know the spring season is valuable to the conference season in the fall. Furthermore, after a subpar finish last year, the Badgers have much on which to improve.
“Spring is about our side of the net,” Noth said. “Having our players be successful and figuring out ways to win and bettering themselves as players.”
Also, while Benson just joined the team this spring after playing three seasons at Northern Illinois, she saw an immediate improvement from last week when the team had a lackadaisical performance against Iowa State. According to Benson, the comeback alone shows how much the team has improved during the spring season.
“It was fun, I feel like we can do more of that,” she said. “I feel like in the past maybe we’ve keeled up and died, but I feel like we’re a new team and hopefully we’re going to show more of that.”
Dolgner led the Badgers with 14 kills and sophomore outside hitter Allison Wack followed closely behind her with 13 of her own.
However, with the game on the line, Dolgner took over, seemingly single-handedly giving the Badgers two wins after dropping the first two against the Bison.
After seeing the team lose badly to Iowa State last week, according to Dolgner, the team needed a leader to make sure it didn’t happen again, and on Saturday, it happened to be her.
“Stepping up into the leadership role,” Dolgner said. “I mean this is my last spring, somebody’s gotta do it, I just thought I’d step in there and try it.”
