However, after winning its first Big Ten game last weekend against Ohio State, the Badgers (6-7, 1-3 Big Ten) welcome Michigan State and Michigan for a weekend series at the Field House.
Now, while the Badgers sit at 1-3 in the conference, according to outside hitter Allison Wack, their confidence has been renewed since beating Ohio State last weekend for the team’s first conference win.
“I think we learned that when we bring together a full team effort, that’s when we can play really well,” Wack said. “Offensively, we were hitting great balls. … We just need to show up like that more often.”
While Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite was also pleased with the team’s effort against Ohio State, he also noted how well the team competed against No. 1 Penn State, NCAA’s two-time defending champion.
Waite said the Badgers’ record will only improve if they continue their strong play from last weekend’s win over the Buckeyes.
“I was very satisfied with the Ohio State match,” he said. “If we play like that in the upcoming Big Ten matches, we’re going to get some more wins. It’s exactly what we were looking for.”
The Badgers will need to carry that confidence through to this weekend, as the Badgers will face No. 18 Michigan State and No. 8 Michigan on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.
Despite winning its first Big Ten game last weekend, the volleyball team faces major challenges in the Spartans and Wolverines this weekend. In particular, the Badgers will have to defend Michigan State hitter Megan Schatzle, who tallied an impressive 20 kills in her last match.
Regardless, captain Brittney Dolgner said she and the Badgers won’t be focusing on any one player, but rather the entire opponent’s offensive attack.
“You don’t want to focus on one hitter because then you neglect everyone else,” Dolgner said. “You don’t want to put all your attention on her. You just have to be ready for everything they’re going to bring.”
Waite also noted how strong of a player Schatzle is; however, his feelings reflected those of Dolgner. According to Waite, just as Schatzle might be a game-changer come Friday, the Spartans boast several other players who have the ability to take over the match. Also, while the Spartans won both of their matches last weekend, Waite added that because of Michigan State’s inconsistency earlier in the season, the Badgers have a clear shot at winning the match.
“[Schatzle] is a phenomenal athlete and player, but they’ve had different players step up in different matches,” Waite said. “They’ve won a lot of good games, but lost some games they probably should have won.”
Michigan also poses a tough challenge with setter Lexi Zimmerman, who, in addition to notching 11.13 assists per set, is fourth on the Wolverines with 86 kills (1.62 per set). That poses several difficulties for the Badgers, who will also have to defend Juliana Paz and Alex Hunt, who average 4.23 and 3.09 kills, respectively.
“Michigan’s setter is really offensive and they’re really scrappy,” Dolgner said. “She’s going to be tough to defend, especially with all their other players who can hit well.”
Nevertheless, coming off last weekend’s 1-1 performance, the Badgers feel they can match up well against both teams. For Dolgner, it proved the team can play with the Big Ten’s best.
“It lifted everyone’s spirits I think,” Dolgner added. “It showed that we can play well against a really good team. We’ve just got to come together and do things consistently.”
As for this coming weekend, Waite knows that while the Badgers’ record may show their inconsistency and early struggles, the team has the potential to beat both these teams despite their high ranking.
“We know the teams pretty well — they’re playing good ball and have proven themselves outside the conference,” he said. “If our team shows up the way they did against Ohio State, we’ve got a shot at the win.”
