After a disappointing road trip last weekend, the Wisconsin volleyball team still seeks its first Big Ten victory, as UW hosts the Indiana Hoosiers Friday night. It won’t be an easy task against Indiana (14-4, 2-4 Big Ten), which is looking to build off big wins against Ohio State and Penn State from last week.
The Badgers are very eager to get in the win column for Big Ten play, but it’s been tough for them mentally.
“We’ve been really focused on winning lately, and I think that’s affecting our game, because we want to win so bad that we kind of tense up,” junior setter Janelle Gabrielsen said. “Right now we’re just focusing on improving and getting better, and with that we’re hoping that we get the win [on Friday].”
As far as stopping Indiana’s momentum, the team wants to stay aggressive while maintaining its focus.
“It’s going to be important for us to out pass and out block them,” sophomore middle blocker Alexis Mitchell said. She also talked about the importance of the team focusing on their style of play and not worrying about their opponent.
Gabrielsen talked about the team’s main challenges they face against Indiana.
“Jordan Haverly (sophomore outside hitter) is a really good hitter. They also have a center that’s front row, and she’s going to dump a lot, so we have to watch out for that.”
Although the Badgers have struggled against Big Ten teams, they’ve had a lot of close sets. Wisconsin has lost five sets by two points in conference play. UW also lost in close five-set matches to Ohio State and Michigan State.
It’s been tough for the Badgers, who started off well with an 11-0 record and then dropped six straight games. At 0-6 in the Big Ten, the Badgers are tied for the worst start in program history for conference play. Despite the losing streak, the team still has a positive mindset moving forward.
“We don’t have anything to lose right now,” Gabrielsen said. “All we have is to go forward. We’re just going to step up our game level and attack the other team.”
Gabrielsen had a great match last weekend against Michigan State. She nearly had a triple-double with 10 kills, 38 assists and seven digs. The Badgers will look for another impressive performance from Gabrielsen and the rest of the team this weekend.
Annemarie Hickey and Kim Kuzma also had notable play in the Michigan State game. Hickey had a double-double consisting of 15 kills and 10 digs. Kuzma went over 1,300 career digs with the 22 she accounted against Michigan State.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier after Indiana when the Badgers host Purdue (13-4, 4-2) on Sunday. Purdue is on a three game winning streak and recently defeated Ohio State and Penn State. The Boilermakers are ranked No.15 in the nation, so Wisconsin will face another tough Big Ten opponent at home.
Both upcoming matches against Indiana and Purdue will be home games for Wisconsin. At home the Badgers are 4-4 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten. Three of these losses were to teams who are ranked in the top 10 nationally (No. 3 Illinois, No. 5 Northwestern, No. 8 Penn State). Wisconsin needs to find a rhythm at home this weekend that will potentially give it the spark it needs.
It hasn’t been an ideal start to conference play for the Badgers, but that hasn’t dampened their spirits. They’re trying to adjust and move forward to better themselves for the rest of the season.
“It’s about forgetting about the past and starting anew right here,” Gabrielsen said.
