With the Wisconsin volleyball team off to a hot 5-1 start to its 2012 campaign, the squad will make an eager return to the UW Field House to host the 21st annual Inn Tower Invitational this weekend. The Badgers will look to secure their 11th home- opening victory in 14 years under head coach Pete Waite’s command.
The first two opponents of the weekend, the Drake Bulldogs and North Dakota State Bison, have only combined for one win in the opening games of the season, helping to lessen any homecoming jitters the Badgers might have otherwise had.
At this point in the season, Waite is focused on his team playing up to its own abilities without fostering concern for his opponent’s tactics.
“You get a little bit of a look at the other teams. You try to solve them when you get on the court with them, but it’s mostly your own side of the net that you want to be playing the highest level,” Waite said. “We’re going to be serving really tough, try to keep them out of their offense, passing solid balls so our center can run good offense on our side of the net.”
UW-Milwaukee may prove to be a more challenging test for Wisconsin, posting a 4-3 record and winning its last two matches in sweeps. Milwaukee is seeking its third-straight Horizon League championship and its ninth in the past 10 years.
The Panthers’ middle blocker may pose the most dangerous threat to a flawless Badger weekend. Sophomore Rachel Neuberger was named to the all-tournament team in both of the first two weekends this season. She also boasted the Horizon League’s top spot in hitting percentage last year and was second in blocks.
As Neuberger’s counterpart, senior Badger Alexis Mitchell is capable of holding her own against Milwaukee’s best. The 6-foot middle blocker ranks second on the team with 2.86 kills per set, and her 1.33 blocks per set is good for third in the Big Ten, leading the Badgers as the top blocking team in the conference.
In her fourth year as a starter, Mitchell says she is ready to dominate the front court.
“I definitely consider myself somebody who can terminate the ball, and I want the ball,” Mitchell said. “Our passers have been passing great, which allows me to do my job. I’m a big force in the front row now.”
An additional force at the net has been senior Bailey Reshel. She already surpassed last year’s high in kills with 15 in Wisconsin’s most recent win over Long Beach State. The Hortonville native also set a personal best with seven blocks in a sweep over James Madison last weekend, a match in which Wisconsin set a season-high with 14 stuffs.
Reshel hopes to continue her success at the Inn Tower Invitational this weekend by focusing on teamwork.
“We’ve been stressing playing as a team and not so much putting pressure on ourselves but just letting things go and having fun on the court,” Reshel said. “I think that had a lot to do with how I performed [last weekend].”
While the Badgers may be coasting now, they are still focused on their ultimate goal – an NCAA tournament appearance. Wisconsin hasn’t reached the tournament since the 2007-08 season, when the team finished second in the Big Ten.
Coach Waite said the chase for an NCAA berth starts early in the season.
“The team is hungry to get back there,” Waite said. “They’re working as hard as they can in each practice and each match to make sure that they take advantage of the opportunity early in the season so they have a chance later in the season to go to the tournament.”
Mitchell has not made an NCAA tournament appearance in three full seasons as a Badger. She acknowledges that reaching the tournament has been a goal of hers every year but understands that the goal won’t simply manifest itself in a short time.
So the senior is now focused on taking smaller steps to complete her number one objective, starting with a successful effort in the team’s home opener this Friday against Drake.
“I think this year it’s very attainable,” Mitchell said. “And it’s a goal that I don’t have to think about every day. I just think about each match one at a time.”
