This weekend, the Wisconsin volleyball team (19-7 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) will face No. 2 Penn State (22-2,13-1) and Ohio State (16,10- 4-10) at the Field House for its last two regular season home matches. Noteworthy foes of the Badgers, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes,will bring an exciting end to what has been a competitive 2013 season in the Big Ten thus far.
The weekend will kick off with the conference-leading Nittany Lions. Recently, Penn State has been cruising along, riding a 13-match winning streak. Additionally, they lead the Big Ten attack percentage both as an offensive whole (.323) as well as individually with 6-foot-2 outside hitter junior Nia Grant putting up a .418 attack percentage. Defensively, the Lions dominate at the net, leading the Big Ten with 3.10 stuffs per set and 1.61 blocks per set.
“They’re talented, they’re good, they’re experienced,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield. “You know we had a heck of a battle at their place and weren’t able to close down the sets the way that we needed to. We’re happy we get a second shot at it.
On Sunday, the Badgers play the Buckeyes, which they defeated 3-2 on Oct. 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State just came off an eight-match losing streak this past weekend ranking them 10th in the Big Ten at 4-10.
The last time Wisconsin played Ohio State, they won in five, but freshman setter Lauren Carlini expects the Buckeyes to be more on point this time around. She expects the Buckeyes to come back with vengeance and battle through Sunday’s match.
As the season comes to a close, both Sheffield and Carlini complete their first year with the team while lone senior libero Annemarie Hickey steps on to the court at the UW Field House for the last time this Sunday.
“I actually haven’t thought about it up until this week,” Hickey said with a laugh. “I am so grateful for what I was able to do with this team and have this opportunity. It’s not just about playing volleyball. It’s about everything else too. We’re having a great season this year and I couldn’t ask for a better coaching staff or better teammates.”
Hickey will be honored at Sunday’s match against Ohio. She finished out her time at Wisconsin strong, ranking third on the UW career list with 1,653 digs and third with 3.95 digs per set.
“She will be remembered as one of the all-time greats that has played at Wisconsin. How could she not?” Sheffield said. “She is one of the best players in her time in the conference. She has had a great career and has given a lot to this program.”
This weekend will be an emotional one for Hickey, but she refuses to give anything up to bring home a much-wanted win for the Badgers. With other teams in the Big Ten saying Penn State is unbeatable, Hickey is looking at this weekend with a different mentality.
“We come in and say, here is another opportunity for us to win no matter who is on the other side. I think that this week we are focusing on staying together as a team and working on our chemistry. We are being confident.”
Execution is key for the Badgers this weekend. Last time these two teams faced, the Badgers started out strong but fell short toward the end of each set, letting the Lions take home a win. The Badgers need to focus on getting under the ball in the backcourt and extending rallies to compete with the athleticism and physical nature of the Nittany Lions.
Sunday brings a whole new game, one that the Badgers hope will be a repetition of the last time they faced Ohio State. This weekend is an exciting one for the Badgers and will challenge them to bring together everything they have worked so hard for this season.
With Hickey’s farewell, she is hoping for one thing: The Badgers play with enthusiasm and have fun out on the court.
“I just want us and myself to go out there and have fun, let go, play the game how the game should be played.”
