The stage is set this week for two intense and important matches for the UW Women's volleyball team. The Badgers (5-3 Big Ten, 14-5 overall) are coming off an impressive home stand last weekend with wins over No. 25 Michigan State Friday and Michigan Saturday. The victories moved UW into a tie for third place in the Big Ten and a ranking of No. 15 in the nation.
The Badgers have two crucial away games this week when they travel to Northwestern (5-3, 12-8) Wednesday and to University Park Saturday to play No. 9 Penn State (7-1, 17-2). Senior middle blocker Lori Rittenhouse believes the games are vital to the future success of the team.
\These are definitely must-win games, as are the rest of the games from here on out,"" Rittenhouse said.
Wisconsin has never won in 12 appearances at Penn State. The Nittany Lions hold the all-time lead in the series 22-3, with each team winning at home last season.
With victories this week, Wisconsin could stir up the Big Ten standings even more in what is turning out to be a conference with no clear-cut dominant team.
""At this point the Big Ten is up for grabs, no one team has dominated anyone else,"" Head Coach Pete Waite said.
Waite used his fifth different starting lineup this past weekend when he moved junior outside hitter Lisa Zukowski to libero and sophomore outside hitter Jill Odenthal to the left side.
""Every game somebody different steps up and solidifies themselves in the starting lineup,"" Waite said.
The only two players who have started all 19 matches this year have been senior outside hitter Erin Byrd and junior setter Morgan Shields. Byrd has been the team's most consistent player this season and is having the best year of her Badger career. She is coming off an impressive weekend where she was one of the Big Ten Co-Players of the Week. Byrd had a career-best 29 kills against Michigan State in addition to 13 digs.
Byrd also made the UW record books this weekend becoming the 12th player in Badger history with 1,000 kills and only the fourth person to have 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their career.
""I actually didn't even know that I was close to the record. After the game they announced that I had reached that milestone,"" Byrd said.
