The sky is becoming grayer, the days are drearier, and the sun is disappearing earlier and earlier, but there is no sign of dormancy in the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team.
The Badgers (8-4 Big Ten , 17-6 overall) are riding the wave of a three-match winning streak heading into a must-win Big Ten weekend. The Badgers first face Iowa (2-10, 8-14) Friday night in Iowa City, Iowa and then head to Minneapolis Sunday to take on the No. 7 Gophers (11-1, 24-3).
\Three matches in a row in the Big Ten is great for us. We've struggled [at] times this year putting back-to-back wins together and being focused through the whole [match],"" Wisconsin Head Coach Pete Waite said.
The hot streak has pushed the Badgers back to the top of the Big Ten, where they sit tied for second place with Penn State and Michigan. That gives this weekend's two conference matches even more significance, according to Waite.
""These are must-win matches for us. We have to slow Minnesota down, but we need to take care of business down at Iowa first,"" he said.
The last three matches have been pretty much all business for the Badgers. Heading into this weekend, the Badgers are in the top four in the Big Ten in every team statistical category with the exception of blocks. That need was shored up as the team recorded a season-high 21 blocks versus Ohio State Nov. 2.
""If we can keep our blocking how it is, it's going to frustrate a lot of offensive teams, which will be especially crucial against Minnesota,"" senior middle blocker Lori Rittenhouse said.
Iowa and Minnesota each present different challenges for the Badgers. The Hawkeyes are reeling from a six-match losing streak while the Gophers are sitting atop the Big Ten, riding a six-match tear. Neither team can be overlooked, as both are must-need conference wins, according to Rittenhouse.
""In the past we've had problems playing well at Iowa, so that's a goal we have made as a team which will help us not overlook them [Iowa],"" Rittenhouse said. ""We played a real competitive, tough match against [Minnesota]. It went five [games] and it could have gone either way. We just didn't have that extra push.
""We're all really looking forward to a big grudge match. A little revenge factor will hopefully play into that.""
The revenge factor is that the Minnesota loss is the Badgers' sole home loss of the year'a 3-2 loss Oct. 4'and they look to return the favor to the Gophers this weekend.
The Badgers' current hot streak, combined with an upped defensive intensity, has come at the right time for the Badgers, as they look to push the teams they trail in the standings.
""It [the win streak] has been huge. It's critical. I think we've seen the little things that have helped us get to these three big wins,"" senior middle blocker Amy Hultgren said. ""We have a bigger confidence base that we are working from and I think that everything else comes from that.\
