The No. 15 University of Wisconsin volleyball team hosted Indiana and Ohio State last weekend, winning both contests. The Badgers (8-4 Big Ten, 17-6 overall) avenged an early-season loss to the Hoosiers (5-6, 15-8) with match scores of 30-21, 30-24 and 30-28. After a slow start in the first game, Wisconsin dominated down the stretch.
In the second game, Wisconsin and Indiana stayed close, but once again the Badgers swept forward at the end. Game three was the hardest-fought contest, with Wisconsin fighting hard from a 21-17 deficit to win the match.
\We let down early in the match, but we built momentum going into the third game,"" said senior outside hitter Erin Byrd.
Head Coach Pete Waite had similar thoughts on UW's opening win.
""I think [the team] came out a little slow right at the beginning but they sure caught up fast and got things going,"" Head Coach Pete Waite said. ""As all our matches have been, we've had a lot of people contribute coming off the bench and doing a nice job and that was real important for us tonight.""
In the victory, 12 Badgers saw action, including Shaw with 11 kills, and junior libero Lisa Zukowski and junior setter Morgan Shields with eight digs each on defense.
In addition to a win, Friday night also marked a milestone for Waite's coaching career, as he notched his 100th victory and looked to continue that streak against the Buckeyes on Saturday. That night's contest versus the (5-7, 11-10) Ohio State Buckeyes saw the Badgers continue their winning ways. The game extended to four matches with scores of 30-18, 22-30, 30-23, 32-30. Wisconsin's blocking was the story of the night, as the Badgers had a season-high 21 blocks against the Buckeyes. Contributing to the block party, Shaw had a career-high 10, sophomore outside hitter Lori Rittenhouse tied her career high of eight and senior middle blocker Amy Hultgren and Shields each had seven.
Byrd continued her great season, leading the team with 21 kills and 10 digs.
The fourth game was a real battle, with three of the last six plays decided by errors, but Wisconsin hung on and played for the win.
""I thought it was great that our team stayed steady in the fourth [game] and came from behind, which was real important for us to do,"" Waite said. ""They really made some big plays and that is what we've been looking for all season.\
