The 2003 UW women's volleyball regular season gets under way Aug. 29 with the Badger Invitational. The No. 17 ranked Badgers will play host to the University of Washington, New Hampshire and Missouri-Kansas City in a round robin beginning Friday night at 7 p.m. at the UW Field House.
After back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2000 and 2001, the UW volleyball squad finished the 2002 season second in the Big Ten standings with a 24-9 overall record, a No. 18 ranking in the final USA Today Top 25 poll and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Head Coach Pete Waite enters his fifth season at the helm of a national powerhouse with the task of reuniting the UW program with the best in country.
\We have to play with an edge, a real attitude,"" Waite said. ""We want to go after a Big Ten title. What's different this year though is that we are not the defending champions. Now we are fighting to get back to the top and we'll have to really battle every day to get there.""
After losing three seniors to graduation, Waite returns a strong nucleus of players and also adds one of the top recruiting classes in the nation and in UW history. Senior co-captains, all-American setter Morgan Shields and outside hitter/libero Lisa Zukowski return in 2003 with senior liberos Jill Maier and Angie Sanger, to finish out their Badger tenures amidst the high expectations to carry and prepare their younger teammates for Big Ten competition. Shields finished last season as the Big Ten's top and nation's fourth best in assists with 13.91 per game. Zukowski, the converted libero, will be looked as the team's best utility player after finishing second on the team last year with 2.83 digs per game. Maier appears to have the upper hand for the other libero position on Waite's squad, as the Oak Creek, Wis. native carries with her a 1.69 digs per game average from a season ago.
Of the rest of the players returning for the Badgers expected to make significant impacts on the team, junior outside hitters Jill Odenthal and Marian Weidner are the ones with the most experience. Odenthal racked up double-digit kills in 19 matches averaging 3.16 per contest while Weidner earned her playing time with strong left side defense.
Also projected to start for UW are sophomores outside hitter Aubrey Meierotto and middle blocker Sheila Shaw and freshmen outside hitters Amy Bladow and Maria Carlini. Shaw is the Badgers' top returning blocker averaging .83 and 2.04 kills per game. On top of starting 18 games her freshman campaign, Shaw was also named to the 2002 Big Ten All-Freshmen team.
""This team is going to have a great mix of talent and personalities,"" Waite said. ""I think the fans will see that this team is here to play hard for each other and they're all willing to put what's best for the team in front of any individual agendas.""
Beginning with the strong, positive attitude of the coach and the dedication of his players, this UW program continues to excel nationally and draw more and more talent nationwide. In addition, this commitment to excellence has also drawn the top homegrown athletes, all in all, providing for great fan attendance and support. It is no surprise then that the UW Badgers women's volleyball team has attracted the top attendance in the Big Ten and the third best in the nation three years running.
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