After losing half of their starters to graduation, this year's women's volleyball team is making up what they lost in experience in height, averaging 6'0\ on the court. While this year's team may be young, newly-named freshman setter Jackie Simpson has a semester up on her freshman teammates after graduating high school early last year, which should prove to be a huge boost for the team.
""I think it made a huge difference,"" Simpson said. ""Not only do I know how our practices are run, but I know how our sets are called and how to run them. If I had just been coming in now, I'd still be learning that. So it's working on the little details now versus the whole offense.""
While Simpson adjusts to her new starting role for the Badgers, the team hopes to make a smooth transition after losing Morgan Shields, Lisa Zukowski and Jill Maier to graduation. Wisconsin finished fourth in the Big Ten in the 2003 season, the lowest standing since 1996 when the Badgers finished fifth. Badger Head Coach Pete Waite hopes the team can improve consistency after finishing the season 22-11 (13-7 in Big Ten).
""We have some players who have really improved, but you have to be consistent, not just from the first game to the fifth game, but from the first game to the last game of the Big Ten season,"" Waite said.
As one of the veterans on the team, senior outside hitter Jill Odenthal looks to shoulder some of the burden by helping newer teammates adjust to the life of the athlete. But inexperience outside the Field House remains a concern.
""While it's a young team, I think what they did in high school and with their club teams gave them a lot of great experience, and I think they play like veterans,"" Waite said. ""But the thing they're not used to yet is going on the road in the Big Ten.""
The Big Ten will likely prove to be a testing ground for the young Badgers with seven of the Big Ten teams playing in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Big Ten tabbed Minnesota as the team to beat with Penn State finishing second and the Badgers third, a higher preseason prediction than last year.
Wisconsin will need to find a way to set itself apart from the preseason favorites.
""We need to take a step each weekend with our game,"" Odenthal said. ""We cannot peak until the end of the season ... that's where our success is going to be.\
