Even with a short week of preparation, the UW volleyball team (6-1 Big Ten, 14-2 overall) was able to put the Penn State loss out of their minds as they swept Northwestern (1-6, 10-7) 30-17, 30-27, 30-19. The decisive victory gives Wisconsin some positive momentum heading into Friday's battle with Indiana (1-5, 8-10).
\The team had time to get over that [loss] and refocus on what our goals are,"" said head coach Pete Waite. ""They came out with more of an attitude and were very confident tonight.""
""Just because we took that one loss, we're not going to hang our heads about it,"" said senior Aubrey Meierotto. ""We're going to take it as a learning experience and move on.""
After the teams traded points on the way to a 5-4 Badger lead, UW went on a tear, scoring nine straight points on junior Maria Carlini's serve. Their hope for stealing game one dismantled, the Wildcats never really recovered. Northwestern had the lead only three times in the match, with all of them coming within the first two points of the respective games. The Wisconsin defense was on target, holding the NU offense to a .128 hitting percentage and primary attacker Lindsay Anderson to a .026 percentage.
""Early in the match, we put up a nice block,"" said Waite. ""That maybe shook her confidence a little bit.""
Holding the line for the Badger defense up front were sophomore Taylor Reineke and senior Sheila Shaw, with seven and six blocks, respectively. The backcourt defense was stellar as well, as Carlini, sophomore Jocelyn Wack, and the defensive specialist, sophomore Amanda Berkley, all getting double figure digs.
Not to be outdone, the offense showed its prowess with three frontcourt players hitting over .400 en route to a .346 team percentage. Reineke had 10 kills and an astounding .526 hitting percentage, while redshirt freshman Audra Jeffers was also excellent, getting 15 kills and a .481 percentage. Shaw, Carlini, and Meierotto combined for another 27 kills.
""You can't write it up much better than that,"" said Waite. ""That's why we've done well this season, people can't key in on one or two of our players.""
Next up for the Badgers at the Field House is a struggling Indiana team. Currently on a four-match losing streak, the Hoosiers lost to Minnesota and Iowa at home last weekend. Most of the offense will go through freshman Erica Short (3.86 kills per game) and senior Rachel Gerling (2.95 kills per game). Gerling is the team's all-around threat, as she leads the team in digs and service aces and also averages a shade over a block per game. The Hoosiers' net defense is quite similar to Wisconsin's, as they also have two blockers averaging over 1.5 per game, in senior Mandy Eberle and sophomore Annie Moddrell.
Some milestones are very likely to be passed in Friday's duel. Meierotto is a mere nine kills away from 1000 for her career and would become the 15th player to accomplish the feat in UW history. Coach Waite has a barrier of his own, as he will get his 100th Big Ten win should the Badgers defeat the Hoosiers.
