After another successful regular season, the UW volleyball team (23-6) acquired an early Christmas present Sunday. In what was undoubtedly something they set their eyes on at the beginning of the season, the Badgers will host their first and second round matches in the NCAA tournament. A vital element to the fulfillment of that goal has been the play of sophomore libero Jocelyn Wack, who just broke her own UW record for number of digs in the Big Ten season.
'She's been a big reason for the turnaround in our program. Defense wins games,' head coach Pete Waite said. 'She's the kind of player who just reads really well, keeps the ball in play and frustrates the opponents.'
Coming to Madison from Salem, Wis., coaches knew they had a special player in Wack, but perhaps did not expect her to have the impact she has had in her first two seasons. Holding the majority of the UW single-season dig records and already seventh on their all-time list with 1,054 digs, Wack has surpassed any and all expectations that were put upon her.
'We knew how talented she was defensively,' Waite said. 'We knew we needed that kind of a player in the program. We were thrilled that the libero position was there for her to step right into.'
'I don't think I did [expect to have such an impact coming in], but I think it's a really big credit to our block,' Wack said. 'That's why I get so many of my digs, because of their hard work.'
Not only is Wack setting UW records, she is nearing an NCAA record. With 60 straight matches amassing double-digit digs, she needs a mere four more matches to break the record of 63, set earlier this year. The only game that she has not had 10 or more digs was her Wisconsin debut against Missouri last season.
'Now that I'm close to [the record], I really try to get my 10. There are a lot of people making a big deal out of it. I don't want to let them down,' Wack said. 'But I really don't think about it during the game, and if I get it, great.'
A big plus for Wack and the whole Badger team was the experience they gained during last season's NCAA tournament, especially the thrilling upset of then-No. 2 Hawaii. Wack earned her career high of 35 digs in the five-game match that needed 10 extra points before it ended.
'That experience helps a lot; you know the sense of urgency that there is to win now,' Wack said.
'That was huge for our big core of freshman players last year,' Waite said. 'Now they've seen what they can do in the NCAA tournament and they're hungry to do that again.'
Wisconsin's first-round match is identical to last year's, with their tournament starting against Loyola (13-17), who they defeated in a hard-fought sweep. Senior middle-blocker Hilary Stromath is the Ramblers' star, as she leads the team in kills and hitting percentage while adding almost a block a game. Junior Sarah Elmer sets up the offense with 10.5 assists per game, and junior Ann Deelo takes care of the defense with almost four digs per game. Although Loyola's record is not pretty, they did upset UW-Milwaukee in their conference tournament and have won seven of their last eight matches.
'They're in the NCAA tournament for a reason,' Wack said. 'We have to play them like we play anybody.'
Two Badgers given All-Big Ten honors
Senior middle-blocker Sheila Shaw and sophomore middle-blocker Taylor Reineke were named to the 2005 All-Big Ten Conference team.
For Shaw, who averaged 1.51 blocks per game, it is her second consecutive all-conference honor. Reineke was awarded her first All-Big Ten honor after leading the conference in blocks with 1.67.
Freshman opposite hitter Audra Jeffers was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
