The NCAA spring volleyball season is only a few weeks long and all contests are basically exhibition matches, but the Wisconsin volleyball team has been practicing hard since March in an effort to make the most of their games with other teams around the country. This weekend, the Badgers finish their spring season in the company of 23 other Division I teams at the 2006 Great Lakes Center NCAA Invitational in Aurora, Ill.
The tournament should provide high-caliber opposition for Wisconsin to work against. This year, 12 of the participating teams were 2005 NCAA Tournament entries, including Big 12 powerhouse Texas and Big Ten rival Minnesota. The Badgers could also face last season's Sweet 16 representatives Purdue and Ohio University or even Elite Eight delegate Arizona. Wisconsin will start play at 8 a.m. Saturday morning against Bowling Green and then against South Carolina. The rest of the schedule for the day will be played in a bracket format and will depend upon their performance in the morning.
One of the most important objectives for Wisconsin during this spring season has been working on a plausible starting lineup for next year. With the departure of senior middle blocker Sheila Shaw and senior outside hitter Aubrey Meierotto, head coach Pete Waite will have to find the best combination of players to fill in the void. Replacing Shaw will be of utmost importance, given her outstanding performance on the court last season. In 115 games, Shaw led the team with a .375 hitting average and put up the team's second best block total with 171.
Previous matches this season have shed some light on who might be stepping up to play a bigger role on the team in years to come. Freshman outside hitter Audra Jeffers has continued to demonstrate why she made the 2005 Big Ten All-Freshman Team, leading the team in kills with 21 last week in five games against UW-Milwaukee. Sophomore middle blocker Maya Carroll has shown some potential with her play this spring after playing in only seven games last fall and could be looked upon to replace Shaw. But perhaps the most intriguing prospect for the Badgers next season is redshirt freshman middle blocker Katherine Dykstra, who has provided an up-front force in several games this spring.
I am fighting for a starting spot in the front row, and although I would have big shoes to fill from losing Sheila [Shaw], I feel that training this summer and playing with the team more and more will help me gain the skills to make an impact on the court next fall,\ Dykstra said.
In last Wednesday's match against UW-Milwaukee, Dykstra had an impressive .462 hitting percentage in the three games she played in and contributed a block. Her presence gave the Panthers a hard time against the net.
""Last week I was able to become more acquainted with the team on the court,"" Dykstra said of the UW-Milwaukee match. ""I was able to experience the full-speed game, which will help me develop for next fall.""
Following this weekend's tournament, the Wisconsin volleyball team will end team practices and begin individual practice and conditioning until they begin preparing for the fall season this summer.
In other news, Marijo Nelson was named the new director of volleyball operations for UW Thursday.\
