Before a single ball was served, set or bumped in a game this season, the UW volleyball team raised quite a few eyebrows and made headlines across the country. The Badgers not only recruited three highly touted players to replace departed middle blocker Sheila Shaw and outside hitter Aubrey Meierotto, but also they found themselves ranked ninth in the College Sports Television/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.
Combine that with the momentum from an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA tournament last year, and Wisconsin had established itself before the 2006 season even began.
As luck would have it, the Badgers' preseason prominence was immediately put to the test, as Wisconsin hosted the 2006 AVCA College Volleyball Showcase in the UW Field House Aug. 25-26. The showcase was the year's premier non-conference tournament in the nation and featured four teams ranked in the top 15 in the country. Wisconsin has participated in the AVCA Volleyball Showcase twice before, but never came away with better than a third place finish.
Unfortunately, any hopes of earning a better record in the tournament were squelched in the first round Friday as the Badgers opened up with a 28-30, 18-30, 22-30 loss against eventual tournament champion Texas.
The first game was close throughout, thanks in large part to the five kills by senior outside hitter Maria Carlini and six digs by junior libero Jocelyn Wack. But the Badgers could not find a way over the Longhorns' tall lineup, finishing with a meager .137 hitting percentage compared to the Longhorns' .333 hitting percentage.
""They're definitely a great blocking team,"" Carlini said after Friday's match. ""They just played solid defense, which is something we need to learn to do in order to win games.""
On Saturday night, the Badgers took on Ohio in the tournament's consolation match. After a rather slow start, Wisconsin rallied to beat the Bobcats 24-30, 32-30, 30-32, 30-17, 15-11. The Badgers improved their passing and blocking from the previous night's game, which served as a source of momentum late in the third game and through to the end of the match. Junior middle blocker Taylor Reineke and senior outside hitter Amy Bladow combined for 13 of the 18 team blocks.
""It was an exciting match and it was a great win. It was really good for our team to come from behind like that and start fighting,"" Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said. ""All the things we wanted to do better, we did.""
Despite another third place finish at the showcase, the Badgers had to be pleased with a few aspects of their play against Ohio and Texas, especially the performance of freshman outside hitter Brittney Dolgner.
In her debut against Texas, she came up with four kills and seven digs, including four digs that sparked a late rally in the first game. Against Ohio, Dolgner stepped up her level of play by contributing a team-high 13 kills and two service aces.
""We know [Dolgner] is very capable of making some great plays. Now it's a matter of getting used to the team, getting used to the sets, the environment, everything,"" Waite said. ""She's just going to get stronger and stronger.""
Dolgner and her fellow freshmen teammates, outside hitter Caity DuPont and setter Nikki Klingsporn, are being hailed as one of the best incoming classes to ever put on a Badger uniform. All three freshmen earned Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 honors and were ranked as the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation. DuPont and Klingsporn have yet to play, but could see action soon this weekend as the competition is not as difficult.
Next up for the Badgers is the Inntowner Invitational Sept. 1-2 when Oregon State, Oklahoma and South Dakota State come to town. Wisconsin's first match is against Oklahoma 7:00 Friday at the Field House. Saturday's matches are at 12:00 and 7:00 against South Dakota State and Oklahoma, respectively.
