After getting a total of 10 non-conference games under its belt and fresh off of a hard-earned tournament win in San Diego, the No. 14 Wisconsin volleyball team is now gearing up for Big Ten competition as they go on the road this weekend to take on two conference opponents. The Badgers (8-2) will invade the state of Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini (9-1) Friday and the Northwestern Wildcats (6-3) Saturday.
Thus far in the season, Wisconsin has put up some solid numbers and walked away with a fair share of honors from the four tournaments they participated in. As a team, the Badgers boast a .248 average hitting percentage and 124 blocks in the 35 games they have played this year, as opposed to their opponents' cumulative .137 hitting percentage and 70 blocks. In addition, they came away as tournament champions in their own InnTowner Invitational, the 2006 Panther Invitational in Milwaukee and the San Diego Invitational.
Individually, senior outside hitter Maria Carlini has boasted more kills (129) and more points (151) than any other Badger and earned all-tournament honors for the third time this year, thanks in part to a season-high 20 kill and 19 dig performance against UC-Santa Barbara last weekend. Carlini also happens to be second on the team in digs behind junior libero Jocelyn Wack, who has 160 in 35 games. Wack extended her NCAA record of consecutive games with 10 or more digs to 74 with the win over San Diego last Saturday.
""I think it's just been a good progress out of everybody,"" UW head coach Pete Waite said regarding his team's improvement up to this point in the season. ""I think each week they've watched tape on themselves. They've learned some things in the competitions and they're becoming more solid as a unit.""
Despite the satisfactory level of play in their first 10 games, Wisconsin has dropped from No. 9 to No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association polls since the start of the season. Their fall in the national rankings most likely has less to do with their losses to current No. 5 Texas and UC-Santa Barbara and more to do with the difficulty of the opponents they defeated at the InnTowner Invitational and the Panther Invitational. The 3-0 sweeps of Oklahoma, Oregon State, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado and UW-Milwaukee in the past few weeks are an indication that the Badgers have not necessarily been playing against some of the better teams at the Division I level.
The beginning of Big Ten conference play, however, should provide Wisconsin with tougher opponents and higher stakes. Illinois earned two tournament titles and most recently took second place in the North Carolina tournament last weekend. Illini middle blocker Vicki Brown's .449 hitting percentage is the best in the Big Ten.
Northwestern is riding a four game winning streak right now, including a big win over No. 24 Arizona last weekend.
The Badgers' performance this weekend should prove to be a reasonable indicator of how they will perform the rest of the year in a conference riddled with ranked teams and of the finest players in the country.
""I feel like we're ready,"" Waite said. ""The four weeks of non-conference play have helped us improve on some things and get us focused for Big Ten play. Illinois and Northwestern are both playing some good ball. They've got good records right now; they both have mature teams and are tough environments to play in.""
