The Wisconsin volleyball team (4-1) learned from a tough opening weekend in August and pulled off a three-match sweep against their opponents in the 2006 InnTowner Invitational Tournament last Friday and Saturday in the UW Field House. The Badgers chalked up wins against Oklahoma (4-2), South Dakota State (5-2), and Oregon State (1-5) thanks in large part to the improved blocking the team worked on over the course of the past week.
Wisconsin took down its most formidable opponent Friday when they defeated Oklahoma 30-26, 30-25, 30-22. The Sooners came into the weekend with a 2-1 record and boasted three players averaging more than four kills per game, including Wisconsin native outside hitter Joanna Schmitt who has been averaging 4.36 kills. However, the Badgers offense proved too much for Oklahoma to handle, as senior outside hitter Maria Carlini and junior middle blocker Taylor Reineke combined for 24 kills and 29 points. Senior middle blocker Amy Bladow made her presence known up front as she contributed seven blocks and finished the night with a .615 hitting percentage.
""I think we were a little scrappier out there this week,"" Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite said. ""From the beginning, I think everybody was contributing.""
""We worked hard in practice all week, and we worked on blocking,"" Reineke added. ""That was one of the things we worked on: our blocking footwork and our movement with the outside blockers. I think that definitely helped us in the game today.""
Saturday afternoon, Wisconsin topped previously undefeated South Dakota State 30-12, 30-24, 31-29. The Jackrabbits are currently in the process of moving from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I, and despite a perfect record coming into the match were not expected to be a problem for the Badgers. However, South Dakota State led most of the third game until the Badgers scored three consecutive points on kills by Carlini and sophomore outside hitter Audra Jeffers to take the win after being down 28-29. Carlini again led the offensive charge with 17 kills on 43 attempts and a team-high five blocks.
""I think our team had a little bit of a letdown,"" Waite said. ""I was a little disappointed that [our team] didn't come out and play harder in the third. We won the first two fairly easily, and it's a sign of a great team when you can come out and beat a team three in a row, get done, and get out... That's what we have to do to get better is, no matter who you're playing, play at a high level throughout the match.""
The last match of the weekend played out similarly for Wisconsin, but ultimately ended in a 30-22, 30-20, 30-28 victory against Oregon State. After two fairly easy games, the Badgers again failed to pull away from their opponent and the Beavers tied the third game at 28 after a kill by outside hitter Kristin Murray. But Wisconsin did not allow OSU a chance at a shooting match, finishing with a team block and a kill by freshman outside hitter Brittney Dolgner to give UW the win. Junior setter Jackie Simpson racked up a .455 hitting percentage for the night and junior libero Jocelyn Wack extended her NCAA record of consecutive matches with double-digit kills to 69.
""We saw some good things this weekend. We saw some things we want to work on and be more crisp with by the time Big Ten play rolls around,"" Waite said. ""Anytime you get three new teams coming in, you have to figure out their top hitters, the plays they run, the defenses and I think in each of the matches we solved those pretty well.""
Next weekend, the Badgers travel to Milwaukee for the Panther Invitational Sept. 8-9. The tournament features opponents of the same caliber as the InnTowner Invitational, as Wisconsin will take on Northern Colorado, Windsor and UW-Milwaukee in the J. Martin Klotsche Center.
