The stakes have never been higher this season for the No. 10 UW volleyball team. With two sweeps over Notre Dame and Iowa State last weekend, Wisconsin (26-6) earned a trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive year and an opportunity for redemption against No. 8 Texas (23-6) in the Austin regional of the 2006 NCAA volleyball tournament.
The Badgers would like nothing more than to turn the tables on the team that embarrassed them in the first round of the 2006 AVCA College Volleyball Showcase, when the Longhorns came in and swept Wisconsin on its home court.
""It was my first game and I was so nervous,"" freshman outside hitter Brittney Dolgner said of a win over Texas. ""That's when all my nerves were coming out. I think I've grown throughout the season. We're a whole new team, so I think we can definitely beat them.""
The Badgers will certainly have their work cut out for them. Texas opposite hitter Ashley Engle was named AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year Wednesday and was also one of three Longhorns to earn AVCA All-Central Region honors. Earlier this year, Engle claimed the Big 12 Freshman of the Year title and All-Big 12 honors for her 433 kills and 3.97 kills per game average this season.
More importantly, Engle anchors a team that has had consistent contributions from every offensive player. Last week in its second round victory over Stephen F. Austin, Texas had three hitters that were at or over the .500 mark, while as a whole, the team combined for 60 kills. Freshman outside hitter Destinee Hooker, who also earned AVCA All-Central region honors this week, had the lowest three-game hitting percentage in the match for the Longhorns with an admirable .364 and led all players with 17 kills.
""I think going into Texas right now, we're the big underdogs,"" senior middle blocker Amy Bladow said. ""We're trying not to feel any of that pressure. We're going to try to go into their place and put their backs against the wall and really push them.""
Wisconsin has a few weapons of its own that it plans to pull out on the court this Friday against the Longhorns. Both junior setter Jackie Simpson and Dolgner were named to the AVCA Mideast Region team this week, just one week after being named to the All-Big Ten Conference team. Junior libero Jocelyn Wack also earned an AVCA Mideast Region honorable mention and is sixth in the Big Ten in digs, averaging 4.48 per game.
Just like Texas, Wisconsin has had solid efforts from its offensive front as well. In last week's game against Iowa State, in which the Cyclones made a conscious effort to shut down Dolgner and senior outside hitter Maria Carlini, junior middle blocker Taylor Reineke and outside hitter Audra Jeffers stepped up big for the Badgers, combining for 24 kills on 49 attempts and 29 total points.
""Texas got us here on our home court, but we're glad we can match up with them again and really try to prove that we've gotten better as a team,"" UW head coach Pete Waite said. ""[We're] much more confident, we've changed some people in positions and I think we're playing at a much higher level now.""
With a win on Friday, the Badgers would move on to play either No. 2 Stanford or No. 13 California on Saturday's Elite Eight match for a ticket to Omaha, Neb., and a place in the Final Four.
