The Badger volleyball team split a spring season match with UW-Milwaukee last night at the Field House by a match score of 2-2.
In game one, the Badgers jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the Panthers came roaring back. The two dairy state rivals traded points until Wisconsin finally eked out a 32-30 victory.
Senior libero Jocelyn Wack started off game two with a thunderous kill as UW jumped out to an 11-5 lead. But the defending Horizon League champs would not go down easily as they defeated the Badgers 32-30.
""We have to put it away and that starts with the passing,"" said UW head coach Pete Waite about the second game. ""All you need is a side out and a score and you win the game. Normally in the fall, those are the kinds of things we do ... so into our second week of spring practice, we know what we have to work on.""
Games three and four were also neck and neck, as the Badgers took game three and the Panthers took game four.
Leading the attack for the Badgers were sophomore outside hitter Brittney Dolgner and redshirt freshman middle blocker Katherine Dykstra with 19 and 17 kills, respectively. Senior Second-Team All-American setter Jackie Simpson led Wisconsin with 35 assists in two games of play.
The spring season has provided players an opportunity to play positions on the floor they normally would not, and has given the less experienced players quality court time.
In two games against UWM, redshirt freshman setter Nikki Klingsporn showcased not only her skillful hands, but also her wicked jump serve.
""I thought Nikki Klingsporn did a nice job setting the two games that she got to set,"" Waite said. ""That's what a spring game is all about, to experiment with some things.""
Wack, Wisconsin's No. 1 libero, moved outside and showed her offensive prowess, tallying 10 kills.
""It was great to see Jo Wack as an outside hitter; she hasn't been able to do that since high school,"" Waite said.
Seniors Megan Mills and Amanda Berkley filled in for Wack in the libero position and dug 17 and 12 respectively.
""Once we take [Wack] out of the libero spot, it means other people have to step up,"" Waite said. ""So it's really important for us for the rest of the spring that people like Mills and Berkley and Jo defensively and Brittney, really step it up because we've got some new people in the front row like Katherine Dykstra on the right, who did pretty well, and Maya Carroll who's in the middle now. [There's] definitely some new faces.""
Three of the Badger's outside hitters were out for the UWM match. Junior Morgan Salow was recovering from a recent mono infection. Junior Audra Jeffers was out with a recurring back injury and sophomore Caity DuPont recently underwent surgery for a bulged disk in her back.
Wisconsin will take a two-week break before they head to Aurora, Ill. on Saturday, April 14 for the all-day Great Lakes Center NCAA Invitational.
