After advancing to the postseason 13 times over the course of his career, Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield has become quite adept at preparing his team to play in December.
Going into the weekend, the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers (10-8 Big Ten, 19-8 overall) were hoping to play more consistently than they have since Big Ten competition started.
In what has been a largely up and down 2017 campaign, No. 13 Wisconsin hit perhaps its lowest point of the season this past weekend. On the road in West Lafayette, the No. 13 Badgers (8-8 Big Ten, 17-8 overall) fell to the Purdue Boilermakers in straight sets last Saturday, suffering their first sweep since 2016.
Falling from No. 8 to No. 10, the Wisconsin Badgers (8-8 Big Ten, 17-8 overall) split their weekend series in Indiana as they swept the Indiana Hoosiers (1-15, 12-16) 3-0 before getting swept by the No. 25 Purdue Boilermakers (10-6, 20-7). The Badgers’ road trip results paint a similar picture to their overall conference play this season.
When setter Sydney Hilley and middle blocker Dana Rettke were first brought together for a campus visit in 2014, they didn’t interact much with each other.
After a heart-breaking five-set loss to Ohio State (6-8 Big Ten, 13-12 overall) on Friday, the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (7-7 Big Ten, 16-7 overall) were able to once again pull even in Big Ten play by beating University of Maryland (5-9 Big Ten, 16-10 overall) on Saturday 3-1. This weekend, Wisconsin was tasked with having to quickly recover from a match, having back-to-back games for the first time in a while.
In what has come to encapsulate a troubling yet all too familiar theme of the 2017 volleyball season, a match that No. 8 Wisconsin looked firmly in control of completely unraveled after intermission, as a possible home sweep for the Badgers ended in a disastrous 25-14, 25-16, 21-25, 23-25,13-15 loss to conference rival Ohio State Friday night at the Field House. Like many contests that have yielded similar outcomes this year, UW (6-7 Big Ten, 13-7 overall) coasted through the first two sets of play, strolling into the lockeroom holding a 2-0 lead heading into the break. But once the players returned to the court for the third and potentially final frame, their previous good fortune went entirely awry, as the Badgers fell into a funk they could never find a way out of.
Over halfway through the season, it is safe to say that the Big Ten schedule has not done the 2017 Wisconsin Badgers any favors. After amassing an immaculate 9-0 record in the non-conference slate, No. 8 Wisconsin (6-6 Big Ten, 15-6 overall) has come back down to earth since the Big Ten season began, splitting its first 12 conference contests evenly.
Following the loss to top-ranked Penn State on the road this past Wednesday, Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield spoke very candidly about his disappointment with the play of the Badgers’ starting outside hitters, publicly criticizing the lack of production he saw from seniors Kelli Bates and Lauryn Gillis. But the two veteran attackers took the scrutiny in stride and responded to their coach’s call to action with a much-improved performance Saturday night against Northwestern.
According to the NCAA, the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (5-5 Big Ten, 14-5 overall) have endured the second-hardest schedule in the nation.
After an impressive previous week at the UW Fieldhouse that saw the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (5-5 Big Ten, 14-5 overall) defeat both the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-1, 16-4) and the Indiana Hoosiers (1-9, 12-10), the Badgers responded with a less convincing two game stint this week.
Wisconsin senior outside hitter Kelli Bates was unabashedly clear about what a win over rival Minnesota would mean to her.
Successfully closing out opponents has proven to be quite the challenge for the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers as of late.
Volleyball: After coming off of two tough losses against ranked teams, the No. 11 Badgers (2-4 Big Ten, 11-4 overall) are eager to take on No. 5 Nebraska (6-0 Big Ten, 13-3 overall) this Wednesday at the field house.
In Big Ten volleyball, nothing ever comes easy. Each team in the conference must overcome their fair share of obstacles, fighting to survive a brutal schedule which proves immensely challenging for even the nation’s most talented teams. And for the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (2-4 Big Ten, 11-4 overall), the arduous nature of life in the Big Ten has certainly taken its toll.
Nothing quite beats the atmosphere of a gym that is hosting two rival teams. The energy is multiplied, the fans are buzzing and the hairs on the back of everyone’s necks are standing tall.
In crucial Big Ten slate, Wisconsin gears up for Minnesota, Michigan State Letting a lead slip away can be a jarring experience for any athlete, as missed opportunities and improbable collapses may damage the collective confidence or emotional state of the team.
After a busy weekend in Badger athletics, Wisconsin men's hockey coach Tony Granato and Wisconsin volleyball head coach Kelly Sheffield preview the week ahead. Volleyball: The Badgers (2-2 Big Ten, 11-2 overall) fought hard this weekend as they were faced with back-to-back conference matches on the road.
An undefeated nonconference season for the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (2-2 Big Ten, 11-2 overall) seemingly signaled a dominant start to Big Ten play.
The Badgers most recent victory over Michigan last Sunday may not have come without the late-set heroics of outside hitter Lauryn Gillis.
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