After stumbling against North Carolina in the final of the Carolina Classic last weekend, the UW women's volleyball team looks to right itself in the InnTowner Invitational this weekend.
The No. 16 Badgers (2-1 overall) are set to host No. 17 Texas A&M (4-0 overall), Illinois State (2-1 overall) and Montreal in an exhibition game at the UW Field House on Friday and Saturday.
Rather than dwell on the Carolina loss, Head Coach Pete Waite and the players approach the Invitational as a chance to correct their mistakes and work on their weaknesses.
\I think we learned a lot from Carolina and that's what the pre-conference schedule is about,"" Waite said. ""We've got a lot of new players on the court in some different positions and they have to find out how hard they need to work to win matches.""
Despite the loss, the Badgers managed to clear doubts about their offense without Sherisa Livingston and Lizzy Fitzgerald, as they recorded a much higher attack percentage and six more kills per game than their opponents. UW could not, however, find anyone to replace the departed all-Americans' intensity on defense and ended up being narrowly outblocked by St. John's and badly by North Carolina in the final.
""Blocking is a big area that we have to improve upon, and also our defense around the block must get better,"" Waite said. ""We need to be more disciplined.""
The players were also critical of their defensive play, although some more than others.
""There were some moments of what we want to be seeing, but overall, I'd say it was a pretty horrible performance,"" senior outside hitter Erin Byrd said. ""I think we took our focus away from the blocking defense which has always in the past been strong for us. We know how to do it; it was just a mental breakdown.""
The opportunity to cut down on mental breakdowns comes this weekend against two programs with which UW is very familiar. Waite spent two years as an assistant at Illinois State, and Texas A&M ushered the Badgers from the 2001 NCAA Tournament in the regional semifinals on Dec. 7. Along with their familiarity, the two teams both present a formidable challenge for UW.
""Illinois State is a program that I've always kept in close touch with, and they always do well in the Missouri Valley [Conference] and we know they are going to be a pretty tough team,"" Waite said. ""A&M is going to be even tougher. They are often in the top 20, and where they did lose some great seniors, they have a lot of great players coming back.""
For returning UW players, motivation to beat Texas A&M should not be difficult, as the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of the Aggies is still fresh in their minds.
""It's going to be really nice to see them again,"" Byrd said. ""After the loss, as soon as we found out that we were going to be playing them in preseason, we were like 'Oh, yes!' It's a good chance for us to get some revenge.""
Even with the prospect of payback buried in their minds, the Badgers are more concerned about the development of their young team.
""We see glimmers of what we are going to be like down the road,"" senior middle blocker Amy Hultgren said. ""We have all the tools and the skills, it's just now a matter of putting the six people on the court and getting it done.""
Come Friday night, look for UW to do just that.
