The Wisconsin women's volleyball team begins the home portion of their Big Ten schedule this week with a colossal showdown with archrival Minnesota.
The Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 10-3 overall), ranked 14th in the nation, will take on a skilled Minnesota club which has surprised everyone in the Big Ten, rising to the No. 6 team in the nation.
Tri-captain senior outside hitter Erin Byrd realizes the significance of this key Big Ten showdown.
\It's really huge because [Minnesota] is the highest ranked team we've played and it would be great for our program to beat a team that's ranked number six."" Byrd said.
The Badgers hope to rebound after a disappointing start to the Big Ten season. This past weekend the Badgers solidly defeated Purdue but took a tough loss at Illinois. In the loss the Badgers made many unforced errors which the Illini capitalized on.
""We made 18 hitting errors,"" senior middle blocker Amy Hultgren said. ""It doesn't matter who you play; if you make 18 more hitting errors, it's a lot of points to overcome.""
Hoping to rebound from the bitter defeat, the Badgers have been vigorously preparing for the battle against Minnesota Friday. Fourth-year Head Coach Pete Waite commented on his team's chances.
""We have to play loose,"" Waite said. ""We have to play aggressive with our serving ... We're going to have to do everything at the highest level to have a shot at it.""
The Badgers will have to maintain the intensity through the season as there are five other Big Ten teams ranked.
""It's pretty even, it's going to be a great conference season,"" Hultgren said. ""I think everyone is going to have to come prepared, ready to fight to get a win. Nobody can take another team for granted.""
Byrd echoed Hultgren's sentiments. ""You can't pick the one team that's going to win. I think everyone is going to end the season with a loss. It's going to be very important to protect your home court,"" Byrd said.
The Field House has been very kind to the Badgers, as the team is undefeated (6-0) this season. A huge crowd should be expected to file into the UW Field House for the Wisconsin vs. Minnesota match Friday. The intensity of the crowd will play a huge factor in the game.
""Big crowds always help, they motivate us and they intimidate the other team. Every time we play Minnesota it's a big crowd,"" Byrd said.
Coach Pete Waite reiterated the importance of a huge crowd. ""This is going to be some of the best ball going on in the country, and our fans can get us over the hump and really kick us in gear for the rest of the season.""
The game will also air live at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Net. However the team is not concerned about the live television coverage, according to Byrd.
""We have to stay focused, stay calm and just play solid volleyball throughout the whole match,"" Byrd said.
