With all of the changes occurring around Camp Randall these days such as construction cranes, luxury suites and an absence of \Jump Around,"" it is nice to know that at least the UW volleyball squad (4-2) is as consistently good as ever.
Offensively, much of that consistency can be traced to one particular player junior outside hitter Jill Odenthal. Odenthal currently leads the Badgers on offense with an average of 4.56 kills per game and hitting percentage of .344 and, if that weren't enough, the Geneva, Ill. native had a career-high 22 kills in a game against the University of Washington earlier this year.
""She's just more aggressive... Anywhere you put her she'll step into it and I think she's definitely taken on a more aggressive role,"" junior outside hitter Marian Weidner said. And Weidner knows about Odenthal's development; she's been playing with Jill since they were both growing up in the Chicago suburbs of Geneva and Warrenville.
""Odie's a natural for the right side of the court since she's a lefty. And this season she's moved over to the right from the left. It's really enabled her to step up her game and she's our best scorer on the team right now,"" Weidner added.
For Odenthal, the spotlight was forced upon her early in her freshman year when then sophomore outside hitter Lisa Zukowski went out for the season with a blown knee. Odenthal not only handled the pressure of becoming a starter overnight, she excelled in her new position by consistently being a team leader in kills for the rest of the season.
""She really stepped in when Lisa blew her knee out. And she became a kill leader for the team, and had a great first year,"" Head Coach Pete Waite said.
Odenthal was by no means a polished volleyball product after her freshman year, however. She still lacked the self-confidence to be a consistent team leader and a solid threat on offense.
But following a disappointing second-round loss in the NCAA tournament last December, where Odenthal recorded a then-personal best of 19 kills and by starting out this season as the team's most consistent offensive threat, it finally seems as if ""Odie"" has found her place on the team.
""Her self-confidence is what she's improved upon the most since freshman year. I think most freshmen can step in and do some good things. But I think they are a little lost out there. This year she's been our go-to player. She's been clutch thus far,"" Waite said.
""Odie's personality is upbeat and positive and she is also one of the most smart and analytical people I know. What she studies and what she does on the court is just incredible,"" Waite said.
For Odenthal, she is more than happy with where she is on the team.
""I never had to take on a big leadership role on previous teams. In a different way, I certainly have become a leader; however, not as a vocal leader. But I want to lead by example, I want to lead by how I play on the court,"" Odenthal said.
With the way she's playing so far, Odenthal is leading the way.
