With the 2003 women's volleyball season winding down, the No. 20 Wisconsin team (8-2 Big Ten, 16-5 overall) is positioned for another run at the Big Ten championship. Coming off a pivotal weekend in which UW emerged victorious against No. 15 Penn State, the Badgers head into the upcoming Halloween weekend with momentum on their side. This weekend the volleyball team will embark on a two-game road trip that consists of a Friday night bout against conference rival Minnesota (8-2, 15-7), followed by a Saturday night matchup with Iowa (0-10, 5-15).
The Golden Gophers are ranked No. 23 nationally and are currently riding an eight-game conference winning streak. Minnesota is led by senior outside hitter Cassie Busse who ranks first on the squad with 4.76 kills per game along with a team high 0.54 service aces per game. Fortunately for the Badgers, Oct. 31 will be the second time this season these two teams have met. With a good idea of what type of talent Minnesota will bring to the table, UW Head Coach Pete Waite confirms that his team has prepared appropriately.
\We have made a few adjustments defensively because Minnesota is such a good offensive team,"" Waite said. ""We need to put our bigger players in the right spots to take away Minnesota's ability to hit over the top of our blocks.""
The Badgers were one game shy of defeating Minnesota at the Fieldhouse two weeks ago. Attempting to hold onto their four-game winning streak, Waite thinks that his team is constantly improving. ""I have been really pleased with the last three to four weeks as far as the growth of the team and the individuals on the team,"" Waite said. ""They are becoming closer as a group, fighting harder as a group and they are maintaining their ball control at the end of matches which is the important part.""
In addition to switching up the defense, senior setter Morgan Shields adds that quick transition could be the key to a Badger victory. A win this weekend in Minnesota could potentially give the Badgers sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
After the Friday night main event in Minneapolis, the Badgers head southwest for their Saturday game in Iowa City. Iowa is yet to win a Big Ten match and has only managed to win one game all season. Junior outside hitter Laura Simpson leads the team with 4.01 kills per game while junior Carolyn Giese has contributed a team-best 47 blocks. Despite an anxiously awaited game against Minnesota, junior outside hitter Jill Odenthal insists that the team cannot overlook their match up with the struggling Hawkeyes.
""The thing about the Big Ten is that even if a team has a losing record, they can take a game off any other team in conference,"" Odenthal said. ""Obviously we are going to focus on Minnesota, but we cannot take anything away from Iowa. They are capable of coming out on fire just like any other team.""
If all goes well, the Badgers will break into the final month of the regular season two games closer to their goal of a Big Ten championship.
