The women's volleyball team lost only two players from last season's squad, which finished with a 13-7 conference record and 22-10 overall.
The team finished with No. 21 in the final USA Today/CSTV Coach's Poll, a few steps up from their preseason No. 23 ranking.
To top it off, No. 14 Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division I Championships last season. They came close to a Final Four appearance but fell short to the Division I champions.
The Badgers will lose only two seniors and will return six of seven starters to the court this year.
High scorers Sheila Shaw and Aubrey Meierotto return to the Badger team; Shaw as a senior and Meierotto for her fifth-but senior-year of eligibility.
Shaw led the team last year with a total of 541 points for the season and 156 blocks. Shaw was awarded a spot on the All Big Ten squad due to her valuable performance at the net. Shaw also garnered a spot on the AVCA All-Mideast Regional team and honorable mention for the All-America honors. She was also recognized as the best blocker in the Big Ten with an average of 1.36 blocks per game.
Blocking should be a strong suit for Wisconsin this year as 81 percent of the team's blocking returns this season. The team will also return 70 percent of last season's offense and both setters.
Sophomore setter Jackie Simpson was ranked fifth in the Big Ten last season for assists per game. Simpson reached a total of 1,340 assists, the first Badger to accomplish this feat since Laura Abbinante in 1993.
The returning Badgers in combination with the new recruits should present a strong team for the upcoming season. Head coach Pete Waite said he anticipates a successful season based on the returning and upcoming players.
\We've got a redshirt on the bench who's doing some great things in practice and new recruits coming in who are going to make us even stronger,"" Waite said.
One area the Badgers may be looking to improve upon this season is service accuracy and consistency. Service was a weak spot for the team last season. The team averaged 2.46 service errors per game, including 11 games of double-figure service errors. Although service performance improved as the season progressed, the Badgers may be looking to improve in this area further for a more consistent game in the 2005-'06 season.
The Badgers are looking to obtain success similar to what they had last year, and build on the success they have already achieved. Waite expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming season.
""We are excited about next year,"" Waite said. ""With such a young group, this NCAA tournament run was a great experience for them. Now they know what it feels like, they'll know how to handle themselves a little bit better.""
The women's volleyball team will commence the 2005 season shortly after school begins in September at the Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo.
