The Wisconsin women’s volleyball team (3-7 Big Ten, 15-8 overall) will host Illinois (4-6, 10-10) Friday at the UW Field House, and Northwestern (14-7, 3-7) will travel to Wisconsin for a Sunday afternoon match.
Last week, the Badgers fought a tough four-set match against Indiana, but it was apparent that there was room for improvement. Coach Pete Waite acknowledged that his team had more communication issues on the court than usual.
“They’ve been working on [communicating] in practice, as far as their seams and who they are next to on the court,” Waite said. “Generally it works pretty well, just sometimes things are a little off.”
The Badgers have been improving as a team, and some players have really started to shine. Sophomore outside hitter Ellen Chapman had 24 kills and only one error last weekend against Indiana. She set the tone for the night, scoring the most points of any individual on the court.
Junior libero Annemarie Hickey also had a good performance against Indiana, maintaining her reputation as one of the best diggers in the nation.
According to Waite, Hickey has been improving her own serve and showing leadership on the team. Hickey acknowledged she is gaining confidence with her serve.
This could very well be just what Wisconsin needs to beat Illinois this weekend. When the two met previously this season, they went for a hard-earned five sets that ended with a Wisconsin loss.
Chapman said Wisconsin will need to serve better if it wants to take down Illinois.
“Our passing and serving is gonna help us a lot,” Hickey agreed. “Believing that we can do it, knowing that we are a really good team and that we can win games, we just need to believe in ourselves.”
Fundamentals aside, confidence may be the key to Wisconsin ultimately coming together this season. As the Badgers enter this weekend, they will be halfway through Big Ten play. Hopefully for Wisconsin, it’s not too little too late.
The Badgers have many top-tier players. What seems to be missing from the equation is the chemistry between the team.
Wisconsin has noticeably been a team that tends to fall behind early in sets and fights its way back either to take the set or to end in a hard-fought, close game.
“[Starting strong] is something we have to be better at. It’s never easy, but a team as they mature has to be really eager and hungry to get a fast start and a jump on a team,” Waite said. “A good sign is they’re making some comebacks, but that’s not preferable.”
Without a doubt the Badgers will have to bring teamwork and tenacity this weekend. Illinois and Northwestern are teams that can’t be looked past, especially with the rocky past couple of weeks that Wisconsin has had.
