Women’s Hockey
The Wisconsin women’s hockey team (2-2-0 WCHA, 2-2-0 overall) was swept on the road by No. 1 Minnesota last weekend and will host St. Cloud State this weekend at the LaBahn Arena.
Head coach Mark Johnson cited how the team handled a hostile atmosphere in Minneapolis and the play of his freshmen as positive takeaways from the series.
“Although you’re disappointed you lost a couple of games, obviously, they’re ranked No. 1,” Johnson said. “But we skated with them. We played with them. I know as a group, we’re going to continue to get better. So as the season goes on, it’s going to be exciting to watch.”
Football
The football team (2-1 Big Ten, 4-2 overall) registered a dominant win at home against Northwestern and will visit Illinois Saturday.
Head coach Gary Andersen had praise for all aspects of the Northwestern win.
“It was a tremendous victory, a team victory for the kids. All three phases, offense, defense, special teams played a significant role,” Andersen said. “The effort was awesome. We were able to feed off a tremendous crowd, and it did make a big difference in the game without question.”
Andersen went on to say the status of redshirt senior wide receiver Jared Abbrederis (concussion) is still up in the air, but if “Jared has the opportunity, he’ll go.” Andersen also stated redshirt sophomore safety Michael Caputo had been moved to linebacker.
Volleyball
The volleyball team (4-2 Big Ten, 15-3 overall) will continue its surprising season by hosting Big Ten opponents Michigan Friday and Michigan State Sunday at the UW Field House. The Michigan State game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
Head coach Kelly Sheffield was exuberant over his defense’s performance, but admitted the offense could use work, mostly at the nets.
Sheffield didn’t have much to note about the upcoming opponents, but did mention that he loves the competition the Big Ten brings as a top volleyball conference.
“If you’re a competition junkie like I am, it doesn’t get any better than this conference, and we’re excited about two more,” he said.
Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team (2-0-0 overall) swept Northern Michigan last weekend and will travel to Boston this weekend to face Boston College and Boston University.
Head coach Mike Eaves discussed the positives of visiting two top teams early in the season.
“We’re going into the den of a couple of big-time teams. I know everybody is excited,” Eaves said. “It’s good to go on a trip like this early in the year because it really brings the team together. You’re truly on your own.”
Eaves later mentioned that the team looked forward to playing in Boston University’s new hockey arena. He also dismissed that personal connections affect how he sees the Boston College matchup, given that his sons played there.
“I think it’s more special for the boys. I didn’t attend there. There’s a little connection, but it’s more disconnected than if it was the boys going back there.”
Cross Country
The cross country team will host the adidas Invitational this weekend.
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne discussed the field of the meet, noting the high caliber of programs in attendance.
“Five of the top ten men’s teams and five of the top 10 women’s teams will be in the field, and I believe it is 20 of the top 30 teams on the men’s side and 18 of the top 30 teams on the women’s side,” Byrne said.
