After a four-match stretch on the road, the Wisconsin volleyball team (4-2 Big Ten, 15-3 overall) returns to the UW Field House this weekend to take on No. 16 Michigan (2-4, 12-5) and No. 5 Michigan State (6-0, 17-1).
The Badgers are halfway through their six consecutive matches against ranked teams. They have played the first three on the road, losing to then-No. 10 Nebraska, defeating then-No. 14 Ohio State, and losing at No. 4 Penn State.
The Badgers take on Michigan Friday night at 7 p.m. and will take on Michigan State Sunday at 1 p.m. Currently tied for fourth in the Big Ten at 4-2, the Badgers need just one more win to match their 2012 conference win total.
Though the team has faced tough competition in their conference matchups, head coach Kelly Sheffield believes this has caused the players to work harder and improve their game.
“Every night’s a challenge in this conference,” Sheffield said. “It forces our players to develop and expand their game. You’re forced to continue to get better.”
Junior outside hitter Courtney Thomas, who set her career high of 19 kills in the match against Ohio State, agrees that the competition has raised the team’s level of intensity.
“The better competition you play and the harder you work go hand in hand,” Thomas said.
Both teams have an impressive offense at the net, but according to senior libero Annemarie Hickey, this is nothing new for the Badgers.
“We’ve been up against a lot of tough offensive teams this season, but we’ve got a scrappy defense and we get the ball up,” Hickey said.
Wisconsin’s defense has not only held all of it’s conference opponents to under a .250 attacking percentage, but only opponents Nebraska and Penn State were able to hit above a .200.
The Badgers are also leaders in the Big Ten at the service line, recording more aces than 16 of their 18 opponents thus far.
“Our serving has been pretty good most of the year,” Sheffield said. “Our goal is to serve tough.”
After playing four matches on the road, Sheffield says the team is excited to come back and play in front of a home crowd. Of the 18 matches the Badgers have played so far, only five of them have been at home.
“It’s going to be exciting to be back here and play in front of this crowd and see what we can bring,” Thomas said. “Hopefully we get two wins out of it.”
