Men’s Hockey
The Badgers (0-3-3) are coming off of a slightly better weekend, both tying (5-5) and losing (1-2) to Ferris State (4-2-2) in Michigan.
Despite their poor record, head coach Mike Eaves thinks the team is far better than they appear.
“For people that are looking at our record and seeing that, they’re not seeing us on a day-to-day basis and really seeing where we’ve come,” Eaves said.
Specifically, even after losing a close game Saturday night, Eaves was not disappointed in his team’s effort.
“It goes to when you break down a game statistically, you’re looking at scoring chances for and against, and the scoring chances in the third period were clearly in our favor,” Eaves said. “Those things will start going in, and we will be getting those ‘W’s’ that we’re looking for.”
The Badgers are looking to pick up that first win Eaves was talking about at home this weekend against a new program in Arizona State (4-4).
Outside of their matchup on the ice, Eaves, along with many hockey fans, is excited that more hockey teams are being created in untraditional parts of the county.
“There’s going to be an influx of more hockey to that part of the country, which will elevate the interest in the game,” Eaves said. “People are going to talk about it more because there’s more hockey out there.”
Volleyball
Heading into next weekend’s matchup against Purdue (8-2 Big Ten, 14-4 overall), the Badgers (6-4, 14-6)are looking to carry over their momentum from their biggest win of the season last weekend against No. 3 Nebraska (7-3, 17-4).
Still, even after the big win, the Badgers are sixth in the Big Ten, a position much lower than they are used to holding in recent years.
“I’m not sure that we’re real excited about where we’re at placewise,” head coach Kelly Sheffield said. “But I think we’re really excited about the improvement and the direction that our players are going.”
Despite some of the recent losses that the Badgers feel like they should have won, Sheffield asserted, “you sit there and intellectually you know that you’re getting better, the players know that they are getting better, they know the team is getting better.”
Specifically, Sheffield has praised sophomore outside hitter Kelli Bates and sophomore outside hitter Lauryn Gillis for embodying a “just keep improving” mind-set.
“Both of them have had some times this year where it’s been really, really tough,” Sheffield said. “And, you know, they’ve responded in a way that you want them to.”
At this point in the season, Sheffield has figured out something more important than placement schematics.
“I like this team. I like the players,” Sheffield said. “They’re not giving up — they haven’t given up on themselves or each other.”
Women’s Soccer
The Badger women’s soccer team (8-1-1 Big Ten, 11-4-3 overall) clinched a share of the Big Ten title, the team’s second all-time conference title, in their 1-0 win this past weekend over Maryland (1-8-1, 6-11-1) after a late strike in the 81st minute from junior Micaela Powers. The Badgers figured things out after a rocky start to the season, going 2-2-3 in the month of September.
Head coach Paula Wilkins remembers the moment when the team made the turnaround.
“I think every team is so different, and you’ve got to know their personalities,” Wilkins said. “I think for me I was trying to poke the seniors at that time, because they have a lot of pride and a lot of competitive mentality. And I know they take a lot of pride in what they do and the work that they’ve put into it.”
The Badgers have one final game versus Northwestern (6-3-1, 12-4-2) to claim sole ownership of the Big Ten crown. Wilkins knows her players are hungry to stand alone on the top.
“I know it’s something that they will look forward to, winning the title outright, but obviously has a very challenging Northwestern in front of them, who has done very well this year,” Wilkins said. “We’re going to have to continue with what we have done with our preparation, but also with our effort and our focus to get that result, and then also having the opportunity to possibly host the Big Ten Tournament in the upcoming weeks.”
Football
The Badger football team may have came out of the weekend with a win, but it came at a big cost. Monday at his weekly press conference, head coach Paul Chryst revealed that Dan Voltz would miss the remainder of the season with a left knee injury and quarterback Joel Stave is in the concussion protocol procedure.
Although many around Madison seem worried by the most recent injuries, Chryst still has confidence in his team and their “next man up” mentality, especially from the offensive line.
“Yeah, I think Michael [Deiter] is a guy that’s really — I think he’s done a lot of really good things for us.” Chryst said. “I think he did a nice job finishing out the game. The thing I appreciated from Michael is that he doesn’t flinch, he just — he rolls with it, and same thing, Micah [Kapoi] jumped in and actually his first snap had a significant block...”
Although the outlook on Stave is still unclear, Chryst did sound hopeful.
“Yeah, he was up yesterday, and he’s good, and he’s definitely very similar to what Alex [Erickson] and Mike [Caputo] were after,” Chryst said.
Both Erickson and Caputo returned the week following their respective injuries.
