Volleyball Ends Season Ranked 14th
December 22, 2004 | Volleyball
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team ended its season ranked 14th with a 22-10 record in the final USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches poll released today. It is the ninth straight year that the Badgers have ended the season ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation.
Wisconsin also ended the season ranked 13th in the Rich Kern Percentage Index, which mimics the NCAA RPI published at the end of the year.
'This was one of those years when a team exceeds your expectations and the final polls reflect what great respect this program and the players earned,' said UW coach Pete Waite. 'This was a great season and we are really looking forward to seeing what this group can do next year.'
The Badgers started the season ranked 23rd in the preseason coaches poll but fell to 25th on Sept. 6. Wisconsin dropped to receiving points on Sept. 13 before dropping out of the poll completely on Sept. 20. The UW remained out of the poll until Oct. 25 when it started receiving points again. The Badgers returned to the poll at No. 22 on Dec. 6, after winning their first and second round NCAA matches. In the NCAA regionals, Wisconsin upset then-No. 2 Hawai'i in the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the regional finals.
"When you begin a season, you have a vision for where you want your team to be at the end,' explained Waite. 'To imagine this team, with so many freshmen, finishing in the Elite Eight back in August would have been a dream. None of us could have imagined that for such a young team.'
With the loss of only two seniors to graduation, the Badgers return six of seven starters for the 2005 season and most of their team strength. Wisconsin must replace All-American Jill Odenthal, who was the team's starting opposite hitter for three seasons, but the rest of the starters return including four who were underclassmen this season.
