Waite Addresses Media Monday
November 14, 2005 | Volleyball
University of Wisconsin head volleyball coach Pete Waite addressed the media Monday afternoon as his 15th-ranked Badgers wrap up the home portion of the Big Ten Conference season with two matches in the UW Field House this weekend. Wisconsin (19-6, 11-5) takes on Michigan (13-12, 7-9) on Friday and Michigan State (12-14, 5-11) on Saturday. Both matches are at 7 p.m.
Despite splitting on the road last weekend, Wisconsin is still tied with Minnesota and Ohio State for second place in the conference standings. The Wolverines are tied for sixth in the league, looking to stay in the hunt for an at-large NCAA bid. The Spartans are eighth in the Big Ten and would need to achieve an overall winning record in order to be in consideration for an NCAA berth. Wisconsin will honor seniors Aubrey Meierotto and Sheila Shaw in pre-match ceremonies on Saturday night. Friday is Alumnae Night, with several former Badgers returning to the Field House, and Jerry Kelly Night, with the PGA golfer signing autographs before the match.
A complete transcription of the news conference follows below. A video archive of the news conference can be found by clicking on the red "Multimedia" link above.
Opening Statement: Last Friday night, we were pretty pleased with our match at Iowa. I thought we played a solid game and took their hitters out of their system better than we did when they played here, so we were happy with that.
And against Minnesota, we played a great first game. We did everything we were trying to do offensively--passed well, solid, and playing with a lot of confidence. The second game, Minnesota came out and made some changes and we weren 't able to adjust; (that's) something we've got to be better at. They had a great crowd and their team got going. We actually had them in the second game, came from behind (to tie it at) 20-20. We thought we'd make a surge there and couldn't quite pull out that game. And then the (fourth game) I think was tied at 29 and we had a service error. So there's just a few things we're not quite now capitalizing on in critical times that we just have to do to get those wins.
Coach, Aubrey (Meierotto) had just seven kills in each of the Iowa and Minnesota matches. Is there any source for concern there at all '
No real concern. In both matches,our goal and our game plan was to go to the middle and the right side a little bit more. We'd been really putting a lot of pressure on our left sides to carry us in the last couple of months and we're trying to balance our attack out. So there really wasn't a problem as far as Aubrey. I think she's still dealing with coming off the pneumonia and it 's not bothering her as far as her lungs or anything like that. It's just when you're out for two weeks, ou lose some muscle and you've got to regain it and get your strength back, so she's kind of getting back into game shape.
Do you think it's just a matter of time before you make those plays and now is probably the time you'd better start doing it '
It'd be a great time to do it starting this weekend. There 's times we make all those plays. And it's just sometimes that 's, I hate to say it, but that's the way the ball bounces. It's just whether you get certain touches or you just don't quite make the plays. We haven't been in a great system right now where it's working for us. And I don't really have an answer. We just have to get in the gym and keep doing the things we've been doing. They've been training hard, working hard. Their attitudes are positive. And we're glad to be back home again. They always play better in front of the home crowd.
How significant do you think these final home matches and the final four matches are just for where you would be in the postseason. What do you need to do'
Well, we'd like to go 4-0 obviously in the stretch. And we 've been lucky in the conference standings because people are beating up on each other. Purdue just went to Ohio State and lost to them, and we beat Ohio State both times we played them. The one that's playing the spoiler right now is Northwestern. They 've gone out and beaten a couple of ranked teams, both Purdue and Minnesota, and really shaken up the standings. Now they're one of the teams we have to go to their place and play, so hopefully we'll take care of business there.
Coach, just your thought about the upcoming weekend. What threats do Michigan and Michigan State possess for you guys'
We went five games with both of them last time on the road, and that was the first weekend that we did not have Aubrey (Meierotto) with us. We got out with a win at Michigan State, but then the next night just barely lost to Michigan 16-14 in the fifth (game). They're both good teams.
Michigan State is an especially big team, very tall, very athletic, and they're a team who's got Katie Johnson on the outside, who's been very strong, playing very well for them. Both are physical.
I look at it more for our team and our side of the net right now. I think over the weekend we just made too many unforced errors and that in rally scoring, gives the other team points left and right. If we eliminate those, I think we'll be fine.
Coach, obviously you've had a balanced offense all year, but Audra (Jeffers) is consistently getting double-digit kills. Is she emerging as maybe the No. 1 option in the offense'
Well, I don't know about No. 1. We want to keep that balanced offense going. Taylor (Reineke) is another one who's been putting up big numbers and high percentages too. Audra is doing a great job. And actually, as setters they 're learning to get (Jeffers) the ball in better situations, but physically she 's capable of doing some great things against any team in the conference.
This will be the last regular season home matches for Sheila and Aubrey. Can you just reflect a little bit on what they've meant to your program'
They've both been fantastic. Aubrey is a fifth-year senior now and redshirted her first year to take care of her knees and get stronger physically. And she has just put up some great numbers for us and been tough just as a leader too. It 's unfortunate she had pneumonia this year. It kind of was a bit of a bump in the road for us, so she's going to have to fight hard to get back and have a great finish for us, but she's been fantastic.
And Sheila has just been from the beginning, starting in the middle for us as an undersized middle blocker in the Big Ten, and her physical abilities just had her stand out all the time. They've both been great and the last two years we 've been a pretty young team, and they've been leaders all the time for us.
So does it look good for you to have home matches in postseason' The tournament is set up the same way, right'
Yeah. It should be the same way the first and second round. I think so. Again, if we finish out with these two weekends, we get the wins and go 4-0, I think we should be hosting. The NCAA tournament surprises you sometimes. You never know. But I think if we do finish out 4-0, we should finish second in the Big Ten, and with our attendance figures, everything should come together for us.
