Volleyball Seniors Play Last Home Matches
November 17, 2005 | Volleyball
Senior co-captains Aubrey Meierotto and Sheila Shaw play their final Big Ten Conference home matches this weekend against Michigan and Michigan State. The 15th-ranked Badgers (19-6 overall, 1-5 Big Ten) host to the Wolverines (13-12, 7-9) on Friday night and the Spartans (12-14, 5-11) on Saturday night. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the UW Field House on both days.
Outside hitter Aubrey Meierotto has been a captain of the Badgers for the past two seasons, leading the Badgers to a 41-16 record while appearing in 112 matches and 355 games.
Meierotto has left her mark in the UW all-time record books. She is currently 13th in school history in three career statistical categories with 1,065 kills, 41 block solos and a .247 hitting percentage. Meierotto's hitting percentage is second among all-time Badger left-side hitters.
The Washburn, Wis. native had a much more subtle objective after she signed to play at UW.
'I think moving myself into a starting role was one of my goals and I accomplished that,' Meierotto said.
But Meierotto's success on the court was not immediate.
'It was new, doing school and being a full-time athlete, ' said Meierotto. 'It was also a little difficult for me because I redshirted for a season during my freshman year so I had to get used to not being on the court.'
Despite not being eligible to play during her first season on campus, Meierotto still valued being a part of the 2001 Big Ten championship team.
'Being a part of a team that won a Big Ten championship was something indescribable,' Meierotto said. 'We just had a bunch of great leaders my first two years here. Sherisa (Livingston) and Lizzy (Fitzgerald) were great my freshman year as well as all the other people I played with. They were all just great team players and I could look to them to finish plays.'
Middle blocker Sheila Shaw stepped into a starting role in her first season at Wisconsin, joining Meierotto in the front line.
Shaw's physical abilities on the court have helped her overcome the height disadvantage she faces when playing against many taller Big Ten opponents to become one of the most accomplished players in UW history.
'I feel like every year the freshman class getting taller and taller,' said Shaw, 'I'm 6-1 and a lot of them are 6-3, 6-4 so it's difficult with them hitting over me when I max out jumping but I enjoy the challenge. I'm trying to beat them with speed.'
Appearing in 117 matches and 408 games through four seasons, Shaw ranks in the all-time top 10 in three statistical categories. Her .304 career hitting percentage ranks third and she is also sixth all-time with 1,600.5 points and ninth with 1,234 kills.
'(While starting as a freshman) I learned to be aggressive and to play with everything (I have). (I learned) that confidence is they key to being a successful player in the Big Ten,' said Shaw.
As a self-proclaimed 'Badger for life,' the Muskego, Wis., native did not need much convincing by head coach Pete Waite during the recruiting process.
'It was just really awesome that I had a chance to represent my state,' said Shaw. 'A lot of my friends went here, my family is close and the idea of being a Badger was pretty cool.'
Shaw does not regret her decision to accept Waite's invitation to attend Wisconsin.
'It's really been a great experience,' said Shaw. '(Waite) is an awesome coach and he really knows how to bring potential out in his athletes. He does a good job bringing everyone together.'
Both Meierotto and Shaw remember victories against conference opponents which sprung post-season runs as their most memorable moment on the court for the Badgers.
During her first season of eligibility in 2002, Meierotto came off the bench to lead Wisconsin with 18 kills in the school's first and only victory at Penn State.
'I think every year we accomplished something unique but some things that stand out would be beating Penn State in Penn State for the first time and then making it to (NCAA) regional last year,' said Meierotto. 'After starting off really slow, it looked like we were going to have a really good season. '
Shaw points to last season's Halloween upset of second-ranked Minnesota. Shaw took over the match with 24 kills.
'(It was a big win) because they were ranked second in the country so it was a huge upset for us and a big win for our team,' said Shaw. 'Making it to the Elite Eight was awesome too.'
Meierotto is looking forward to this weekend's conference home finale.
'I think it's going to be pretty emotional, ' Meierotto said. 'I've had an unbelievable experience. The crowd and fans are just absolutely amazing. I've had so much fun on every team I 've played on and made great friends. I think playing here for the last time is definitely going to be special.'
