Waite addresses media Monday
November 24, 2008 | Volleyball
Volleyball coach Pete Waite addressed the media Monday as his Badgers (17-13 overall, 7-11 Big Ten) wrap up the regular season with two matches against ranked teams in the UW Field House. Wisconsin hosts 16th-ranked Illinois (22-7, 13-5) on Friday at 7 p.m. and 18th-ranked Purdue (22-8, 11-7) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
UW is still battling for a spot in the 2008 NCAA tournament. With two matches remaining, both against teams that defeated the UW during the first half of Big Ten play and are ranked in the top 25, the Badgers probably need to win at least one match in order to qualify for post-season play.
The 64-team field for the 2008 NCAA Tournament will be announced live on Sunday at 9 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
A complete transcription of the news conference follows below. To watch the video, click mid=2768"> --> here .
Opening Statement: This weekend is big for us. We've got two ranked opponents coming in and we really need to get at least one of them to have a shot at the NCAA tournament this year. This is big. I think, at this point, we're maybe a bubble team and we have a shot, but getting a win would be fantastic for us. We've been playing well, just not getting over the hump and getting some of the wins. Couple weeks ago, we had a great match against Minnesota and went (to) five (sets) and Minnesota and Illinois went (to) five (sets). It could be some real tight ones here. The Big Ten is tough this year. (The conference is) up more than I've probably seen them in my 10-year career. In a year of transition for us, it's a challenge to get those big wins, but being here at home is great for our last weekend.
How have your players handled this recently and do they have the wherewithal to come up with a couple of big ones this weekend'
I think we do. We've been using a lot of players, trying a lot of different things and we've seen some great things happen. Again, the Minnesota match would have been a big win for us, to get that one. That would have been another ranked win for us. But we're trying some people in different positions. It's working well and we like it. We're putting Audra Jeffers on the right some and she 's getting some better offense for us. I think our setters are maturing all the time. We're right on the verge and we're ready to break out. It 's just a matter of getting over the hump and getting that big win. They know how important the weekend is, so they'll be ready for it.
With two DNPs (did not plays) in the last three matches, how important will Brittney Dolgner be in these last two matches in your run toward the tournament'
She's going to be huge and we'll rest her most of this week and hopefully her ankle will heal up enough to get her on the court again. She went and played at Indiana was probably at 80 percent and that's kind of tough for an athlete like that. We need her as a passer, we need her as an attacker and she's just a great spirit on the team. We'll practice assuming she might not be available, but hopefully that she will be available.
Could you go over the two matches that you played with these teams earlier in the year'
At Purdue, they actually had it on the night of their first men's basketball practice, so they had a huge crowd and they did it at Mackey Arena. The crowd was also 90 percent students, so it was just a great, electric environment. And I think that really gave them a boost emotionally to get over the top. It was a good match, very tight, but I think that did make the difference for them.
And at Illinois, they're a better team than they've been before. They 've got a freshman, Michelle Bartsch, on the right, who is a great athlete, who 's put up a big block and some big numbers. They've really come together as a team. Those two teams have made a move up, where in the last couple years they 've been mid-to-lower half of the conference and they've gone up higher as far as rankings and as far as definitely level of play that I can see out there. It 's much different. They're much more well-rounded than they've ever been, far fewer mistakes than they've ever made. We're going to have to play well to beat them.
Coach, with obviously a couple big matches coming up, if you are to lose both of these, how much do you think the strength of the Big Ten Conference and the strength of the schedule you play will play a factor in you potentially still getting into that NCAA tournament'
I think that does help us, because the Big Ten is very strong this year. And there have been years where, probably four or five years ago, I didn't think it was that strong and they got seven teams in and this year I think it's a much higher level. I think it's to our benefit the Big Ten is so tough, we have so many ranked teams at the top (and) we're playing good teams all the time. I think that will help us. Hopefully, that will get us over the hump, but I'd rather guarantee it by getting a win or two wins this weekend.
Pete, as a coach here at Wisconsin, you haven 't been in this situation very often at all. Does your patience wear thin ' Do you have to find yourself to be a little bit more patient with this young club'
Both. Every coach wants to win all the time and you're looking for the quality of play and sustaining the mental toughness, the execution of skills, everything that you 've done in the past to get your team to get those close wins. At this point, we 've gotten some close matches, but haven't gotten over the hump to get the win. We just have to be more creative as a staff every week, not just in what we do in practices, but the lineup we put on the court ' just to try different people, different places and search for that winning combination. And the kids are being great. I think they're still working hard, they're very positive, they're doing everything they can to win.
We're making progress. We're a much better team from the beginning of the Big Ten schedule. We went down to Iowa and lost in three (sets) there and then came back here a month and a half later and beat them in three (sets) at our place without much trouble. We are much better. It's just a matter of getting those big wins.
