MADISON, Wis. – Head Coach Kelly Sheffield talked to the media today after a successful trip to the East coast in which the Wisconsin volleyball team swept both Rutgers and Maryland.

The No. 15 Badgers (12-4, 4-2 Big Ten) are back in the UW Field House on Wednesday to face No. 11 Minnesota at 7 p.m. for what promises to be an exciting border battle.

Archived video of the media session can be found above, and a complete transcript of Sheffield's remarks can be found below.

Opening Statement: "It's kind of an interesting week in front of us. It's the only time all year that we will play the same opponent in back-to-back matches, so it's kind of Minnesota week and it's a big challenge. They're probably playing as well as anybody in the country. Got a lot of experience on that team, a lot of returning experience. [Daly] Santana is probably on the left side playing as well as any outside in the country. The Tapp sisters have continued to take their game to another level. Their libero [Dalianliz Rosado] stepped up her play from a year ago, her and [Alyssa] Goehner, those guys are really handling the ball really well, and they've got a freshman setter that I think that has added an awful lot to their ball club.

"We've got a big challenge. We're excited about playing them Wednesday night at our place and then going back to their place on Saturday."

There's a lot of talk after last season about adjusting the way the schedules are done. Do you have any better sense that this is the last time you will be doing the home-and-home, and is there anymore talk about adjusting this?
"Yeah, sounds like the schedule might have just gotten approved, I haven't seen it. I know there has been a lot of discussion. I think we're going with a different model so this may be the last time that we play our travel partner twice in one week, but I haven't taken a look at what that means.

"It's unique, but 14 teams playing 20 matches, that's an unusual kind of deal. This will probably be the last year that we do it, is my understanding.

What did you gain out of two wins out east this past weekend?
"I think we continue to get better. The Rutgers match, it's not often that you're a part of a rain delay, and certainly in our sport you don't see that too often. We had that and another travel snafu on top of that, so our team has had a few of those issues with other flight delays or leakages in a building or whatever that we've had to just kind of roll with it, and I think those things can help you as you go down the line. The next time we have a rain out maybe we will even be better!

"At Maryland, we were playing a really, really good serving team. I think we showed a lot of courage with our passers against a team that was rifling bullets at us. I thought we got a great weekend, again, from Lauryn Gillis and Romana Kriskova, those two, the numbers just keep getting better and better from those guys, but I would say those are probably the things that we got better at."

Looks like your blocks are coming along, would you agree?
"Yeah, we were three blocks per set this past weekend. It's one of those things when you get a lot of blocks, then everybody thinks that you're a great blocking team, and when you don't block that much then there are all these holes, and you're a horrible blocking team. The thing is that some teams are probably better at avoiding a block than others.

"We work hard at it, but your opponent has to do something about it as well. I mean, they go over and they hit 12 inches above where your block is, doesn't matter how much that you work, or if they go and tip over it, doesn't really matter how good your block is, but our numbers are getting better. I think we're getting a little bit better. Of course, as a coach you still sit there and say, man, there is so much room that we got to get better in that area, and we do."

As you've watched them [Minnesota], what's the biggest difference from a year ago?
"Man, they're better in every aspect. They don't have holes in their ball control like they did a year ago. They're very, very solid passing wise and their lineup is a lot more stable. I think they were doing a lot of changing things out last year. Better connections with their setter; I think that's making a big difference.

"But at the end of the day, they were young, and now they're experienced and they've got everybody coming back. They're playing like a team that's got a lot of mojo going on right now. Confidence is a powerful thing. When you have it, you feel like you can conquer the world, and you watch them, and you're like, 'this team believes in themselves,' and that's a fun place to be.

"And when you get that and you look into somebody's eyes, you feel like you're Superman. So I'm not sure there is an aspect of their game they don't seem like they're better at."

Kelly, should we be surprised that Illinois has four league losses, Penn State has two and Purdue is unbeaten?
"Well, scheduling has been probably a little bit of a difference. Illinois you look there and you go four in a row, wow, that's pretty nasty, but the lowest ranked team they played in that four was 16th ranked, I think right now. Purdue, the meaty part of their schedule is in front of them. You certainly don't expect Penn State to go down to Northwestern -- nothing against Northwestern – it's just there is a lot of talent over there, but it's been like that all over the country.

"That's really what's cool about our sport this year is that we're seeing that left and right. No. 5 Arizona State, lost twice this weekend, and Stanford, I think everybody about six months ago had those guys being one of the greatest teams of all time, and they've lost quite a few, and part of that has been injuries, but still that's why you play the matches.

"I think it's going to be like this all year long in our conference. It should be an unbelievably exciting year."