Early season adversity provides lessons

Friday, September 16

College Station, TX

4 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

Texas A&M

Photo by: Greg Anderson

Early season adversity provides lessons

September 16, 2016 | Volleyball

Difficult non-conference schedule offering expected challenges and benefits

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Kelly Sheffield knew Wisconsin's non-conference schedule was going to teach him a lot about his team. With seven of nine opponents ranked or receiving votes in the national coaches' poll, the Badgers may have the toughest schedule in the country this fall.

After that strong schedule and some key injuries resulted in the Badgers losing their first match of the season last weekend, Sheffield's suspicions have proven to be true. UW dropped a close five-set match at No. 11 North Carolina last Friday before bouncing back to sweep Louisville on Saturday.

"When you're playing great competition, there's nowhere to hide," Sheffield said. "You know what you're good at, you know what you have to get better at.

"We've been forced to play teams with a lot of different styles and I think that's good."

The Badgers played without starting outside hitter Lauryn Gillis against the Tar Heels, which forced Sheffield to change his lineup. He moved junior Kelli Bates, who played libero in each of the Badgers' previous matches on the season, to outside hitter. Freshman M.E. Dodge started in Bates' place at libero.

Match 8 \| at #16 Texas A&M
Date	Friday, Sept. 16 \| 4 p.m.
Location	Reed Arena \| College Station, Texas
Video	ESPN3
Mobile App	Badger Gameday
Live Stats	SidearmStats.com
Radio	The Mic 92.1 or iHeartRadio app
Social Media	@BadgerVB \| Facebook

Match 9 \| at #2 Texas
Date	Sunday, Sept. 18 \| Noon
Location	Gregory Gym \| Austin, Texas
Video	Longhorn Network
Mobile App	Badger Gameday
Live Stats	SidearmStats.com
Radio	The Mic 92.1 or iHeartRadio app
Social Media	@BadgerVB \| Facebook

"I'm not sure that we played the way that this team has played, with toughness and being ready and good ball control," Sheffield said of the team's showing against North Carolina. "How much that had to do with moving people around, I don't know."

The lineup changed again on Saturday against Louisville as UW's other starting outside hitter, freshman Molly Haggerty, also sat out with a sprained ankle. That moved right-side hitter Romana Kriskova to the left side while senior Tori Blake, a middle blocker, started on the right side. Defensive specialists Amber MacDonald and Sarah Dodd also saw more playing time against the Cardinals.

"With any sport, its next man up," said Sheffield. "Although a lot of positions are changing around, let's find a way to still play the Badger way. I'm not sure we really did that to the level that was necessary.

"We've learned a lot about ourselves. In the long run that will probably pay off, but that's made it tough with training and to get some continuity."

Things don't get any easier this weekend as Wisconsin wraps up the non-conference season against two top-20 teams. The Badgers play at No. 16 Texas A&M on Friday before taking on No. 2 Texas on the Longhorns' home court on Sunday.

"I'm really looking forward to this next week," Sheffield said. "It's up to us as a coaching staff to help them recover and try to get better. It's a challenge, but that's why we set it up this way."

Once they return from Texas, the Badgers will eye Sept. 23, when they open the Big Ten Conference season with a home match against No. 19 Ohio State in the UW Field House. The match is the 25th-annual Steve Lowe Night, which honors the former UW head coach.