INSIDE VOLLEYBALL
BY DIANE NORDSTROM
@BadgerVBall
SPRING SCHEDULE
Last Three
March 16Loyola
April 6
Green Bay
April 9Milwaukee
W, 3-0
W, 2-1
W, 3-1
Upcoming
April 20 at Minnesota
All Day
Spring Invitational
Badger block!
Badgers make it three
in a row on home court
UW downs Green Bay and Milwaukee
T
he Badgers volleyball
team improved to 3-0
this spring with wins over
Green Bay (2-1) and Milwaukee (3-1) last week.
Wisconsin
won
both
matches in similar ways. After easily winning the first
sets, the Badgers struggled
in the second, losing both.
UW rallied to take the final
50 �� VARSITY
APR I L 11, 2013
sets, including come-frombehind victories in both
matches.
���We have to find ways to
get better,��� said first-year
head coach Kelly Sheffield.
���Coaches worry more about
are we getting better from
match to match and are we
developing a (winning) mentality?���
�� Sheffield said it the best, ���I think
we���re going to be a pretty good
blocking team.���
The Badgers are averaging an
impressive 3.60 blocks per set this
spring, with four players tallying
more than 1.2 blocks per set.
True freshman Tori Blake, who
graduated high school early and
joined the Badgers in January,
leads the team with 1.80 blocks per
set. Sophomore Courtney Thomas (1.40/set), junior Dominique
Thompson (1.30) and junior Julie
Mikaelsen (1.20) also put up impressive numbers.
UW opponents have averaged
just 1.85 blocks per set this spring.
Thomas running offense
�� Sophomore Courtney Thomas is
one of the most improved Badgers
this season. The 6-foot setter has
been doing a phenomenal job running UW���s offense.
Thomas��� play shows in her individual stats, as she is averaging
10.2 assists, 1.70 kills, 1.80 digs
and 1.40 blocks per set. It also
shows in Wisconsin���s team totals,
as the Badgers are hitting .256
with four players averaging 2.0 or
more kills per set.
