7 Gophers in late October.
"He thinks of anything possible to get our com"I think that's when the team realized, 'This is real
petitive juices flowing," Carlini said. "He knows that
… we can do some damage.' After that, we kicked it
we have to be that team that fights for everything."
into gear. We've had some losses, but I don't think
Carlini is hoping to take the fight to Texas. There
we've had a bad loss, per se."
will be a sleepless night or two in Seattle before
Sheffield learned something about his team bethen. The Longhorns bear some physical similarities
fore a 3-2 loss at Nebraska in early October.
to that "Phi Slamma Jamma" Houston team.
"These guys love big stages, man," he said. "You're
"Their outside hitters are probably touching 11
playing in front of almost 9,000
feet and that's not an exaggerafans and I'm sitting there watchSheffield
"They're
"HE THINKS OF ANYTHING POS- tion," big (at thesaid. and very
ing them come out of the locker
really
net)
SIBLE TO GET OUR COMPETITIVE physical."
room and you see the look in
their eyes …"
Sizing up the
JUICES FLOWING," CARLINI SAID "Perfect. It's whatdraw, he said,
It was the look, Sheffield said,
we want."
OF SHEFFIELD. "HE KNOWS THAT
that shouted out one thing: "All
This is real, it's on now.
right, it's on now."
"The moment," he said, "is
WE HAVE TO BE THAT TEAM THAT
Citing the maturing competinever too big for those teams
FIGHTS FOR EVERYTHING."
tive spirit of his players as the
that win it all. There's a confiseason played out, Sheffield
dence and swagger about them
said, "It didn't matter who we played … these guys
and they're able to execute."
haven't backed down to anything." Or anybody.
Texas has won 27 of 29 matches and obviously
To Sheffield's thinking, he said, "It's not experilooms as the favorite. But the makeup of this UW
ence, it's a belief in yourself and each other."
team was best expressed by Carlini, who won't turn
The Badgers may lead the country in such intan19 until late February.
gibles, he added proudly.
"I like challenges," she said.
WATCH: BADGERS DESCEND ON SEATTLE
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