STATE OF THE PROGRAM: VOLLEYBALL
a lot from last year, too. Basical- ly, they're tired of the situation that we've been in as a team. They're excited about the new group and they're all blending together. "They want to take owner-
ship,'' Waite said of his older players, "and they want to be the ones who help turn things back around because that's what they came here for.
"It was not their plan to have some tough years. They want to go out on a high note.'' The Badgers
"In the past, you could have a couple of off- years,'' Waite said. "But with the way the Big Ten is right now, you're still climbing the mountain.''
Badgers were among four others to receive votes. "In the past, you could have
a couple of off-years and you could jump back up in the pack again,'' Waite said. "But with the way the Big Ten is right now, you're still climbing the moun- tain.''
feature only
two seniors. Inexperience can be a problem, but not as big of a problem as a loaded Big Ten; headed by Penn State, the four- time reigning national champs. The conference has seven teams ranked in the top 25. The
The addition of another heavyweight, Nebraska, makes it only tougher this season. "If we stay healthy, we'll be
better no matter what because everything else is in place,'' Waite said. "We've been waiting for this group of freshmen to get here for about two-and-a-half
years. "We knew they were going to add a lot and we're excited. I think we can compete (with the better teams). It's a matter of sustaining that level through matches and the whole Big Ten season.''
Not that Waite needed any personal reinforcement, but he got some this summer from his fellow coaches within the UW athletic department during their bus trips to booster outings in the state.
"Whether you're sitting with
the softball coach, the basket- ball coach, the hockey coach or
