badger news anyone?

[badgerbill]

Here I go again. Any news on Badger recruiting?
It is encouraging to hear that Katherine Dykstra appears to be coming along nicely this year. I can totally see her playing opposite, and hitting all along the front line. Jeffers playing middle would bring even more offensive diversity for the Badgers. I just hope Jeffers is able to play at 100% this fall. Can any body out there see the Badgers running a 6-2 in the next couple of years. I can see Klingsporn and Nellie Gabrielsen setting for the badgers in a 6-2. With the Badgers loaded on the outside with Dolgner, Wack, Dupont, and Salow, it is going to be hard for Pete Waite to keep these homegrown girls all happy and give them playing time. Dolgner will be a mainstay at the O1 position for the next three years, and it will be interesting to see what he does with Dupont and Wack and Salow. If Salow can develop some lateral quickness she would be a viable middle hitter in the big ten. with Elle Ohlander coming in next year I can see here being an immediate starter. I still think Gabrielson will be used as a setter, as she is a bit undersized to be a middle in the big ten, although I have heard she has a huge jump. By the way does anybody know how high she touches?

[bomber]

It is encouraging to hear that Waite has some quality players coming in this year and next, because after this fall season, they will lose three great players when Wack, Simpson and Reineke, each a four year starter, hang up their uniforms. These three will be listed all over the place in the Badger's record book for season and career statistics.

Dykstra will certainly help to reduce the talent drain, if she can stay healthy. I'm hoping her leg issues go away. And the Badgers certainly appear to have addressed their needs on the outside and defense, with Kuzma also joining the team this fall.

Middle blocker still will be the big question mark. I've seen Ohlander play twice now, and while she sure has the height requirements to play middle, I'm concerned about her foot speed. I'm hoping she develops more quickness than what I've seen.

Still, I think Pete believes this year will be his best chance for a while to go deep in the NCAA tournament, with the experience and talent this team has, plus the added factor of getting to host a regional. (Plus the fact that Penn State hosts another regional as well).

[bucky415]

In other Badger news, women's hoops coach Lisa Stone had her contract extended another year through 2011, I think. She did have 23 wins this year, with several against NCAA tournament teams. Oh yeah, none of them were against NCAA tournament teams. Given that Pete's squad had 14, his contract should probably extend through 2021.

Seriously, though, I don't see the Badgers dropping off the face of the earth in the near future. The injuries are a major concern, obviously, as I think the lineup that some people mentioned for the fall in a previous post could be very, very good if everyone was healthy. It is pretty ironic that the Badgers are now thin in the middle, given that nearly the entire roster seemed to consist of middles and converted middles not too long ago. I hope they can find another middle for 2008 to add some depth there. On the good side, the Badgers look to have a lot of depth at left side, and Klingsporn's play this spring bodes well for the future at the setter position. I hope that Kuzma is as good as we hope; I think it is a good idea to use a scholarship to try to get the best libero you can, since they touch the ball so much. It has been great having Wack there to nail down a position that was a question mark the first two years of the rule.