Post by wiscvball on Aug 23, 2007 10:56:26 GMT -5
www.madison.com/tct/sports/columns/206806
UW volleyball: Dolgner's drive to excel even stronger after impressive freshman season
Rob Schultz — 8/23/2007 8:36 am
Brittney Dolgner had every reason to look and act exhausted early Wednesday afternoon.
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team's talented sophomore left-side hitter was soaked in sweat following a grueling five-game intra-squad match that concluded a long practice inside the steamy UW Field House.
As an added twist, the Badgers played before a crowd of athletic department employees who chose to sit on the Fieldhouse bleachers to dine on free hotdogs, brats and custard that were part of a department-wide cookout.
The smell of grilled food that wafted through the old building at lunch time was overwhelming.
It didn't bother Dolgner, whose focus never changed. That 's what happens when you're one of the best young players in the country playing for a team aspiring to win a national title.
The 11th-ranked Badgers are so loaded that Dolgner, the first player in program history to be named to the All-Big Ten Conference team as a freshman, is being challenged for playing time by two other talented hitters -- sophomore Caity DuPont and freshman Allison Wack.
Please don't think this bothers Dolgner, who is mature enough to understand how much that will help her and the Badgers. They open their season Friday night at the Field House against UW-Milwaukee in an Inntowner Invitational match. They will also play Gardner-Webb and Syracuse on Saturday.
"I'm very excited. Two very good freshmen came in and they make it so much more fun," said Dolgner, who was referring to Wack and defensive specialist/libero Kim Kuzma. "It's very competitive. The drills are a lot more fun because we don't let balls drop as much. We have long rallies."
After a freshman season when she led the Badgers in kills (4.12 per game) and ranked second in digs (2.51), Dolgner's aim is to become more balanced this year. That means improving her block and serve.
But Dolgner, who was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team, is also improving her hitting by developing a stronger line shot. She put up impressive numbers last year despite the fact that opponents knew she was going to fire cross-court shots virtually every time.
"I know teams in the Big Ten are expecting my cross-court shot so it's going to be exciting to see something new and see how they react to it," said Dolgner, who figures she hit cross-court shots 90 percent of the time as a freshman.
Adapting her body to hit a strong line shot hasn't been easy. Dolgner often shows up 30 minutes before practice to work with assistant Rod Wilde on improving her technique.
"When you're hitting a cross-court shot, you want your arm to come straight in front of you. When you are going down the line, you want your arm to cross your body. It's like you're swinging toward your left shoulder," said Dolgner, who is often forced to hit over or through opponents who are three or four inches taller than her.
"I'm not there yet, I'm still working at it. Like at practice today, I had a lot of hitting errors," she added. "It's harder because my arm isn't used to doing it. But since my muscles are formed it's easier to do it now than it was last year."
Everything seems easier for Dolgner as she embarks on her sophomore year. As a freshman, she learned that the classroom at Wisconsin is every bit as competitive as volleyball is throughout the Big Ten. She was so exhausted by the end of the season, which coincided with the first semester, that she was flattened by a nasty case of mononucleosis starting on New Year's Day.
Dolgner spent the entire winter break trying to recover and then missed a portion of the team 's spring practice because of it. "I got back and I don't think I hit a ball over the net. After a half hour of practice I was done," she said.
She figures she lost about 13 or 14 pounds and had to spend much of the summer rebuilding her strength. "It set me back in terms of muscle," added Dolgner. "Over the summer I was just catching up to everyone else and where they are."
Pretty soon, however, everyone else will be trying to catch up to Dolgner, who is putting all the experience she gained last year to good use. "She got the accolades last year and now the expectations are there for her to take it up another notch," said UW coach Pete Waite.
Waite is enjoying watching three underclassmen battle for left-side playing time on a team dominated by upperclassmen everywhere else.
"Brittney's going to continue to do well. She's also going to be challenged by the other two hitters," he said. "DuPont and Wack are doing real well in the preseason and that's making Brittney be a better player."
UW volleyball: Dolgner's drive to excel even stronger after impressive freshman season
Rob Schultz — 8/23/2007 8:36 am
Brittney Dolgner had every reason to look and act exhausted early Wednesday afternoon.
The University of Wisconsin volleyball team's talented sophomore left-side hitter was soaked in sweat following a grueling five-game intra-squad match that concluded a long practice inside the steamy UW Field House.
As an added twist, the Badgers played before a crowd of athletic department employees who chose to sit on the Fieldhouse bleachers to dine on free hotdogs, brats and custard that were part of a department-wide cookout.
The smell of grilled food that wafted through the old building at lunch time was overwhelming.
It didn't bother Dolgner, whose focus never changed. That 's what happens when you're one of the best young players in the country playing for a team aspiring to win a national title.
The 11th-ranked Badgers are so loaded that Dolgner, the first player in program history to be named to the All-Big Ten Conference team as a freshman, is being challenged for playing time by two other talented hitters -- sophomore Caity DuPont and freshman Allison Wack.
Please don't think this bothers Dolgner, who is mature enough to understand how much that will help her and the Badgers. They open their season Friday night at the Field House against UW-Milwaukee in an Inntowner Invitational match. They will also play Gardner-Webb and Syracuse on Saturday.
"I'm very excited. Two very good freshmen came in and they make it so much more fun," said Dolgner, who was referring to Wack and defensive specialist/libero Kim Kuzma. "It's very competitive. The drills are a lot more fun because we don't let balls drop as much. We have long rallies."
After a freshman season when she led the Badgers in kills (4.12 per game) and ranked second in digs (2.51), Dolgner's aim is to become more balanced this year. That means improving her block and serve.
But Dolgner, who was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team, is also improving her hitting by developing a stronger line shot. She put up impressive numbers last year despite the fact that opponents knew she was going to fire cross-court shots virtually every time.
"I know teams in the Big Ten are expecting my cross-court shot so it's going to be exciting to see something new and see how they react to it," said Dolgner, who figures she hit cross-court shots 90 percent of the time as a freshman.
Adapting her body to hit a strong line shot hasn't been easy. Dolgner often shows up 30 minutes before practice to work with assistant Rod Wilde on improving her technique.
"When you're hitting a cross-court shot, you want your arm to come straight in front of you. When you are going down the line, you want your arm to cross your body. It's like you're swinging toward your left shoulder," said Dolgner, who is often forced to hit over or through opponents who are three or four inches taller than her.
"I'm not there yet, I'm still working at it. Like at practice today, I had a lot of hitting errors," she added. "It's harder because my arm isn't used to doing it. But since my muscles are formed it's easier to do it now than it was last year."
Everything seems easier for Dolgner as she embarks on her sophomore year. As a freshman, she learned that the classroom at Wisconsin is every bit as competitive as volleyball is throughout the Big Ten. She was so exhausted by the end of the season, which coincided with the first semester, that she was flattened by a nasty case of mononucleosis starting on New Year's Day.
Dolgner spent the entire winter break trying to recover and then missed a portion of the team 's spring practice because of it. "I got back and I don't think I hit a ball over the net. After a half hour of practice I was done," she said.
She figures she lost about 13 or 14 pounds and had to spend much of the summer rebuilding her strength. "It set me back in terms of muscle," added Dolgner. "Over the summer I was just catching up to everyone else and where they are."
Pretty soon, however, everyone else will be trying to catch up to Dolgner, who is putting all the experience she gained last year to good use. "She got the accolades last year and now the expectations are there for her to take it up another notch," said UW coach Pete Waite.
Waite is enjoying watching three underclassmen battle for left-side playing time on a team dominated by upperclassmen everywhere else.
"Brittney's going to continue to do well. She's also going to be challenged by the other two hitters," he said. "DuPont and Wack are doing real well in the preseason and that's making Brittney be a better player."
