A week ago my husband and I watched the #2 ranked University of Wisconsin Women’s Volleyball team play #10 Baylor on the Big10 Network.

UW Volleyball is always fun to watch as the team is talented, well-coached and plays with more heart and intensity than many of their opponents.

This year we will likely see them play with more fire than ever before. Though some of the graduating seniors chose to move on to new adventures, the ones that accepted the option to return know that every game is a step toward their big goal for the year: a National Championship—the honor that might have been theirs last year without the pandemic.

We’ll never know what might have happened, but this year’s team is highly motivated after losing to the Texas Longhorns in the semi-finals this spring in the delayed NCAA tournament.  

After sweeping TCU last Friday night, the Badgers came out strong against Baylor winning the first two sets 25-16, 25-7. They squashed whatever it was that knocked them off balance to lose the third set 16-25 and came roaring back to win the fourth set, and the match 25-15.

But UW didn’t just beat Baylor. The match was a showcase in excellent execution and teamwork. In the post-match interview Sydney Hilley’s excitement for her team was clear. She was able to choose who to set to on every play—every passer was in position and ready. And middle hitters Dana Rettke and Danielle Hart were more than ready. They combined for 28 kills with no errors!  

“What we saw Saturday was a special performance, you could almost see the energy radiating off the TV screen.”                                - Michellea Chester, NCAA.com 

It was an important night for the Badgers that should set the stage for the season.

Is it any wonder this team is ready to play?

Last year, despite seven cancellations, several postponements and sometimes practicing or playing without key players, the Badgers forged on through a season-in-flux. They juggled the uncertainty of the pandemic and the uncertainty of every game day. It was not like a normal year when a team can build on the momentum of a victory or immediately adjust after a defeat. Yet their only loss of the season was to Texas.

It makes you wonder what they will accomplish if this season happens without interruption. 

On our own teams of work and family, we have also had challenges and interruptions, many more critical than the outcome of a game. Some people struggled to create a new routine in the midst of uncertainty, while some of us adjusted and are now adjusting again as we move into new routines and new ways accomplishing what we need to each day.

But let’s remember we’re not in this alone.

Like members of a team, we won’t succeed unless we each contribute our best as we step back onto the court of life. When I need to be reminded, you’ll find me watching these Badgers.

Read about the Badgers 

Going out fighting: See the best plays from the Badgers volleyball team's national semifinal loss to Texas Longhorns by Chris Doyle, Wisconsin State Journal, April 23, 2021

Julia Orzol, No. 2 Wisconsin volleyball team open season with sweep of TCU by Dennis Punzel for the Wisconsin State Journal, August 28, 2021

Wisconsin volleyball beats Baylor 3-1 in top-10 match by Michellea Chester, NCAA.com, August 28, 2021