The schedule says this is it for the five seniors who have been the backbone of the University of Wisconsin volleyball team for the past four years.

But beyond this weekend's matches against Iowa and Minnesota that wrap up the regular season, there is the possibility of four NCAA tournament matches at the UW Field House.

It's a wonderful possibility for the seniors -- setter Jackie Simpson, middle Taylor Reineke, libero Jocelyn Wack, and defensive specialists Megan Mills and Amanda Berkley -- who have twice reached the NCAA's Elite Eight and are 51-9 at the Field House.

"It would be amazing if we could play all our tournament games here up to the Final Four," Simpson said.

UW might be selected to host first- and second-round NCAA matches when the tournament field is selected Sunday. The Field House already has been chosen as a site for an NCAA regional Dec. 7 and 8.

"(The Field House) is such a great atmosphere," Simpson said. "There is no other place like playing here. We go to away sites that may have 30 people in the stands but you know if you come to Madison, even if we aren't on the court, there are going to be tons of people in the stands because they love their volleyball. It's really cool."

The seniors have helped make volleyball "cool" the past four seasons. Simpson, Reineke and Wack were the scholarship athletes. Mills was a walk-on and Berkley made the team after a spring tryout.

When UW coach Pete Waite looks back over the past four years, he sees more than volleyball players who have helped the Badgers maintain one of the top programs in the country.

"I feel close to this group, and I am proud of this group," he said. "We brought them in because we knew they were talented and could play right away. From the get-go, they competed at the highest level.

"Each one individually is special and adds a lot to the team. They're all academically strong, responsible, good teammates. It hasn't been a high-maintenance group. It's a group that has contributed to the status of the program.

"We probably got more than we expected from this group because they've been so steady for so long."

That steadiness has shown this year even if the group is not going to reach one of its goals, a Big Ten Conference championship. The ninth-ranked Badgers (23-4, 15-3 Big Ten) have clinched second place in the conference behind Penn State, the second second-place finish for these seniors.

After a three-game sweep at Ohio State Monday, the seniors gathered by their plane for a picture to document their last road trip. Then, while onboard, they pulled out their computers and relived four years of memories, on and off the court.

"There were tons of pictures on the court but the things we talked about the most were, 'Remember the dorms, or when we did this or that, or how we lived together and loved this apartment or house?' " Simpson said.

Now the seniors have at least one more weekend to contribute to their on-court memories.

"When you come here, you want to take the team to the next level, compete hard, get the big wins for the program," Simpson said. "Though we fell short of the Big Ten championship goals, we've had a lot of great successes.

"The biggest thing is this is a program that has been so successful, with so many great players who have come through, and you want to be one of them. You want to be a Badger. It's been an unbelievable ride."