Nov. 13, 1999

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team earned its third consecutive MCC Regular-Season Championship today with its 3-1 win over Wright State in Dayton, Ohio. The Panthers will enter the MCC Tournament next weekend as the number one seed, earning them a bye in the first round. The Panthers first match will be on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. in Chicago, Ill., at Loyola Chicago?s Gentile Center. The full tournament bracket will be released tomorrow by the conference office.

The Panthers topped Wright State, 15-2, 12-15, 15-9, 15-10, in spite of losing their top offensive player, senior Ericka Malterer (OP, Waupun, Wis.), who injured her knee last night in the team?s match against Butler. The Panthers finish the conference season 24-2 overall and 11-1 in the MCC, while the Raiders drop to 11-18 overall and 6-6 in the MCC.

?We feel confident going into the tournament after turning in such a solid team performance in spite of playing without Ericka,? said assistant coach Susie Ketchum. ?Ending the season with road wins against two tough conference opponents is a definite positive for the team going into the postseason.?

With the absence of Malterer, freshman Larissa Cattanach (MB, Fargo, N.D.) saw significant playing time for the first time this year, turning in an 11-kill, six-block performance.

Sophomore Chrissy Schurla (MB, Chicago, Ill.) led the Panthers with 14 kills and a .444 hitting percentage, along with senior Sue Raschka (MB, Chicago, Ill.) who also had 14 kills and a team-leading 15 digs. Sophomore Laura Dallenbach (OH, Waterloo, Iowa) turned in another double-double performance with 11 kills and 14 digs.