Oct. 20, 2000

MILWAUKEE - The UWM women's volleyball team fought from behind all night, but finally handled UW-Green Bay, 16-14, 15-10, 15-10, Friday night in an MCC match at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (15-3, 6-1 MCC) trailed 12-2 in game one, 6-2 in game two, and 8-5 in game three, but fought back to win all three games, claiming their 12th straight win over their in-state rival.

In game one, the Phoenix built their big advantage as the Panthers struggled with ball-handling and attack errors. But, down 12-2, UWM scored 11 straight points. The Panthers then had to fight off a game point at 13-14, and recorded the final three points of the game.

In game two, the Panthers rallied with nine straight points to build an 11-6 advantage. A service ace by junior Moira Coughlin and a kill by junior Chrissy Schurla closed out the game.

In game three, UWM broke a 10-all tie with the final five points of the match.

"I told the team I was proud of them that they fought through the struggles tonight," coach Kathy Litzau said. "Green Bay played well. We had a big win Wednesday night (over DePaul) where everyone was on. You expect there would be something of a letdown, and there was."

Schurla led the Panthers with 15 kills, while four other players recorded at least seven. Coughlin came off the bench in the middle of game one and collected 30 assists.

"Moira came in and did a good job," Litzau said. "It was a tough night. We struggled. I give Green Bay all of the credit. They kept their confidence and really made us work."

The Panthers welcome the Midwest Region's top-ranked team, Cincinnati (17-5), to the Klotsche Center Saturday night in a key non-conference battle. Litzau knows the Panthers will have to play better.

"The team knows that, too," the coach said. "It was a flat night. We'll be ready Saturday."

Crystal Nucech led the Phoenix (5-16, 1-6) with 14 kills, while Janelle Tomlinson and Brenda Krauss added 11. Natalie Noonan, the school's all-time career assists leader, collected 38 more.