Oct. 21, 2000

MILWAUKEE- - The UWM women's volleyball team outlasted the Midwest Region's number one team Saturday night, beating Cincinnati, 17-15, 5-15, 15-13, 15-17, 15-12, at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (16-3), who entered the match ranked seventh in the region, scored wins over two teams ahead of them in the rankings this week. UWM went on the road to beat fifth ranked DePaul Wednesday before downing the Bearcats (17-6) tonight.

The win was also UWM's 40th in their last 41 home matches.

"It's been a great week," coach Kathy Litzau said. "We've raised our level of play and we've raised our intensity."

Junior Laura Dallenbach led the Panthers with 27 kills, while junior Chrissy Schurla added 21 kills and sophomore Tari Boutin added 19.

In the deciding fifth game, the Panthers took a 9-4 lead and never looked back. But, earlier in the evening, UWM found itself fighting from behind.

In game one, UWM trailed 12-10 before rallying. Dallenbach had two kills as the Panthers broke a 15-all tie to claim the win

UWM never led in game two, while in game three, UWM trailed 11-6 before rallying for five straight points. The Panthers then won the game on a kill by Julie Yankus.

In game four, UWM, up 15-14, let a handful of game point chances slip past them before falling. But in game five, the Panthers rallied with a strong showing, jumping out to advantages of 9-4, 11-6, and 14-9.

"To fight back, this young team just keeps proving they're resilient and they're determined," Litzau said. "This was big. But we need to continue to prove it in our conference."

UWM returns to MCC action next weekend, hosting Illinois-Chicago Friday night and Loyola Saturday afternoon.