Nov. 16, 2001

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Laura Dallenbach collected 15 kills, 18 digs and five service aces in leading UWM to a 30-20, 32-30, 30-22 win over Cleveland State in the second quarterfinal of the Horizon League Volleyball Championships at the Klotsche Center Friday afternoon.

The Panthers (18-7) advance to Saturday's semifinals, where they will face sixth-seeded UW-Green Bay. That match begins at noon.

Lori Betchker and Jamie Bouyer had 10 kills apiece for Cleveland State (7-19). Julie Yankus added 14 digs and Chrissy Schurla 13 for the Panthers.

"I'm very relieved," UWM coach Kathy Litzau said after watching her team win relatively easily following the upset of third-seeded Wright State in the first match of the day. "I thought our serve was on. Our passing was very good. Tomorrow we're just going to have to terminate more."

The Panthers doused the hope of a Viking upset by pulling out a tight game-two win to claim control of the match. Cleveland St. built a 14-10 advantage in the game, but UWM fought back to tie the game at 17. The Panthers then used a 10-4 run to build a 27-21 advantage before Cleveland St. again rallied, tying the game at 29 after overcoming two game points. UWM then broke a 30-all tie on a kill by Lindsey Spoden and an attack error by Jamie Bouyer and won the game.

The Panthers controlled the other two games of the match. In game one, UWM turned a 4-4 tie into a 16-9 lead. Cleveland St. pulled back to within 18-14, but UWM rattled off four straight points to put the game away. In game three, the Panthers broke an 8-all tie with six straight points and the Vikings never got closer than three points the rest of the way. UWM scored its final two points of the match on kills by Dallenbach.

UWM now turns its attention to Saturday's semifinal. The Panthers swept UWGB during the regular season, including a four-game win in Green Bay last week. Litzau expects a much different match Saturday.

"The Green Bay team that played here today is one of the best teams in the conference," Litzau said. "We have to be prepared for a different Green Bay team than the one we saw last week. They have a lot of confidence. We'll have to earn the victory."

The Horizon League Tournament continues tonight at the Klotsche Center with two more matches. Fourth-seeded UIC faces fifth-seeded Butler at 5:30 p.m. while top-seeded Loyola plays eighth-seeded Youngstown St. at 8 p.m.