Sept. 1, 2001

Stats

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State never trailed in the fifth and deciding game, capturing second place in the Barker GMC Classic by claiming a 30-27, 26-30, 30-25, 23-30, 15-9 win over UWM Saturday night.

Chrissy Schurla led the Panthers with 15 kills and 15 digs while being named to the all-tournament team. Sarah Potts added 15 kills, while Laura Dallenbach had 14, Tari Boutin collected 12 and Larissa Cattanach added 11. UWM finished 1-2 in the tournament.

"I was hoping the team would be a little more polished since we've been a whole unit for more than a year," UWM coach Kathy Litzau said of a Panther team that has all six starters and all 12 letterwinners back from an NCAA Tournament team a year ago. "Last year, no one really knew us or what to expect. Now, we have everyone back, we have votes in the national poll and people are gunning for us. It's a new position for UWM volleyball.

"I think this was a wake-up call," Litzau added. "We have a ways to go to compete with the kinds of teams we're going to see in the next few weeks."

The match was tight throughout. In game one, UWM fell down 7-0, but rallied to tie the match at 22, 25 and 26 before Illinois State pulled away. In game two, the Panthers broke a 26-all tie on two kills and a game-ending block from Schurla.

In game three, UWM built a 13-8 advantage but could not hang on as the Redbirds rallied for 22 of the final 34 points in the game. The Panthers again bounced back in game four, turning a 15-14 advantage into a 30-23 victory.

In the decisive fifth game, Illinois State scored the first two points of the game and never trailed.

"In game five, we couldn't break their rotation," Litzau said. "We didn't pass the ball well off of their serve."

Defense played a prominent role in the match for both teams. UWM collected 118 digs and 10 total blocks, while Illinois State had 111 digs and 11 total blocks.