Oct. 19, 2002

Box Score

CHICAGO - Tari Boutin and Sarah Potts had 12 kills apiece to lead UWM to a 31-29, 30-27, 30-22 win over UIC Saturday afternoon at the Flames Athletic Center.

The win is the seventh-straight for the Panthers (11-10, 6-1), who remain in a first-place tie with Loyola atop the Horizon League standings. It's also the 12th-straight win for the Panthers over the Flames (15-10, 3-4).

UWM gained the win thanks to a defensive effort that included 17 blocks and an offense that hit .262 for the match. Potts hit a career-high .526 while Larissa Cattanach added eight kills and eight blocks in hitting .313.

"This wasn't the team we saw last night (in a four-game win at Loyola), but we did enough to win," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Halfway through the league I think we're pretty happy to be sitting in first place."

The Panthers won tight contests in games one and two thanks to a late surge in each game. Game two turned thanks to the Panthers' blocking, as UWM had seven blocks in the second game alone.

"We just stepped it up in the end," Litzau said. "Sarah was just awesome and Tari came up huge again. Our block was obviously very strong."

The Panthers then controlled game three from the outset, hitting .412 in the frame while recording six more blocks. UWM wound up limiting UIC to a .013 hitting percentage in games two and three combined.

UWM returns to action Tuesday night, hosting 10th-ranked Northern Iowa in a non-league contest at the Klotsche Center. The match begins at 7 p.m.