Oct. 5, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Tari Boutin recorded 12 kills to spark a balanced UWM attack as the Panthers collected a 30-23, 30-22, 32-30 victory over Cleveland State Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

Sarah Potts and Karen Fruit had nine kills while Larissa Cattanach and Lindsey Spoden added eight kills for the Panthers (8-10, 3-1 Horizon), who won for the fourth-straight time overall and for the 15th-straight time over the Vikings (12-5, 1-2). Spoden also had 15 digs and 35 assists in falling just two kills shy of a triple-double for the second time this season. Kristen Krubsack had 16 digs, Boutin 15 and Potts 13 as UWM limited Cleveland State to a .088 hitting percentage.

Alisa Hatcher had 14 kills to lead the Vikings, who lost for the second-straight time after a 10-match winning streak.

"We were a little more streaky today," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Tari came through in the clutch and our defense was pretty good. We came out focused in game one but, after they made some changes, we didn't adjust to their success. Our hitters sat back a little bit - partly they played great defense and partly our hitters took a little something off the ball to play it safe."

UWM blasted out to a 12-2 lead in the first game and, despite a Cleveland State comeback, was never really threatened. The early run included two kills apiece by Boutin and Cattanach. The Vikings closed to within 13-8 following back-to-back Panther hitting errors. They again pulled to within 20-15 following a kill by Kristine Dabbelt and once more to within 25-20 on a kill by Michelle Iafigliola. But the Panthers rebuilt their advantage to 29-21 following a kill by Spoden and closed out the game on a kill by Potts.

Game two was tight early, with Cleveland State building an early 6-3 advantage following a kill by Iafigliola. The Panthers rallied to tie the match at nine on a service ace by Boutin, then took the lead for good at 15-14 following a CSU hitting error. UWM took control of the match down the stretch by scoring eight-straight points to turn a 16-15 lead into a 24-15 advantage and never looked back.

Game three nearly got away from the Panthers after they built an early advantage. The Vikings scored the first three points of the game but UWM responded by scoring eight of the next nine points for an 8-4 lead. The lead grew to 11-5 following a Potts kill and hit 12-5 on a Spoden service ace. Cleveland State rallied, though, scoring five-straight points to pull within 20-19. The Vikings eventually tied the match at 24, 25 and 26 before the Panthers reclaimed a 29-27 lead. The Vikings scored three-straight points to build a 30-29 advantage and move to the brink of forcing a fourth game. But, UWM responded on consecutive kills by Spoden, Fruit and Potts to win the game and the match.

UWM returns to action Wednesday night, traveling to UW-Green Bay for a 7 p.m. match.