Oct. 9, 2002

Box Score

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Sarah Potts had 18 kills, Tari Boutin 17 and Karen Fruit 16 as UWM overcame a two-game deficit to claim a thrilling 24-30, 28-30, 30-24, 30-18, 15-7 win over UW-Green Bay Wednesday night at the Phoenix Sports Center.

The win was UWM's 18th-straight over UWGB, but was easily the most difficult in the eight-year streak. The Panthers turned the match around on offense. After hitting .125 in the first game and .091 in the second game, the Panthers hit .366 in the third game, .389 in the fourth and .412 in the fifth. UWM also had to overcome a career-high 26 kills from UWGB's Janelle Tomlinson.

UWM (9-10, 4-1 Horizon) took control of the decisive fifth game from the start, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the game and never allowing the Phoenix any closer than five points from there. Kills by Boutin and Lindsey Spoden pushed the lead to 7-2 and a UWGB hitting error made it 8-2. After the Phoenix pulled to within 8-4, the Panthers responded on a block by Spoden and Molly McNab and a Fruit kill to regain control of the game. UWM closed out the match on a kill by Fruit.

"It was nice to see it turn around," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "I was very proud of how we came out poised and confident after losing the first two games. Every time Green Bay pushed, we pushed harder. This team never doubted it. They were only going to be happy with a win tonight."

Larissa Cattanach added 11 kills as the Panthers landed four players in double figures for the second time in their last three matches. Kristen Krubsack had 17 digs while Boutin added 13 to lead the Panthers defensively. McNab added seven blocks and the Panthers recorded nine blocks as a team.

Jessie Theys added 11 kills for the Phoenix (7-11, 2-3 Horizon). After hitting .343 in the first game, the Phoenix hit below .200 in three of the final four games, including -.118 in the fifth game.

The Panthers started their comeback by fighting through game three. The Panthers had to recover from a slow start in the game, falling behind 8-4. But UWM grabbed a 10-9 advantage on a Green Bay hitting error and pushed the lead to 12-9 on a Boutin ace and a Potts kill. After UWGB fought back to tie the match at 14, the Panthers responded, gaining a 17-14 lead on a Fruit kill before pushing the lead to 19-15 on another Fruit kill. UWM took control of the game from there, using a four-point run, including two kills from Potts, to build a 26-19 lead before closing out the game on a Fruit kill.

UWM evened the match by breaking open a tight fourth frame. The Panthers again overcame an early deficit to grab a 7-6 lead on a Fruit ace. The lead hit 11-9 before UWGB fought back with four-straight points to grab a 13-11 advantage. The game was then tied at 13, 14 and 15 before UWM took control. The Panthers scored eight-straight points off the jump serve of Fruit to build a 23-15 advantage and the Phoenix could never pull any closer than six points from there. UWM closed out the game with four-straight points - two on kills by Potts and the final point on a McNab ace.

UWGB appeared to have command of the match after winning the first two games. In game one, UW-Green Bay came out determined, scoring eight of the first 11 points of the match. The Panthers recovered thanks to strong defense, with three consecutive blocks giving UWM a 10-9 advantage. But the Phoenix controlled much of the game from there, scoring seven of the next eight points after a Fruit kill had tied the game at 11. UWM closed to within 19-15 following back-to-back points before the Phoenix rebuilt a 26-18 lead. The Panthers had one more run in them, closing to within 27-23 following kills by Cattanach and Spoden. But the Phoenix recovered thanks to a kill by Theys, then closed out the game on a kill by Tomlinson and a Panther hitting error.

UWGB took an early lead in game two by scoring the first three points, but UWM again recovered, using a five-point run to build a 13-10 advantage. Two kills by Fruit help keep the Panther lead at three, but the Phoenix again fought back, grabbing an 18-17 lead on a pair of UWM hitting errors. The Phoenix led by as many as two before the Panthers regained a 22-21 lead on a bad UWGB set and pushed the advantage to 23-21 on a block by Fruit and McNab. But it was again the Phoenix who had a final push in them. They grabbed a 25-24 advantage on a Tomlinson kill and eventually built a 29-26 lead before holding off UWM on an Amanda Timmers kill off a loose ball to close out the game.

"Give Green Bay a ton of credit," Litzau said. "They really flustered us and frustrated us in those first two games. They really earned those wins, though we did not make it particularly difficult for them."

UWM takes the upcoming weekend off before returning to action Fri. Oct. 18 at Loyola.