Sept. 27, 2002

Box Score

FAIRBORN, Ohio - Tricia Naseman had 18 kills to lead three Wright State players in double figures as the Raiders claimed a 30-28, 30-17, 30-25 win over UWM Friday night at the McLin Gymnasium in the Horizon League opener for both teams.

The Raiders showed why they were the pre-season favorite in the league by overcoming six-point deficits in games one and three. Wright State limited the Panthers to a .086 hitting percentage and had 60 kills to the Panthers' 35.

Sarah Potts had 12 kills and 11 digs to lead UWM (4-10, 0-1), while Lindsey Spoden added seven kills, 12 digs and 24 assists. Karen Fruit had nine kills and Larissa Cattanach six to add to the Panther attack, while freshman Molly McNab recorded a career-high eight blocks.

Karis Day added 12 kills and McKenzie Tiffin 10 for the Raiders (11-4, 1-0), who hit .234 for the match. Mandy Gels had 49 assists.

"They opened the door for us and they gave us some chances," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "We just couldn't sustain things. We were too error-filled."

The Panthers also continue to play without the services of senior outside hitter Tari Boutin, who broke her finger in pre-season practice and has yet to appear in a match this season.

UWM led much of game one before a late Raider rally gave Wright State the first frame. UWM broke an 11-all tie with six-straight points to build a 17-11 advantage. Potts had two kills during the run. A Spoden kill made it 18-12 and, after the Raiders scored three-straight to pull within 18-15, a kill by McNab and a Wright State error made it 20-15 UWM. But the Raiders rallied from there, quickly pulling to within 20-19 before finally tying the game at 24 on a Panther hitting error. The game was again tied at 26, 27 and 28 before Wright State took the lead for good on a tip kill by Gels. The Raiders closed out the game thanks to a Panther hitting error.

The Raiders jumped on the Panthers early in game two, building a quick 8-4 lead that forced a UWM timeout. The Panthers closed back to within 10-9 on a Cattanach ace and a Wright State error. But the Raiders were in control from there, growing the lead to 18-11 and eventually to 26-15 on back-to-back kills by Gels and Alison Sipiorski. Wright State closed out the game on a kill by Naseman. UWM hit -.038 for the game, committing 11 hitting errors.

Wright State scored 10-straight points to turn an 11-5 deficit into a 15-11 advantage early in game three. The Panthers had built their lead in part on the strength of a seven-point run that included three kills by Potts, two blocks involving Cattanach and single kills by Spoden and Cattanach. The Raiders did not give back the lead they gained with their run, though, allowing the Panthers to get no closer than two points the rest of the way.

"Our passing got off and they were transitioning everything," Litzau said. "They always had a hitter. They had three hitters hit in double figures because they always had three hitters up.

"I hope that we get better. If you're going to start conference against the best team - which we are assuming they are now - you hope you get better. We can be better."

UWM continues its road trip Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. contest against Butler.