Sept. 27, 2003

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Karen Fruit tallied a career-high 23 kills and Sarah Potts added 22 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee overcame a determined Youngstown State squad in a 27-30, 30-27, 30-19, 30-26 victory Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (13-3, 2-0 Horizon), the pre-season favorite for the league title, are off to their first 2-0 start in league play since 1999.

Colleen Royer had 16 kills to lead the Penguins (7-6, 0-2), who took game one from the Panthers and nearly pulled the upset with solid efforts in games two and four.

The match never gathered much flow or momentum, as UWM set season-highs for service aces (13) and service errors (13) while the two teams combined for 48 hitting errors. YSU gave the Panthers trouble all day long at the net, as the Penguins tallied 14 blocks in the match.

"We're 2-0 but we're going to have to be a lot better next week for Green Bay," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said of the Panthers, who host UWGB next Friday. "Youngstown State was very good today, but we're going to have to be better prepared and better focused for future opponents."

Four Panthers reached double figures in digs, led by Fruit's 13. Lindsey Spoden had 58 assists and added to her career-record total of service aces with five in the match.

Much like Friday night against Cleveland State, UWM stumbled out of the blocks in game one, recording 10 hitting errors and hitting just .125 in dropping the frame. The game was tied 10 times and UWM was within 28-27 on a kill by Fruit, but YSU scored the final two points to claim the win.

The Panthers recovered somewhat in game two, as Litzau switched freshman Melissa David and Sarah Moore into the lineup. UWM had a 18-12 lead after a kill by Moore and UWM led 21-14 following a YSU error. Another kill by David made it 25-18 before YSU rallied, pulling within 27-25 on a kill by Royer. But, kills by Fruit and Spoden clinched the game and brought the Panthers even in the match.

UWM dominated game three, building an 8-3 lead and then never letting YSU get closer than three points. UWM led 19-11 following a Spoden ace and 25-16 after a kill by Fruit. The Panthers closed out the game on a YSU service error and hit .500 for the game.

The Panthers couldn't shake YSU in game four. After building a 12-6 lead early, UWM saw YSU rally to tie the game at 15 on a kill by Royer. The Penguins again tied the game at 20 on a kill by Cari Leslie but UWM ran off the next six points, capped by a kill by Larissa Cattanach, before having to hang on down the stretch.

UWM returns to action Friday, hosting UW-Green Bay at 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.