Oct. 22, 2004

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MILWAUKEE - Karen Fruit had 12 kills, Cheryl Hegemann 11 and Leanne Felsing 10 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee rode a balanced attack to a 30-24, 30-26, 30-27 win over the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Friday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (11-7, 7-1 Horizon) won for the seventh time in their last eight matches and beat the Phoenix (6-14, 3-5) for the 22nd time in the last 24 meetings between the two in-state rivals.

Jamie Gabrielson led a strong defensive effort with 13 digs, while Fruit added 11 for a fifth-straight double-double and Melissa Lange had 10. UWM limited UWGB to a .098 attack percentage and forced 27 Phoenix hitting errors.

Jill Smits led UWGB with 13 kills.

All three games of the match played out much the same way, with the Panthers building an early lead only to see the Phoenix rally. UWM then pulled it out down the stretch, winning each frame with some room to spare.

"We did just enough to win," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "We made too many errors that weren't necessary. We weren't as aggressive as we have been. The problem we've been having as a team is finishing. It is nice to get to 30 first but it would be nice if we could get there a little faster when we are in control."

UWM built a 14-9 lead in game one and still led 20-16 on a UWGB service error. But the Phoenix rallied to within 21-20 before the Panthers surged. A kill by Lange made it 26-20 and a kill by Fruit pushed the lead to 29-22. After two Phoenix points, another Fruit kill wrapped up game one for the Panthers.

The Panthers again jumped out in game two, leading 10-5 after a Fruit kill. The advantage grew to 15-9 on a Hegemann kill before Green Bay rallied, taking a 17-16 lead on a block by Cassie Lee and Leslie Kuhn. UWM eventually trailed 23-20 before turning it on, regaining control with four-straight points and grabbing a 27-25 lead on a Felsing kill. Back-to-back errors by the Phoenix allowed the Panthers to wrap things up.

In game three, the Panthers again seized control early, leading 9-5 on a UWGB error before the Phoenix rallied to tie the frame at 13. UWM again pushed back, leading 22-16 following a kill by Fruit. But Green Bay fought back, tying the game at 24 on an ace by Sarah Rauen. UWM then broke a 25-all tie on a Green Bay error and made it 27-25 on an ace by Gabrielson. Errors by UWGB gave UWM its final three points and allowed it to maintain a share of first place in the Horizon League.

UWM returns to action Saturday night, hosting Northern Colorado in a non-league contest at 7 p.m. UW-Green Bay and Northern Colorado will play at the Klotsche Center at 3 p.m.