Oct. 30, 2004

Box Score |  Notes

CHICAGO - Karen Fruit had 19 kills and Leanne Felsing added a career-best 18 kills as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 30-20, 30-27, 28-30, 30-16 win over the University of Illinois at Chicago Saturday night at the Flames Athletic Center.

After letting UIC creep back into the match with a tight win in game three, the Panthers jumped out to a 21-8 lead in game four to seal the victory.

The Panthers (15-7, 9-1 Horizon) have now won seven-straight matches and remain tied for first place in the Horizon League with Butler, which visits the Klotsche Center next Friday.

Jamie Gabrielson had a career-best 26 digs to lead the Panther defensive effort, while Sarah Moore added 10 kills and seven blocks. Felsing also added 13 digs, four blocks and four aces to her 18 kills. UWM hit .275 for the match, including .438 in the fourth game, while limiting the Flames to a .124 hitting percentage.

Jordan Studzinski and Katarina Nedeljkovic led the Flames (9-17, 5-6) with 15 kills apiece.

"I am so happy to end this road trip with two wins," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "We hit very well in the fourth game. In the first three games we were doing just enough to win or be close. UIC played tough and with a lot of heart and their serving really messed us up in game three. We could never get in a rhythm. But our serving was great in game four and we just really put the ball away."

UWM's serving did play a big part in the match. Along with eight aces, short serves by Breit Nelson and Melissa Lange consistently flustered the UIC offense.

"It's an easy ball to pass but it is a tough ball to hit," Litzau said. "It brings some of the hitters closer to the net and messes up their approach to the ball."

UWM dominated game one, turning an 11-9 edge into a 21-13 lead following back-to-back kills by Felsing. The Panthers then led by as many as 11 points and a UIC error closed out the frame. Game two was closer, with the Panthers trailing 26-24 following an error. But UWM scored the next three points and, after UIC tied the frame at 27, the Panthers scored the final three points on two kills by Felsing and a kill by Fruit.

The Panthers fought back in game three, tying the frame at 28 after trailing most of the way. But, kills by Ambria Springer and Nedeljkovic closed things out for the Flames. UWM didn't mess around in game four, though. The Panthers led 14-7 after a Felsing kill and pushed the lead to 18-8 on a kill by Moore. It was 21-8 after a Fruit kill and UIC could never get closer than 10 points the rest of the way. Two more kills by Felsing closed out the match for the Panthers.

UWM's match with Butler Friday starts at 7 p.m. at the Klotsche Center.