Sept. 17, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

DALLAS - Jelena Mijatovic had 13 kills and Ivana Kuzmic added 10 as Louisiana State University downed the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 30-28, 30-13, 30-15 in the third match of the Hurricane Ivan Sugar Bowl Invitational.

Rachel Kuebbing led the Panthers (4-4) with 10 kills, but UWM struggled offensively after nearly pulling out the first game.

Regan Hood added nine kills for the Tigers (7-1), who hit .343 for the match. LSU, now 2-0 in the tournament, is off to its best start since 1997.

Leanne Felsing was the defensive leader for UWM, tallying nine digs. Cheryl Hegemann added seven to go with eight kills.

"They really made it difficult for us," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "They're very good and they get a lot of credit for the win and the way they played."

The Panthers built an early lead in game one and then, after falling behind, nearly rallied to steal the frame. UWM led 7-4 following a Karen Fruit kill and extended the advantage to 14-7 on another kill by Fruit. The Tigers rallied, pulling within 15-13 on a kill by Daniela Romero and before tying the game at 18 on a UWM error. LSU then led by as many as three points late in game before the Panthers scored three-straight to tie the game at 28. But, a UWM error and a kill by Mijatovic closed things out for the Tigers.

LSU controlled game two from the outset. The Tigers grabbed a 7-2 lead on an ace by Michelle Hensgens and quickly extended the advantage to 12-4 on a Panther error. The lead grew to 19-5 on a kill by Kuzmic and the Panthers never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

The Tigers gradually pulled away in game three. Their lead was only 11-8 following a kill by Hegemann but quickly went to 22-10 following an 11-2 run. Back-to-back kills by Felsing and Kuebbing brought UWM to within 24-15, but LSU scored the final six points of the game to claim the match.

"We were very predictable," Litzau said. "We were scrambling a lot and their hitters had a lot of open court. They passed well and their hitters were available."

UWM wraps up tournament action Saturday at 5 p.m. against Miami (Fla.). The Hurricanes fell to LSU earlier today and will play SMU later tonight.