Sept. 18, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

DALLAS - Francheska Savage led a balanced attack with 14 kills as the University of Miami claimed a 30-21, 30-18, 30-18 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday at the Hurricane Ivan Sugar Bowl Classic.

Karen Fruit led the Panthers (4-5) with 18 kills, sending her past 1,000 for her career. Sarah Moore added a career-high 10 kills.

The Hurricanes (4-3), who controlled all three games of the match, won two of their three matches at the tournament, with their only loss coming in a five-game match with LSU where the Hurricanes lost a 2-0 lead.

"They were just very good," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "I actually thought we played better today than we did yesterday, but Miami was just on. It's a sign of a really good team that they didn't give us much at any point during the match."

UWM dropped all three matches at the tournament, which was originally scheduled for New Orleans but moved to Dallas because of Hurricane Ivan. The Panthers have now lost four-straight matches, just their second losing streak of three or more matches in the last eight seasons. But, along with improvements she is seeing in the team, Litzau thinks the very tough early-season schedule will pay off over the next two months.

"We want to know where we stand against the rest of the country and we have seen we have some growing to do," Litzau said. "But we were more aggressive against Miami and we grew during this tournament. Sarah Moore had her best match of the year. Our defense struggled against a fast, high, hard attack, but we won't see teams like this the rest of the regular season."

Miami took control of a tight first game with a late run. The frame was tied nine times in the early going before a quick 5-1 run by the Hurricanes gave Miami a 20-14 edge. The Panthers pulled back within 24-20 following a pair of Miami errors but the Hurricanes responded with two points on UWM errors for a 26-20 edge and control of the game. A kill by Ciara Michel closed out the frame for Miami.

The Hurricanes took control of game two early and never let the Panthers back in. A 10 -0 run, sparked by the serving of Valeria Tipiana, turned a 5-3 lead into a 15-3 advantage. UWM pulled within 19-9 on a kill by Fruit but could never get the lead under double-digits. A kill by Tipiana closed out the game for the Hurricanes.

Miami steadily pulled away in game three. The Hurricane lead was only 15-12 at the midway point but an 8-2 run gave Miami a 23-14 edge and control of the frame. UWM did pull back within 23-16 following a Miami error, but the Hurricanes scored seven of the final nine points of the frame to wrap up the match.

UWM returns to action Tuesday night, traveling across town to face Marquette. The match begins at 7 p.m. The Panthers open Horizon League play at UW-Green Bay Friday night.