Sept. 2, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Karen Fruit had 14 kills and Cheryl Hegemann added 10 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recorded a 30-27, 30-14, 30-20 win over North Dakota State Thursday night at the Klotsche Center.

The game was the season opener for both teams.

Sheila Parrish led the Bison (0-1) with five kills. It was the first match as an NCAA Division I school for NDSU.

The Panthers (1-0) were pushed in game one before cruising through games two and three. UWM hit .346 for the match, made just 10 hitting errors and tallied 11 service aces, but helped the Bison out tremendously with 22 service errors.

"I feel very good because it's our first win with a very young team," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "In the first game, we were challenged and pressured but we knew it was because of our errors. North Dakota State started making more errors as the match progressed and we were able to take control. I'll chalk the serving up to adreneline. Many of our serves were long and, when they were in, they were very good."

UWM could never break open a tight first game. The Panthers built a 15-10 lead on an ace by Hegemann but the Bison responded with five-straight points to tie the game at 15. UWM rebuilt the advantage to 21-17 on a kill by Fruit and 24-19 on another Fruit kill, but NDSU rallied to within 28-26 following a kill by Lindsay Shockman. The Panthers then closed out the game on a kill by Rachel Kuebbing and a NDSU service error.

The Panthers had a much easier time in the second game, bolting to a 12-5 lead and never letting the Bison closer than six points the rest of the way. UWM led 17-8 following a kill by Hegemann and 27-12 following an ace by Leanne Felsing. Back-to-back kills by Fruit closed out the game.

The Bison pushed a little harder in game three, but could not overcome a .350 attack clip by the Panthers. UWM led 11-5 after a service ace by Sarah Moore and pushed the lead to 22-12 following back-to-back Bison errors. Two kills by Fruit, a kill by Melissa David and another Hegemann ace closed out the game and the match for UWM.

The game saw the debut of two freshmen in the UWM starting lineup. Felsing collected nine kills and five digs while Jamie Gabrielson led the team with 14 digs at libero.

The contest was also the debut of Melissa Lange as the Panthers' starting setter. She tallied 38 assists and earned praise from Litzau for her efforts.

"I was pleased with how Mel pushed the ball around," Litzau said. "In the second game, Karen and Cheryl got the majority of the sets. In the third game, she moved the ball around more and got everyone involved."

UWM returns to action Friday night, facing Northern Illinois in DeKalb in a 7 p.m. contest.