Oct. 14, 2005

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MILWAUKEE - Melissa David had 13 kills to lead three Panthers in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 30-22, 30-24, 30-22 win over UW-Green Bay Friday night.

The Panthers (13-7, 5-2 Horizon) won their sixth-straight match in kicking off FAN-tastic Friday at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Cheryl Hegemann added 11 kills and Leanne Felsing pitched-in with 10 as the Panthers hit .273 for the match. UWM's defense also sparkled, with five players reaching double figures in digs, topped by 14 apiece from Becky Peters and Jamie Gabrielsen.

Jackie Rosen had 15 kills to lead UW-Green Bay (10-10, 3-4).

"We definitely got better as the match went along," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "We certainly still have our moments when we don't play well, but over the last two weeks everyone has taken steps to get better."

UWM rolled to the victory in game one. The Panthers jumped to an 11-3 lead and never looked back, with the early run sparked by two kills apiece from Felsing and David. The Phoenix rallied to within 14-9 but the Panthers pushed back again, building their advantage to 21-11 following a kill by Hegemann and a UWGB error. The Phoenix rallied one more time, pulling within 26-21 on a kill by Betty Slinger. But, kills by David and Melissa Lange and a UWGB error gave the first frame to the Panthers.

Game two was tighter, with the Phoenix grabbing an 11-10 advantage on a block by Jill Smits and Rosen. The Panthers made the next run, though, scoring nine of the next 13 points to claim a 19-15 lead. UWGB pulled back within two points on two occasions, but the Panthers then slowly pulled away. A kill by Lange made it 28-23 and, after a UWM error, kills by Moore and Rachel Kuebbing gave UWM a 2-0 lead in the match.

In game three, UWM turned an 11-10 lead into an 18-13 advantage with a short burst. Kills by Kuebbing and Hegemann helped spark that run and the Panther edge was still 25-20 after the teams traded points. From there, back-to-back kills by David and a kill by Hegemann wrapped things up for UWM.

"Mel (Melissa Lange) has been playing very well and it really helps to give the hitters confidence," Litzau said. "We were able to get contributions from a lot of people. Melissa David played well, Cheryl has been very steady and I thought Rachel really stepped up tonight when she came off the bench."

The Panthers return to action next Friday night, hosting Loyola at the Klotsche Center to kickoff a crucial Horizon League weekend. After that match, first place UIC comes to the Klotsche Center Saturday.