Oct. 21, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Cheryl Hegemann had 15 kills and Sarah Moore added 14 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 30-25, 30-26, 28-30, 30-17 win over Loyola Friday night at the Klotsche Center.

The win puts the Panthers (14-7, 6-2 Horizon) in a three-way tie with UIC and Cleveland State for first place in the Horizon League. UWM hosts UIC Saturday at 7 p.m.

Leanne Felsing added 12 kills for UWM, which has won seven-straight matches. The Panthers also recorded 13 blocks while limiting Loyola to a .120 hitting percentage.

Keily Zins had 14 kills to lead the Ramblers (6-14, 4-4), who had beaten the Panthers in the first meeting between the two teams this season. Loyola could not overcome 13 service errors, while UWM helped spark its offense with nine service aces.

UWM's efforts were spearheaded by the great play of Hegemann and Moore in the middle. In addition to combining for 29 kills, the tandem also recorded 13 block assists.

"Our middles were awesome," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "They were strong in transition. They did a great job blocking. And Mel (setter Melissa Lange) did a good job of getting them the ball."

The Panthers pulled out the victory in a tight first game. UWM broke a 15-all tie with an ace by Hegemann and a kill by Melissa David before eventually extending the lead to 24-19. The Ramblers fought back, pulling within 24-22 on two-straight Panther errors. But, a kill by Rachel Kuebbing snapped the run and back-to-back Rambler errors put UWM back in control. An ace by Hegemann and a kill by Lange then wrapped things up for the Panthers.

UWM was in control of game two most of the way. The Panthers built a quick 9-3 lead and, after Loyola rolled off six-straight points to tie the frame, UWM scored five-straight of its own to lead 14-9. The advantage was still 20-16 following a kill by Moore and the Panthers led 25-20 after a kill by David. A kill by Hegemann made it 28-21 and, after a late Loyola run made things interesting, a kill by Felsing finished things off for the Panthers.

Loyola had to hold off a late UWM rally to win game three. In fact, the Ramblers led 21-15 after a block by Shelby Henriksen and Katie Henry and still led 24-19 on an ace by Courtney Ashley. But the Panthers, sparked by the serving of Lange, scored seven-straight points to build a 26-24 lead. Loyola rallied to tie the frame at 28 and then kills by Ann Deelo and Melissa Craig kept the Ramblers in the match.

The Panthers made short work of game four. They jumped to a 10-5 lead on a kill by Moore and pushed the edge to 16-10 on a kill by Hegemann. Another Moore kill made it 20-13 and UWM never looked back from there. A kill by Felsing extended the lead to 23-15, a kill by Hegemann made it 25-15 and the Panthers used a run of five-straight points to wrap up the game and the match.

"We made way too many errors in game three and we didn't deserve to win that game, even though we almost pulled it out," Litzau said. "But we bounced right back in game four. Our serving was excellent in games one, two and four and it helped our defense. It is a nice match to win."

Saturday's match with UIC is the regular-season league finale for the Panthers, who play their final five league matches on the road.