Oct. 22, 2005

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MILWAUKEE - Leanne Felsing had 17 kills and 13 digs to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a 30-20, 30-26, 28-30, 30-21 win over the University of Illinois at Chicago Saturday night at the Klotsche Center.

The win keeps the Panthers (15-7, 7-2 Horizon) in a first-place tie with Cleveland State, while dropping the Flames (10-14, 6-3) into third place.

Rachel Kuebbing added 13 kills and Cheryl Hegemann had 11 kills to go with 12 digs and eight blocks as UWM won for the eighth-straight time. As a team, the Panthers tallied a season-high 18.5 blocks.

Katarina Nedeljkovic led the Flames with 12 kills, but the Panthers' blocking stymied her much of the night, forcing her into 17 hitting errors and a -.104 hitting percentage.

Meanwhile, UWM experienced its ups and downs during the contest but used the spark of Monica Ferguson (seven kills) and Molly McNab (four blocks) off-the-bench, along with the steady play of Felsing, to dominate the fourth frame and claim the match.

"We just couldn't get in a groove. We were a little too predictable at times," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "But the players off the bench really changed things up - hitting from different angles, blocking at the net - and that gave us the spark we needed."

UWM dominated the first game, building an early lead and maintaining the edge the rest of the frame. The Panthers led 11-5 lead following back-to-back blocks and extended the lead to 16-8 on a kill by Felsing. After UIC rallied to within three at 20-17, the Panthers scored five-straight points to regain control. Then, an ace by Jamie Gabrielsen, a kill by Felsing and two UIC errors wrapped things up for the Panthers.

Game two followed a similar script, with the Panthers bolting to a 14-8 lead. The advantage hit 18-11 on a kill by Moore and was still 24-17 following another Moore kill. UIC did rally, pulling within 25-23 on a kill by Ambria Springer and again within 27-25 on a UWM error. But, the Panthers scored on a kill by Felsing and a UIC error to re-establish control before finishing the frame off on a kill by Kuebbing.

UWM seemed to be in control in game three, building a 16-11 lead and, after UIC closed to within 16-15, rebuilding its edge to 24-19. But, the Flames finally tied the game at 27 on a block by Maura McCarthy and Ambria Springer and took the lead for good at 29-28 on a UWM error. Another UWM error then gave UIC the game.

But, just as they did Friday night after dropping the third game, the Panthers responded quickly in game four. Three-straight kills by Ferguson gave UWM an 18-11 lead and, after UIC pulled within 21-18, two blocks by Hegemann pushed the edge back to 24-17. Two kills by Hegemann made it 27-19 before a kill by Felsing and a block by McNab and Kuebbing wrapped up the match for the Panthers.

"We just needed to stay aggressive and stay disciplined and the match would be ours to win," Litzau said. "But sometimes we were observers rather than participants, and that created some opportunities for UIC to win the third game and push us."

UWM now finishes league play with five-straight road matches, starting Friday night at Butler. The Panthers do have one more non-league home match remaining - a Nov. 1 date with Marquette.