Oct. 28, 2005

Box Score |  Notes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Rachel Kuebbing had 13 kills to lead three Panthers in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed an impressive 30-27, 30-17, 30-22 road win over Butler Friday night.

The story of the night for UWM was its defense, which limited the Bulldogs to an .095 hitting percentage. Leanne Felsing led the defensive effort with a season-best 24 digs, while Becky Peters added 19 and Cheryl Hegemann 13. Sarah Moore and Melissa David added to the offensive attack with 10 kills apiece.

UWM (16-7, 8-2 Horizon) has now won nine-straight matches and remains tied with Cleveland State for first place in the Horizon League. The Vikings beat Youngstown State Friday night.

Krystal Hendrix, Susana Henri and Michelle DeGeeter had eight kills apiece for the Bulldogs, who lost to the Panthers for the 18th time in the last 20 meetings between the two schools.

"It was a defensive match for us, and we were really on top of getting to a lot of balls," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Leanne, Becky and Cheryl all did a great job in the back row. Rachel was definitely a spark for us on offense tonight, but it was our defense that won the match."

The first frame was reasonably close most of the way, with 10 ties and five lead changes. The Panthers took the lead for good at 24-22 on back-to-back kills by Moore. UWM pushed its lead to 29-26 on a kill by Kuebbing and, after Butler pulled within 29-27, a kill by Melissa Lange finished things off for the Panthers.

UWM then dominated game two from start to finish. The Panthers rattled off 10-straight points to turn a 7-5 lead into a 17-5 lead before cruising to the win. Two kills by David, a kill by Moore and two Butler errors accounted for the final five points for the Panthers.

In game three, the Panthers used an early nine-point run to take control, turning a 5-2 deficit into an 11-5 lead. Kills by Moore and Kuebbing helped cap the run, and Butler would never get closer than three points the rest of the way. Kills by Hegemann and Moore pushed the edge to 25-18, before Hegemann finished things off for the Panthers. She tallied a kill for the 29th point before adding an ace for the 30th point and another UWM victory.

UWM returns to action Saturday afternoon, playing at Wright State. The Raiders upset UW-Green Bay in five games Friday night.