Nov. 4, 2005
Box Score
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -
Rachel Kuebbing had 14 kills to lead three Panthers in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee kept its hold on first place in the Horizon League with a 30-16, 30-17, 30-24 win over Youngstown State Friday night.
Cheryl Hegemann added 12 kills and Melissa David had 11 for the Panthers (18-8, 10-2 Horizon), who made just six hitting errors all night in hitting .390 for the match.
Freshman Becky Peters led the defense with 22 digs, giving her 460 for the season - the best single-season tally in school history. The Panthers also had 11 team blocks, led by seven block assists from Hegemann and five from Kuebbing.
With the win, UWM remains one-half match ahead of Cleveland State (9-2) in the league standings. The two teams meet Saturday in Cleveland.
Abby Ettenhofer led the Penguins (7-17, 0-11) with 10 kills.
"It was a nice combination of offense and defense tonight," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Rachel was really good, especially at the net, and our block was very good. We were also very good in transition from offense to defense. It was just an all-around good effort."
The Panthers were never really threatened in any of the three games. Game one saw UWM build a quick 12-4 lead, and the Panthers never let the Penguins get closer than six points the rest of the way. Hegemann and Kuebbing led the way with six kills apiece.
In game two, a 5-0 burst by the Panthers gave UWM a 19-10 edge and YSU could get no closer than eight the rest of the way. Balance was the key in the second frame for the Panthers, as Kuebbing and David had four kills apiece while Leanne Felsing and Sarah Moore added three apiece.
Game three was a bit tighter, as the Panthers used a 10-5 run to build a 19-13 lead. The UWM lead eventually hit nine points as Litzau emptied her bench as the Panthers closed things out. David and Hegemann had five kills apiece in the game, which was highlighted by 10 digs by Peters.
UWM's match with Cleveland State Saturday starts at 4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST).
