Nov. 10, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Sarah Moore had 13 kills and Cheryl Hegemann added 10 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 30-17, 30-25, 30-21 win over Butler Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Panthers (20-5, 12-1), who have already clinched the Horizon League regular season title, have now won 11-straight matches and have won at least 20 matches for the ninth time in the last 10 years.

Moore's night was highlighted by an .812 hitting percentage, which is the second-best hitting percentage in a three-game match in school history. As a team, UWM hit .267. UWM's defense was also strong, with three players reaching double figures in digs, led by 14 from Leanne Felsing.

Michelle DeGeeter led Butler (8-20, 3-10) with 11 kills.

Milwaukee was in control most of the way in claiming the convincing win.

"Game two was really the only time they stressed us, but we finished very well in that game," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Sarah Moore was fantastic, not just with her attack but with six blocks. She really did a good job of getting to a lot of balls at the net. We were very balanced and got to play a lot of players, so it was a very good night."

UWM steadily pulled away in the first game. Its lead was 14-9 after a Monica Ferguson kill and grew to 19-10 following a Kellye Zaporski service ace. A Butler hitting error pushed the lead to double figures for the first time at 21-11 and a kill by Melissa David along with a block from Moore and Jamie Gabrielsen finished off the game for the Panthers.

The Panthers were pushed a bit more in game two, with the Bulldogs still within a point at 22-21. But, UWM finally pulled away down the stretch. Kills by Moore and David made it 25-22 and a kill by Hegemann followed by another Zaporski service ace finished things off for UWM.

In game three, the Panthers used a 14-5 run to turn an 8-4 lead into a 22-9 advantage. Hegemann had four kills during the run, and Milwaukee wasn't seriously threatened from there. Butler did close to within 25-19, but a kill David ended the run and the Panthers hung on from there.

UWM wraps up its regular season Saturday afternoon at Wright State, which is also the site of next week's Horizon League Tournament.