Nov. 4, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Cheryl Hegemann had 13 kills to lead five players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee clinched its fourth-straight Horizon League title with a 30-26, 31-29, 30-23 win over Loyola Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The win was the 10th-straight for the Panthers (19-5, 10-1 League), who avenged their only league loss with the victory and claimed the league crown with two matches still remaining in the regular season.

Jamie Gabrielsen added 12 kills while Monica Ferguson, Leanne Felsing and Sarah Moore had 10 kills apiece for UWM, which won its 21st-straight home league match. UWM's back-row defense was again sparked by Becky Peters, who collected 17 digs.

Courtney Ashley had 15 kills and Melissa Craig 13 for Loyola (13-15, 6-7).

UWM, which cinched the outright title when Wright State fell to Youngstown State about 30 minutes after Milwaukee's match ended, becomes one of just two schools in league history to win four-straight outright league titles. The Panthers join Notre Dame, which did it from 1991-1994 when the league was still the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

The Panthers had to battle to win games one and two before overwhelming the Ramblers early in game three.

"The way we finished games today was outstanding, and our seniors really helped us with some big swings and big digs," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "To have five hitters in double figures for the second night in a row is very impressive, and it makes us very hard to stop."

UWM pulled out the win in the first game thanks to a late surge. The frame saw 11 ties and four lead changes, with the Panthers taking the lead for good at 26-25 on a kill by Hegemann. Back-to-back kills from Felsing pushed the edge to 28-25 and, after a kill by Keily Zins made it 28-26, kills from Ferguson and Hegemann wrapped up the game for the Panthers.

Game two was also close, with 13 ties and nine lead changes. The Panthers built an early four-point lead but could never expand it, and the Ramblers pulled out to a 26-24 edge on a kill by Ashley. UWM rebounded for a 27-26 lead but the Ramblers struck back for a game-point opportunity to 29-28. A kill by Hegemann kept UWM alive in the frame, and the Panthers followed that with kills from Melissa David and Moore to pull out the game and claim a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Panthers then jumped on the Ramblers early in third game. UWM led 12-4 after a service ace by Hegemann and eventually led 17-8 on a kill by Moore. The lead reached double figures at 21-11 on a kill by Felsing and was still 24-14 after a kill by Moore. Loyola would rally to within five points late, but two more kills by Felsing sealed the match for the Panthers.

UWM will now wrap up the regular season next weekend at Butler and Wright State, and then will turn its attention toward the league tournament.

"There is no reason this team cannot be Horizon League Tournament champions along with the regular season title, but these last two nights have shown we will have to work very hard the next two weeks and very hard when we play," Litzau said. "We have seen examples of how teams can push us and get on a roll, and if you don't respond to that quickly, it can be too late. We have to keep pushing, playing hard and playing together."

UWM starts next weekend's play in Indianapolis Friday night.