Aug. 25, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Taryn Surbaugh tallied 20 kills, including three late in the decisive fifth game, to lead Winthrop to a 28-30, 26-30, 30-27, 30-25, 15-9 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Friday in the first match of the State Farm Illini Classic.

The match lived up to its billing of a contest pitting two teams favored to win their respective leagues. UWM seemed to be in control after pulling out the first two games. But, Winthrop started quickly in each of the final three frames to claim the win.

The Panthers fell behind quickly in the decisive fifth game, with the Eagles scoring five of the first seven points. Kills from Gabrielsen and Sarah Moore did bring UWM back to within 7-5 and an ace by Lauren Felsing had the Panthers within a point at 8-7. But, UWM would never get over the hump, as the Eagles scored seven of the final nine points to claim the match.

Gabrielsen led a balanced UWM attack with 13 kills, while Melissa David and Cheryl Hegemann added 11 apiece. Leanne Felsing just missed the seventh triple-double of her career, tallying nine kills and eight digs to go with 36 assists. Becky Peters led the defensive charge with 21 digs.

Tori Grafeman added 17 kills and Shannon Sitzmann 15 for the Eagles, who have won the last four Big South Conference titles. Surbaugh also added 11 blocks to spark a Winthop defense that totaled 18 blocks and 71 digs.

"I thought Winthrop really got better as the match went along," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "They really pushed us and stressed us, and they were able to keep us down. We seemed to lose points in streaks, while Winthrop stayed steady even though they were down 2-0. There's no question they are a very good team."

The Panthers pulled out a back-and-forth first game with some tough play down the stretch. UWM looked like it was in control early in the frame, building a 17-10 lead following a block by Hegemann and Nicole Vilter. But, Winthrop responded with eight of the next nine points to tie the game and then added five of the next seven for a 23-20 lead.

The edge was still 24-21 before the Panthers made their comeback, sparked by the strong serving of Lauren Felsing. An ace by Felsing tied the game at 24 and a kill by David made it 26-24. After Winthrop tied the game at 26 and again at 27, UWM pulled it out behind kills from Leanne Felsing and David, plus some stellar defense. On game point, both Peters and Lauren Felsing made great plays to keep the point alive, allowing UWM to claim the win on a Winthrop error.

Neither team could build much of an advantage through most of the second game, but a late run by the Panthers gave them a 2-0 lead at the break. The frame saw 16 ties, with the final one coming at 19-all following a kill by Vilter. The kill sparked a 6-1 run by Milwaukee, highlighted by aces from Kellye Zaporski and David. UWM eventually pushed its lead out to 29-24 and then, after two Winthrop points, finished off the frame on a kill by Vilter.

The Panthers needed a huge rally to make game three competitive. They fell down 6-0 and still trailed 19-12 more than midway through the frame. But a 10-4 run, capped by back-to-back blocks by Hegemann, brought UWM back to within 23-22. The Panthers then tied the game at 26 on a Gabrielsen kill and again tied it at 27 on another Gabrielsen kill. But, Winthrop followed with a block and two kills by Grafeman to claim the win.

Game four followed a similar script, with the Panthers digging a big hole before staging a late rally. This time, Winthrop scored 12 of the first 15 points of the game, with the last two coming on blocks. UWM rallied to within 14-9 on a Felsing kill and to within 19-14 on a Gabrielsen kill. A Winthrop hitting error made it 20-16, but the Panthers could never get any closer. After a solo block by David made it 27-23, the Eagles quickly rebuilt their edge to 29-23 and hung on to force a fifth game.

"Winthrop got the huge lead in game three and we were able to pick away and even tie it, but we couldn't close it," Litzau said. "It was the same way in game four, and they were able to finish strong."

UWM continues play in the tournament Saturday, squaring off with Illinois State at 11 a.m. and Illinois at 7 p.m. Those two teams were set to meet in the second match of play Friday evening.