Aug. 26, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Jamie Gabrielsen collected 12 kills to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to an impressive 30-23, 30-17, 30-23 win over Illinois State Saturday at the State Farm Illini Classic.

Melissa David added nine kills and Leanne Felsing pitched in with eight kills, 10 digs and 24 assists as the Panthers (1-1) bounced back from a season opening loss Friday night.

The Panthers hit .293 for the match in beating the Redbirds (0-2), who finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference last season.

M.C. Richmond led Illinois State with 10 kills.

"I do like how we have started to establish a lot of balance," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Our defense was much better today and we had better communication. When we got out of system, we were able to score and we controlled our side of the net very well. I was pleased with our setters and our passing was definitely better."

The Panthers took advantage of a number of late errors by the Redbirds to claim game one. UWM led 11-8 after a pair of Sarah Moore kills but ISU responded with four-straight points for a 12-11 lead. The Redbirds eventually pushed their lead to 18-15 before a run of six-straight by the Panthers gave them a 21-18 advantage. Illinois State's final lead came at 23-22 following an ace by Manoela Dacunha, but it was all UWM from there. A kill by Gabrielsen tied the frame and then five-straight ISU errors put the Panthers up 28-23. Kills by Gabrielsen and Felsing then closed out the frame for the Panthers.

Milwaukee had an easy time of things in game two, grabbing a quick five-point lead before building steadily on it. A block by Felsing and Cheryl Hegemann made it 9-4 UWM and a run of four-straight ISU errors pushed the Panthers' lead to 18-9. A solo block and back-to-back aces by Gabrielsen then made it 22-10, and the Redbirds would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way. A Felsing kill made it 25-13 and a kill by David pushed the edge to 28-15 before UWM closed out the frame on an ISU service error.

UWM steadily pulled away in the third game. The Panthers turned a 9-8 lead into a 16-11 advantage with a 7-3 run. Kills by Monica Ferguson, Felsing and David highlighted the burst. ISU did pull back to within 16-14 but could get no closer. Another kill by Ferguson pushed the lead back to 21-16 and a Redbird error made it 25-19. UWM then closed out the match on a kill by Moore and another ISU error.

UWM wraps up play in the tournament Saturday night, squaring off with the hosts from Illinois. The Illini were scheduled to play Winthrop Saturday afternoon after beating Illinois State in four games Friday night.