Sept. 2, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Cheryl Hegemann and Melissa David collected 13 kills apiece as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed an impressive 31-29, 30-25, 30-15 win over the University of Alabama in the championship match of the Bama Bash Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers fought from behind to win game one before controlling games two and three against the Crimson Tide, who reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago and are expected to compete for the Southeastern Conference title again this season.

The win gives UWM (4-2) its first in-season tournament title since 2003 while avenging a three-game loss to Alabama in last season's Panther Invitational. It is also just the second-ever win for Milwaukee against an SEC foe.

Jamie Gabrielsen added 12 kills for the Panthers, while tournament most valuable player Leanne Felsing contributed 44 assists, 11 digs and five kills while directing UWM to a stellar .352 hitting percentage.

Crystal Hudson and Bridget Fuentez led Alabama (4-2) with 14 kills apiece.

While the UWM attack was consistently strong, the Panthers' defense again did all it could to steal the spotlight. The Panthers outblocked the taller Crimson Tide, 8-4, while Becky Peters (12 digs) and Felsing (11) led the charge in the back row.

"We were so focused and we made it very difficult for Alabama, especially as the match went along," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "Our serving was great and I thought our defense is what won us the match. We had so much confidence and trust on the floor that the ball was going to be dug, the pass was going to be made and that our hitters were going to put the ball away. Everyone was fantastic - it was truly a team effort."

UWM used a strong late rally to claim a tight game one. Neither team could pull away early, but the Crimson Tide used a 7-3 run to build a 22-17 lead following a kill by Hudson. The Panthers rallied, scoring eight of the next 10 points to claim a 25-24 advantage. Hegemann had three kills and an ace during the run. The Crimson Tide surged right back, though, building a 29-27 lead following another kill by Hudson. But, after a UWM timeout and behind the strong serving of Felsing, the Panthers fought back for the win. Officially, UWM's final three points came on Alabama errors, but every error came about as the result of the Tide originally mishandling a Felsing serve.

The Panthers rode the momentum of their game one win into a fast start in game two, then hung on down the stretch to claim a 2-0 lead in the match. UWM scored 16 of the first 23 points of the frame, highlighted by three kills from Gabrielsen and three UWM service aces. Alabama recovered to get back in the game, using a 5-1 run to pull within 17-12 before a kill by Brooks Webster brought the Tide within 20-16. The Panthers weren't going to fold, though, with kills by Gabrielsen and Melissa David returning the advantage to six points. UWM never let Alabama get any closer than three points from there, with a kill by Monica Ferguson and a block by Hegemann and Ferguson pushing the advantage to 28-23. UWM then closed out the frame on a pair of Alabama errors, with the final one once again forced by the strong serving of Felsing.

Milwaukee then looked as though it had no intention of letting the match last any longer than three games with a dominating performance in the third frame. UWM again started quickly, scoring eight of the first 11 points of the frame. Alabama did counter with two-straight points to pull within 8-5, but the Crimson Tide would get no closer the rest of the way. Three kills by Hegemann and an ace by Lauren Felsing pushed the lead to 14-5, and a kill by David following by a Hegemann made it 20-9. UWM kept pouring it on from there, with back-to-back kills by Sarah Moore extending the advantage to 25-12 and a kill by Gabrielsen making it 26-12. The Panthers then closed out the game and the match on an ace by Peters.

UWM hit better than .300 in all three matches this weekend, with much of the credit going to the tremendous work of setter Felsing.

"She is really setting the right person at the right time," Litzau said. "She truly is one of those players that makes everyone around her better. Even when there's an error, she makes a correction and fixes it. Our hitters don't question her - they know she will be making the right pass to the right person and all of them are expecting it."

The Panthers return home to host the Pepsi Panther Invitational next weekend. Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, Windsor and #9 Wisconsin join UWM in the field.