Sept. 29, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Melissa David had 13 kills and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee limited UW-Green Bay to a -.034 hitting percentage en route to an easy 30-18, 30-21, 30-22 win Friday night at the Klotsche Center.

Cheryl Hegemann added nine kills and Monica Ferguson eight for the Panthers (9-4, 3-0 Horizon), who showed good balance and depth in playing without injured starting outside hitter Jamie Gabrielsen.

UWM's defense was the real key, though, as Becky Peters led the way with 14 digs while Kellye Zaporski added 12. The Panthers forced 33 UWGB hitting errors while the Phoenix (6-8, 1-2) had only 29 kills.

Milwaukee has now won 17-straight home league matches and has won 15-straight regular-season league matches overall - a streak that dates back to September of last season.

Betty Slinger led UWGB with eight kills.

"We did do a very good job on defense, and Kellye Zaporski's play in the back row really deserves mention," Litzau said. "She, along with Becky and Lauren (Felsing) did a good job of neutralizing many of the attacks from their setter, who is a big part of their offense. We also showed our depth in playing without Jamie. Nicole Vilter stepped in nicely and I was very pleased with our left side. `D' (Melissa David) played well again and I thought Monica had a very nice night hitting."

UWM controlled the first game from start to finish. The Panthers jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead and extended the advantage to 15-7 on a kill by Ferguson. The advantage grew to 20-10 on a kill by David and hit 27-16 on a kill by Hegemann. Then, a block by Sarah Moore and Leanne Felsing and a kill by Moore wrapped up the frame for the Panthers.

Milwaukee used a late run to claim the second game. UWM's lead was only 20-18 after a kill by Hillary Kirking, but the Panthers ran off the next four points to reclaim control of the game. A kill by Felsing pushed the lead to 26-20 and a kill by David made it 29-21 before a UWGB error finished things off for the Panthers.

The Panthers then battled their way to a win in the third game, with each team struggling to do much offensively. UWM did turn a one-point lead into a 15-10 advantage with a quick 4-0 burst, and eventually grabbed a 25-15 lead on a block by Hegemann and David. That allowed Litzau to empty her bench as the Panthers finished of the win with kills by Felsing and Kelley Olson.

UWM returns to action next weekend, playing a pair of matches in Chicago. The Panthers play at Loyola Friday night and at UIC Saturday afternoon.