Oct. 12, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Leanne Felsing had 20 kills as part of her 11th double-double of the season and Jamie Gabrielsen added 19 kills and 10 digs as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee kicked off Panther Madness with a 30-24, 34-32, 30-21 win over Loyola Friday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (17-2, 8-1 League) remain tied with Cleveland State atop the Horizon League and have won 17 of their last 18 matches overall.

Felsing added 15 digs and 24 assists while hitting .356 for the match. Milwaukee hit a solid .270 as a team, but it was the defense that nicely complimented the play of Gabrielsen and Felsing. Five players reached double figures in digs, with Becky Peters leading the way with 17 and Lauren Felsing adding 16.

Dana VanDiggelen tallied 14 kills to lead Loyola (4-16, 1-8).

"I thought it was a good, solid match," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We had some trouble with Loyola the first time around and this time I thought we were in control most of the time. We made some good adjustments, responded to the coaching and came out with a good win."

Milwaukee steadily took control of the first game to secure the win. UWM took the lead for good at 9-8 and extended the edge to 15-10 on a kill by Gabrielsen. The advantage grew to 25-16 on a Loyola error. The Ramblers were able to pull back within five on three occasions, but a kill by Felsing wrapped up the first game for the Panthers.

Game two was a struggle that saw each team waste a pair of game-point opportunities before UWM finally closed things out. The Panthers looked like they might run away early, building a 12-4 lead following a kill by Maddie Sueppel. But the Ramblers recovered to pull within 14-10 on a kill by Sarah Singer and then cut the lead to 20-19 on another Singer kill. The Panthers did rebuild a three-point lead at 27-24 and again at 28-25, but the Ramblers responded with three-straight points to set up the tight final moments. A block by Sueppel and Nicole Vilter tied the game at 32 before two-straight Loyola errors allowed the Panthers to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Milwaukee was back on course in the third game, breaking a 10-all tie with five-straight points. The lead hit 20-14 on a Felsing kill and was 23-16 after a kill by Gabrielsen. UWM then closed out the game and match with two kills by Peters and a Loyola error.

"Leanne and Jamie both had an awesome match," Johnson said. "And, as usual, Becky and Lauren really led the defense. It was a solid performance."

The Panthers will continue their weekend action Saturday, hosting UIC in a 4 p.m. match at the Klotsche Center.