Oct. 26, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Jamie Gabrielsen had 18 kills and 24 digs while Kelley Olson provided a spark with 10 kills and nine blocks as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee rallied for a 27-30, 24-30, 30-23, 30-24, 15-8 win over Valparaiso Friday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

The win keeps the Panthers (22-2, 12-1 League) one match ahead of Cleveland State atop the Horizon League. It is also the third time this season the Panthers have recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win a match.

Natalie Schmitting contributed 15 kills, Leanne Felsing 13 and Maddie Sueppel 10 apiece for Milwaukee, which capped its comeback by owning the deciding fifth game. The Panthers rolled to an 11-5 lead and then were never threatened, hitting .579 in the frame behind five kills from Felsing and three from Gabrielsen.

Angie Porche had 20 kills, Val Bollenbacher 19 and Nicole Schulz 16 to lead Valparaiso (16-8, 6-5).

The Panthers overcame their early offensive struggles thanks to a stellar defensive effort at the net. UWM equaled its season high in blocks with 16, led by the nine from Olson, eight from Sueppel and seven from Schmitting. Plus, Lauren Felsing had 26 digs and Jamie Gabrielsen added 24 to lead the back-row efforts.

"Kelley Olson really stepped up for us. She was the star," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "She started the match focused, she blocked well early and then she got kills at the right time. We did a good job of sticking to our game plan after the first two games. We went to the right side on offense, got even tougher with our block and we just dug down and decided we weren't going to lose."

The Panthers let game one slip away, seeing a lead they held much of the way turn into a three-point loss. Valpo did start quickly, building an 8-4 advantage. But, Milwaukee recovered to take an 11-10 lead on a Breit Nelson ace and extended the edge to 18-14 on a Valpo error. The lead was still 21-18 after a block by Olson and Sueppel and 24-21 after a Sueppel kill. But, the Crusaders scored four-straight points to grab a 25-24 lead and then recovered from a 27-26 deficit to score the final four points of the frame. Three-straight kills by Porche sparked the run, which was then capped off by a UWM error.

UWM could never get on track after grabbing an early 6-3 lead in game two. Valpo took the lead for good at 8-7 on a Porche kill and pushed its edge to 14-9 on a block by Schulz and Katie Layman. The Panthers did pull within 16-14 on a Gabrielsen kill and within 24-21 on another Gabrielsen kill. But, the Crusaders pulled away from there, leading 28-22 on a Bollenbacher kill before a block by Porche and Newton finished off the frame.

Milwaukee got back in the match with a solid performance in game three. The Panthers took the lead for good at 10-9 on a block by Schmitting and Becky Peters and quickly pushed the lead to 16-10 on a block by Schmitting and Olson. A kill by Olson made it 19-12 and a Felsing kill expanded the advantage to 23-14. Valpo did pull within six points a handful of time after that, but a kill by Olson and two Crusaders errors allowed the Panthers to wrap up the game.

The Panthers had to dig out of an early hole to claim the fourth game. Valpo jumped to leads of 10-5 and 14-7 before Milwaukee rallied, as the Panthers used an 8-2 run to pull within 16-15. UWM took the lead for the first time at 20-19 on an Olson kill and grabbed the lead for good at 22-21 on a Schmitting kill. Milwaukee pulled away from there, with a kill by Olson making it 26-23, a kill by Kellye Zaporski pushing the lead to 28-24 and two Valpo errors evening the match at two games apiece.

Milwaukee then carried that momentum into the fifth game, with two-straight kills by Schmitting and two-straight kills by Felsing sparking the opening 11-4 run. Kills by Gabrielsen and Vilter pushed the match near its conclusion before a kill by Olson finished things off for the Panthers.

"This match really showed a lot about what this team has been like all season," Johnson said. "You can see the determination and the willingness to fight. They know what is at stake and they came through. Their faces changed during that match when they made a decision to fight and come back. It is a great win."

UWM returns to action next Friday night, making the trip up I-43 for a contest with in-state rival Green Bay. The match begins at 7 p.m.