Nov. 16, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE - Leanne Felsing had 23 kills as part of a triple-double and Nicole Vilter added a collegiate-best 17 kills as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee survived an upset bid by Loyola in claiming a 29-31, 30-23, 30-24, 26-30, 15-8 win over the Ramblers Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament at the Klotsche Center.

The top-seeded Panthers (26-2) advance to Saturday's semifinals, where they will take on Valparaiso at 4 p.m.

Jamie Gabrielsen pitched in with 21 kills and 17 digs to help the Panthers, who fought uphill all night long against a Rambler defense that collected 20 blocks and forced 48 total hitting errors by Milwaukee.

But, in the deciding fifth game, UWM dominated. The Panthers took the lead for good at 6-5 and then pulled away by scoring the final six points of the game. Vilter had three kills while three other Panthers had two kills apiece, as UWM hit .316 while limiting the Ramblers to a -.125 hitting clip.

" Loyola played some of the best volleyball it had played all season and I think we had some fear and some composure issues for one of the few times all year," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "Despite the success you have during the regular season, there is so much meaning to these tournament matches and Loyola played loose while we struggled. But, we did come through convincingly in the fifth game, holding them at eight like we did, and I think that bodes well for the rest of the tournament."

Sarah Singer led four Ramblers in double figures with 13 kills, while Melissa Craig led the defensive charge for Loyola (9-21) with 12 blocks.

The star for the Panthers was Vilter, who played more in the middle than she had played much of the regular season and hit .406.

"Nicole did a great job," Johnson said. "She came through in some critical moments and she was a calming force out there for us. She really kept her composure and just looked very confident."

UWM's defense again played a key role, with Becky Peters tallying 24 digs to go with 11 kills while Lauren Felsing added 19 digs. The Panthers limited Loyola to a .153 hitting percentage and just 58 kills in the five-game match.

"Becky really came through for us. We know teams will be keying on our stars and we definitely need others to step up," Johnson said.

Loyola won a tight first game that included 15 ties and six lead changes. The Ramblers finished thing off with a kill by Singer and a block by Craig and Keily Zins. UWM controlled game two, breaking a 15-all tie by scoring 15 of the final 23 points of the game. Felsing had five kills as part of the final 15 points as the Panthers evened the match.

Milwaukee then looked like it had taken control of things by winning the third game. UWM turned a 14-12 deficit into a 22-16 lead and never looked back. Two kills by Felsing and a solo block by Schmitting gave UWM a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Ramblers didn't go away, though. They scored five-straight points to break a 21-all tie in the fourth game and put the Panthers back on their heels. UWM did rally to within 28-25 and 29-26, but a kill by Zins forced the deciding fifth game.

In that fifth game, Loyola held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 but would never lead again. A kill by Felsing made it 6-5 and a kill by Vilter sparked the final six-point run for the Panthers.