Nov. 9, 2007

Box Score |  Notes

DAYTON, Ohio - Jamie Gabrielsen had 21 kills and 13 digs while Leanne Felsing recorded her 16th triple-double of the season as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed the outright Horizon League regular season title with a 30-23, 30-24, 27-30, 30-18 win over Wright State Friday night.

The Panthers (24-2, 14-1) are the outright champions for the fifth-straight time, a feat no other league school has accomplished.

Natalie Schmitting added 15 kills for Milwaukee, which is just one win away from tying the school record for victories. Becky Peters led the defensive charge with 28 digs.

UWM also held a distinct edge at the service line, collecting 13 aces. Kellye Zaporski and Breit Nelson tallied five apiece.

"This was a great team effort. It was not easy because Wright State played well," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "I am excited for this team to get the title all by themselves. Natalie really played well and I am so happy for Kellye and Breit with their serving. They really stepped up and helped us push back when Wright State made some runs."

The Panthers broke a 15-all tie to pull away in the first frame. A Felsing kill started the run that put Milwaukee up 20-15 and the Panthers were never threatened. An ace by Nelson pushed the edge to 26-19 and then a kill from Gabrielsen and a WSU attack error finished things off for UWM.

UWM again pulled away in the second game. The frame was tied at 18-apiece before Milwaukee broke free, going up 23-20 on a Zaporski kill. Then, a kill and an ace by Felsing started a 5-0 run that made it 28-22 before a service error and attack error by the Raiders gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Raiders got back in the match by winning the third game. UWM trailed most of the way before rallying to tie the game at 24 on a Felsing kill and again at 25 on a Nicole Vilter kill. But, Wright State scored five of the final seven points of the game to make things interesting.

Milwaukee, though, wasn't about to let the match slip away. The Panthers turned a 13-12 lead into a 25-15 advantage with a 12-3 burst. Two Kelley Olson kills highlighted the run. Then, Zaporski had two aces before a kill by Vilter and a block by Peters and Felsing ended the match.

UWM wraps up the regular season Saturday afternoon at Butler. The Panthers will then host the 2007 Horizon League Tournament next week at the Klotsche Center.