Nov. 15, 2008
Box Score |
Notes
CHICAGO -
Natalie Schmitting had 13 kills to lead three players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee wrapped up its sixth-straight outright Horizon League regular season title with a 26-24, 25-27, 25-17, 23-25, 15-8 win over Loyola Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym.
Becky Peters added 12 kills and Maddie Sueppel 11 for the Panthers (20-8, 13-3 Horizon), who will now be the top seed in next weekend's Horizon League Tournament in Cleveland.
Milwaukee pulled away in the deciding fifth set, scoring the final five points to claim the win.
The Panthers hit .225 in the match and also got nine kills from Kerri Schuh and eight from Natalie Chery.
Dana VanDiggelen had 24 kills to lead Loyola (19-10, 8-8).
"It was quite the match and a great way to wrap up the league title by ourselves," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We didn't play great but Loyola played really well. They have such a good homecourt advantage but we just kept battling and pulled it out."
The league crown is the second in two years under Johnson, whose team was picked third in the preseason poll. UWM did it with an extremely young squad that includes 12 freshmen and sophomores and just one senior.
"We just keep putting together great team efforts," Johnson said. "We don't give up, we just hang in there and keep battling and we keep getting results. Now we need to keep it going into next weekend."
The Panthers used a late comeback to pull out the first set. UWM built a quick 9-2 lead but saw it slip away just as quickly, with the Ramblers forging a 10-all tie thanks to an 8-1 run of their own. Loyola eventually built a 17-14 lead before extending the edge to 20-16 on a kill by Natalie Pounovich. UWM was still down 23-19 before rallying, as the Panthers scored the next five to claim a 24-23 lead. Loyola did tie the frame at 24 but a kill by Schuh and a Loyola error gave the Panthers the first set.
Loyola evened the match by pulling out an equally tight second set. The Ramblers again built a lead late in the frame, going up 17-14 and then 19-16. The Panthers did fight back to take a 20-19 advantage but Loyola responded with four points of its own for a 23-20 lead. UWM struck back once more, claiming set-point chances at 24-23 and 25-24. But the Ramblers had the final run, as kills by Sarah Singer and Mallory Curran sandwiched around a service ace by Colleen Francis gave Loyola the second frame.
Milwaukee rolled to the win in the third set. The Panthers built a 7-2 lead on a block by Sueppel and Melissa Jansen and still led 11-6 on a kill by Schuh. The lead ballooned to 14-7 after a Loyola error and hit 17-8 on another block by Sueppel and Jansen. UWM was in control from there, as Loyola never got closer than six points. A kill by Schmitting wrapped things up for the Panthers.
The Ramblers fought from behind to pull out the fourth set. The Panthers built leads of 9-5 and 11-6 but Loyola forged a 12-all tie on a kill by Singer. Milwaukee again rebuilt a 17-14 lead but the Ramblers once more surged back, going up 19-18 on a kill by Van Diggelen. The Panthers reclaimed a 21-19 lead before Loyola tied things at 21, 22 and 23. Then, kills by Singer and Pounovich allowed Loyola to force a fifth frame.
In that fifth set, the Panthers took the lead for good at 3-2 and eventually led 10-6 on a kill by Schuh. The Ramblers then pulled within 10-8 but Milwaukee countered with the final five points to wrap things up.
"Natalie Schmitting was great all night. She had to be because Loyola really did a good job focusing on Maddie," Johnson said. "Natalie Chery also really came through - she was focused and did a great job. I thought our setters distributed the ball well, too."
The full league tournament pairings will be announced Sunday, but UWM knows it will play the winner of Thursday's first round match in a contest Friday.
