Oct. 16, 2009

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Kerri Schuh had 17 kills and Jena Berg added 16 as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a thrilling 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-27, 17-15 win over UIC Friday night at the Klotsche Center.

In the deciding fifth set, the Panthers fought off a pair of match-point chances by the Flames and then claimed the victory when an attack from UIC's Lana Lobdell was dug by Kellye Zaporski, with the ball sailing back over the net and to the floor for the game-winning point.

Zaporski wound up with seven kills to go with 51 assists and 24 digs, while Maddie Sueppel added 10 kills and six blocks.

UWM (6-14, 3-6 Horizon) had two other players with more than 20 digs, as Berg added 22 and Lauren Felsing pitched-in with 20.

Lobdell led the Flames (10-12, 5-4) with 17 kills and was one of four UIC players in double figures.

But, UWM's defense limited to UIC to a .122 hitting clip, with the Panthers tallying 102 digs and 14 blocks.

The fifth frame included 11 ties and seven lead changes, with neither side boasting more than a three-point lead. UIC had match-point chances at 14-13 and 15-14, but UWM fought off the first with a kill from Schuh before a service error by the Flames stopped the second. Then, a block by Sueppel and Mackenzie Millis put the Panthers up 15-14 before the dig-turned-kill by Zaporski sent Milwaukee to victory.

"That fight pulled us through and we haven't seen that in a really long time," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "It's there, but it was hard. UIC played really hard and didn't back off at all, but we kept pushing. Then we had a couple of plays at the end that we really needed to go our way and they did, so it's really exciting."

The two teams split the first two sets. UIC steadily built its lead in the first set, turning an 11-all tie into a 16-12 lead following a UWM error. The Panthers eventually trailed 20-15 but rattled off three-straight points, pulling within 20-18 on a block by Natalie Schmitting and Zaporski. Milwaukee was still within 22-20 after a kill by Schuh and within 23-21 following another Schuh kill, but a kill by Lobdell and a UWM error gave UIC the first set.

UWM bounced back in the second frame, breaking a 9-all tie with a 6-1 run to build a 15-10 lead. The advantage was still 17-13 after a kill by Melissa Jansen and UWM led 21-16 after a UIC error. The lead eventually grew to 23-17 on an ace by Zaporski before Milwaukee closed out the set on a kill by Schuh and a UIC error.

The Panthers moved ahead in the match with a solid performance in the third set. UWM built an early 12-6 lead and then pushed its edge out to 16-8 on a kill by Berg. UIC did pull back as close as three points at 22-19, but UWM used a final surge to finish things off. Two kills by Berg pushed Milwaukee to set point before a kill from Schmitting closed out the frame.

UIC pulled out a tight fourth set to extend the match. UWM led by as many as three points in the frame before falling down, 23-21. The Panthers scored three in a row to move to match-point, only to see an attack error keep the Flames alive. The two teams then traded points before back-to-back kills from Epiphany Davis allowed UIC to play onto a fifth set.

UWM continues its weekend homestand with a Saturday afternoon contest against Loyola. The match begins at 4 p.m. at the Klotsche Center and marks the Panthers' annual "Pink Out" match.