Nov. 7, 2009

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Jena Berg and Maddie Sueppel had 14 kills apiece to lead a balanced attack as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 27-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18 win over first-place Cleveland State Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (11-14, 8-6 Horizon) have now won six-straight matches.

UWM hit a solid .216 in the match while limiting the Vikings (24-7, 12-3) to a .106 hitting clip. In fact, Milwaukee dominated nearly every statistical category, winning the battle in kills (64-47), digs (75-55) and blocks (13-11).

Kerri Schuh added 13 kills and Mary Beth O'Brien pitched-in with 11 for the Panthers.

Milwaukee also had four players reach double figures in digs, led by 20 apiece from Berg and Lauren Felsing.

Beth Greulich had 14 kills to lead Cleveland State, which has lost two of its last three contests after a 12-match winning streak.

The two teams split the first two sets, with each side pulling out a tight win. UWM trailed by as many as six points early on but rallied to claim a 20-16 lead on a kill by Berg. CSU eventually fought off three set-point chances for the Panthers before Milwaukee finished things off on a kill by Sueppel.

In the second set, Cleveland State built a 13-9 lead following a UWM error and then led 19-14 on a kill by Amy Benz. Milwaukee did fight back to within a point at 21-20 on a CSU error and was still within 24-23 after a kill by Schuh. But, a kill by Greulich allowed the Vikings to even up the match.

Milwaukee controlled play in winning the third set. The Panthers scored 13 of the first 17 points in the frame, with three kills apiece from Sueppel and O'Brien highlighting the run. The lead was still 17-10 after another kill by O'Brien and CSU never got closer than five points after that. A kill by Berg finished things off for UWM, putting the Panthers back ahead in the match.

UWM used a late burst to win the fourth set and wrap up the match. The Panthers trailed 12-11 before running off five-straight for a 16-12 lead. Milwaukee then extended the edge to 20-15 on a kill by Berg and all the way out to 23-15 on a solo block by Berg. CSU did fight back to within 24-18 but a kill by Natalie Schmitting finished things off for the Panthers.

Milwaukee will wrap up the regular season next weekend with a pair of home matches. The Panthers play Valparaiso Friday night and Butler Saturday afternoon. UWM has also now clinched a berth in the Horizon League Tournament, which will be played at the site of the regular season champion the following weekend.