Sept. 4, 2009

Box Score |  Notes

OXFORD, Miss. - Katie Norris had 13 kills and Regina Thomas added 12 as Ole Miss claimed a 21-25, 10-25, 25-16, 25-18, 15-12 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Friday night at the Gillom Sports Center.

UWM looked to be in charge after hitting .407 over the first two frames. But, the Panthers (0-4) didn't hit above .088 in any of the final three sets in falling to the Rebels (3-2).

The deciding fifth frame was tight to the end. Ole Miss did build a 10-6 lead before Milwaukee fought all the way back to tie the set at 11 on a block by Samantha Trawitzke and Maddie Sueppel. But, a kill by Thomas gave the lead back to the Rebels and two-straight kills by Norris sealed things for the home side.

Jena Berg and Kerri Schuh led Milwaukee with 14 kills apiece, while Sueppel added 12. Berg also led the way defensively with 20 digs, helping UWM limit Ole Miss to a .127 hitting clip.

But, the Rebels' improved defense in the second half of the match proved to be the difference. Ole Miss had just four blocks and 12 digs after two frames but finished the match with 15 blocks and 49 digs.

"It's tough. In the first two sets we were flawless and everyone was working together," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "The great thing about those two sets is we have it in us and you can't take that away. Ole Miss definitely turned it around. That's what's tough about playing an SEC team - they have the ability to push back."

UWM controlled much of the first set. The Panthers took the lead for good at 7-6 on an ace by Berg and eventually led 11-8 after a kill by Sueppel. A kill by Berg pushed the edge to 13-9 and then a run of four-straight points made it 20-13.

Ole Miss did close within 21-20 after two-straight UWM errors, but a service error stemmed the tide and set the stage for a strong finish from Sueppel. Her three kills, sandwiched around just one more point by the Rebels, allowed UWM to wrap up the set.

The Panthers then dominated the second set, hitting .435 in cruising to the win. Milwaukee scored six of the first seven points in the frame and extended its edge to 13-4 on a Sueppel kill. Another kill by Sueppel pushed the lead to 16-5 and UWM never looked back after that.

A block by Schuh and Berg kept the lead at 19-8 and a block by Schuh and Natalie Schmitting made it 23-9. A back-row kill by Lauren Hintze and a kill by Schuh then gave UWM a 2-0 lead in the match.

Ole Miss got back in the match with a strong effort in the third set. The Rebels built an early 6-2 advantage before the Panthers bounced back to knot things at 12-apiece. From there, though, Ole Miss pulled away. A kill by Thomas made it 17-12 and a Rebel block extended the edge to 20-14. UWM got no closer than five points after that, with a pair of kills from Miranda Kitts finishing things off for the Rebels.

The Rebels then extended the match further with a strong performance in the fourth set. UWM had an 11-10 lead after a kill by Sueppel, but Ole Miss took the lead for good at 13-12 and eventually led 17-13 on a block by Whitney Craven and Thomas.

Milwaukee found itself down 22-16 before a brief rally, with a block by Sueppel and Trawitzke along with an ace by Hintze forcing an Ole Miss timeout. But, the Rebels responded from there, with a kill by Norris, an ace by Emily Kvitle and a block from Kitts and Norris pushing things into a fifth set.

The Panthers will continue play in the Magnolia Classic with two matches Saturday. UWM faces Alcorn State at 9 a.m. and UAB at 2:30 p.m.