Oct. 2, 2010

Box Score

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MILWAUKEE - Mary Beth O'Brien and Elizabeth Egerer had 15 kills apiece to lead four players in double figures as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee captured a 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21 win over Loyola Saturday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (8-7, 5-0 Horizon) hit .312 as a team and surged from behind to win the decisive fourth set.

Milwaukee trailed 10-5 and 13-8 in the fourth but tied the frame at 14 on a block by Jena Berg and Rachel Neuberger. UWM then took the lead for good at 18-17 on a block by Egerer and Mackenzie Millis and eventually led by as many as five points late in claiming its fifth-straight win.

Neuberger and Kerri Schuh added 10 kills apiece for the Panthers, who also got 49 assists and six kills from Berg.

UWM outblocked Loyola, 12-6, and outdug the Ramblers, 58-50. Morgan Potter had a match-high 18 digs to pace the Panthers in the back row, while Neuberger had five blocks to lead Milwaukee up front. And, Milwaukee's offense kept pace, hitting better than .300 while tallying 60 kills after netting just 45 kills and a .124 hitting percentage in Friday's five-set win over Valparaiso.

"It was like night and day (from last night). Biz, Mary Beth and Rachel really came through," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "It was so cool because we talked a lot about it and really focused on it before the match, talking about some things we had to do to get it going. It really got going and I am excited about the fact that it happened because it's only going to make us better."

Colleen Francis had 13 kills and was one of five players in double figures for Loyola (7-9, 0-5), which appeared to be positioning itself for an upset after dropping the first two sets.

"I didn't think it would be easy," Johnson said. "The match last night was pretty tough and today it was the same thing. Loyola wasn't giving up. They know our team pretty well and a lot of their players are from this area, so I knew it would be a tough match."

The Panthers pulled away to win the first set. UWM took the lead for good at 7-6 on a kill by Berg and eventually led 18-11 after a Loyola error. The Panthers pushed the lead out to 23-13 after another burst that included kills from Egerer and Neuberger. Then, after a small Rambler run, two more kills by Egerer sealed the set for Milwaukee, which hit a stellar .429 in the frame.

UWM followed a similar script in the second set. The Panthers turned a 3-1 deficit into a 10-6 lead and then led 13-7 after an ace by Berg. The Ramblers closed to within 14-13 before three-straight kills by O'Brien sparked a five-point run to make it 19-13. Loyola did cut the edge to four at 21-17 and 22-18. But a kill by Berg, a block by Schuh and Natalie Schmitting and a Loyola service error put UWM up by two sets.

Loyola got back in the match with a steady win in the third set. The Ramblers took the lead for good at 7-6 on a kill by Melissa Hastings and eventually led by as many as five. The Panthers consistently cut the lead back to four and did pull within three on pair of occasions. But, a kill by Francis ended Milwaukee's final rally and forced a fourth set.

Then, in that fourth set, the Ramblers maintained the momentum in building a pair of five-point leads. After Milwaukee to the lead for good at 18-17, four kills by Egerer pushed the Panthers to the brink of victory before kill by Schuh sealed the match.

UWM continues a busy stretch of league action with three matches next week. The Panthers play at UIC Tuesday night before hosting Butler and Wright State on Saturday and Sunday.