Box Score
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Nov. 13, 2010) -
Kerri Schuh had 11 kills, 17 digs and five aces and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team held UIC to a school-record low five points in the second set as the Panthers rolled past the Flames 25-18, 25-5, 25-22 Saturday evening at the Klotsche Center.
With the win, Milwaukee secured its 12th 20-win season in 14 years and capped the league slate with a 15-1 mark. UWM had already claimed the league regular season outright last weekend. Meanwhile, UIC fell to 13-17 and finished with an 8-8 league record.
"I think this was the best match we've had all season," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "I'm so excited because this is the best time to be good, the best time to be at our peak. This team is ready and very focused and I was very proud of them tonight because we had already locked up first place. I maintained we still needed to push, this is an important match, too. They agreed and it was like the whole plan worked, to play with purpose, and that's what they did tonight."
Elizabeth Egerer joined Schuh in double-figure kills with a team-high 12. Both players were efficient in their attacks, as Egerer hit .435 and Schuh .400. As a team, UWM hit .284 for the match after hitting at a .324 clip in the first set and .333 in the second. Morgan Potter added 14 digs for a defensive effort that held UIC to a .116 hitting percentage for the match and -.081 in the second set.
Nicole Allgood led the Flames with eight kills, while two other players tallied seven apiece. On the defensive side, Taylor Szatkowski led the team with 14 digs and Kelsey Sanfranek had 11.
The school-record second set actually started off tighter than the first or third, as the teams trading points until Schuh took over the serve with Milwaukee leading 4-3. She would serve for 16-straight points as UWM raced out to a 20-3 lead. Schuh had four aces during the run, including three-straight at one point, to lead the way. The Panthers then closed out the set with four-straight points on three Egerer kills and a Potter ace.
The five points Milwaukee allowed eclipsed the school mark for fewest points that the team set last season when it allowed just seven to Alcorn State.
The Panthers took control out of the gates in the opening set, scoring the first six points of the match and nine of the first 10. They would push their lead to 10 on four occasions. UIC then staved off set point for three rallies, but fell in the end, 25-18.
In the third set, UWM used a 6-0 run to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 lead and it looked like the home team would run away with another set. But, UIC bounced back to stay close with the Panthers and take a brief lead at 20-19. After the teams traded points and the set was tied at 22-22, Milwaukee put the set and match away with three-straight kills.
With the regular season complete, Milwaukee now awaits its Horizon League Championship opponent. As the No. 1 seed the Panthers have hosting rights for the tournament and a bye into the semifinals. They will play the lowest seed to advance out of the quarterfinals next Saturday at 1 p.m. The tournament kicks off with quarterfinal on Friday at the Klotsche Center.
