Nov. 20, 2010

Box Score

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MILWAUKEE - Tara Diebler had 15 kills and Sarah Dooms added 14 as fourth-seeded Valparaiso knocked off the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 25-7, 27-25, 25-23 Saturday afternoon in the Horizon League Volleyball Tournament semifinals at the Klotsche Center.

The top-seeded and regular season champion Panthers (20-9) never truly got on track in the match, hitting just .108 while allowing the Crusaders (26-7) to hit .287.

The Panthers did have late leads in both the second and third sets, including a 23-19 lead in the second frame, but could not find a way to extend the match.

In the end, the difference was the offensive execution by Valpo. The Crusaders had 75 hitting errors in their two regular season losses to Milwaukee but had just 12 Saturday afternoon.

Elizabeth Egerer had 12 kills to lead the Panther offense, while Morgan Potter had 24 digs to lead the Milwaukee defense.

Valpo controlled the first set from start to finish. The Crusaders scored 10 of the first 11 points of the frame and never looked back. The lead grew to 21-6 on a kill by Val Bollenbacher before two aces by Ariel Cudney finished things off.

UWM looked like it was ready to even the match in the second set but fell victim to a late Valpo rally. The Panthers trailed 9-7 in the early going but claimed a 13-10 lead on a kill by Natalie Schmitting. The lead hit 18-13 on a block by Rachel Neuberger and Egerer and was still 22-17 following a kill by Egerer. But, Valpo was able to turn a 23-19 deficit into a 24-all tie and then won the set on a kill by Dooms followed by a block from Dooms and Katie Layman.

The Panthers then found themselves in a hole in the third set, trailing 18-13 after an attack error. But, Milwaukee scored the next six points, highlighted by two kills and a solo block from Egerer, to claim a 19-18 advantage. The Panthers still led 23-22 on a kill by Schuh, but Valpo scored the final three points to claim the win. A kill by Diebler started the final run, with a kill by Dooms and a UWM error officially wrapping things up.

Valpo advances to Sunday's 1 p.m. championship match, facing either Butler or Cleveland State. Those two teams play at 3:30 p.m.