Aug. 28, 2010

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Kerri Schuh had 22 kills and 18 digs while freshman Rachel Neuberger knocked home the match-winning kill as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed a 23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 28-26, 15-13 win over Tulsa Saturday on day two of the IPFW Invitational.

The Panthers (2-0) won in five sets for the second-straight match. One night after beating NCAA qualifier Saint Louis, UWM knocked off a Tulsa squad that won 26 matches a year ago and is one of the preseason favorites in Conference USA.

Milwaukee looked to be in control in the deciding fifth set after building leads of 9-5 and 13-9. Then, after the Golden Hurricane (1-1) rallied to within 13-12, a kill by Schuh pushed UWM to match point. A kill by Tyler Henderson made it 14-13 before Neuberger finished things off for the Panthers.

UWM again put forth a solid defensive effort, collecting 15 blocks and 79 digs. Henderson, the Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, did have 26 kills but she also had 12 hitting errors. Neuberger (seven blocks) and Natalie Schmitting (six) led the way at the net, while Morgan Potter led the back row with 21 digs.

Offensively, Berg added 13 kills while Neuberger had nine as the Panthers hit .277 for the match.

"Tulsa is going to win a lot of matches this year," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "They have a strong team and they have a stud outside hitter that we were able to contain. It was a great win, a huge team effort."

The Panthers have followed the lead of Schuh in the first two matches of the season, with the redshirt junior collecting her first two collegiate double-doubles.

"She is playing great," Johnson said. "She understands what she needs to do and she understands the best parts of her game. She is approaching hard, Sam (Trawitzke) is setting her well and she also had 18 digs, which is big because she didn't play in the back row the last two years."

Tulsa earned a hard-fought win in the first set. The Golden Hurricane led much of the first half of the frame, building a 12-8 advantage following four-straight kills by Henderson. The Panthers rallied with a 6-1 burst, claiming a 14-13 lead on a Tulsa error. Neither team could pull away after that, with Milwaukee grabbing its final lead at 21-20 on a kill by Schuh. The set was then tied at 21, 22 and 23 before a kills by Henderson and Diana Silva put the Golden Hurricane ahead in the match.

The Panthers used a spirited effort to even the match. Milwaukee took the lead for good at 12-11 on an ace by Samantha Trawitzke and extended the edge to 14-11 on a block by Schuh and Schmitting. The advantage was 16-12 after a block by Mary Beth O'Brien and Schmitting and Tulsa would never get closer than two points after that. A kill by Neuberger pushed the lead out to 21-16 and a kill by Berg had UWM up 23-19. Another kill by Schuh then wrapped things up for the Panthers.

Tulsa led from start to finish in the third set to regain the lead in the match. The Golden Hurricane scored seven of the first 10 points of the frame and still led 12-7 after a UWM error. The Panthers closed to within 12-9 on a block by Schuh and Neuberger, but Tulsa responded with the next five points to capture a 17-9 edge. Milwaukee did close to within 21-17 after two-straight kills by Schuh but could get no closer. A kill by Henderson eventually wrapped things up for the Golden Hurricane.

UWM had to dig deep in the fourth set to extend the match. The Panthers trailed 10-7 in the early going but rallied to take a 12-11 lead on an ace by Trawitzke. Milwaukee eventually extended its edge to 18-14 on a block by Trawitzke and Neuberger only to see Tulsa reclaim a 21-19 advantage after a run of four-straight points. The Panthers took the lead back at 24-23 before the Golden Hurricane fought off three set-point chances. Then, a kill by Neuberger and an ace by Elizabeth Egerer allowed Milwaukee to even the contest.

In the deciding set, the Panthers went ahead for good at 6-5 on a kill by Neuberger and led 9-5 after a block by Berg and Schmitting. The lead was still 13-9 after a kill by Schuh but that's when the Tulsa rally started. Again, though, UWM stood tall, with Schuh and Neuberger coming through the clinch the victory.

UWM wraps up its play in the tournament Saturday night, taking on the hosts from IPFW at 7 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. CDT.