Aug. 28, 2010

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Maya Schlindwein had 17 kills and Taryn Parker added 14 as IPFW rallied from a slow start to claim a 15-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-22 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team Saturday night.

The win gave the Mastodons (2-1) the title of the IPFW Invitational over the Panthers (2-1), who had more kills and digs in the match but could not recover once IPFW seized the momentum.

Kerri Schuh led Milwaukee with 14 kills and 12 digs, while Elizabeth Egerer added 13 kills. Jena Berg tallied 10 kills and 18 digs in joining Schuh on the all-tournament team.

The Panthers hit .184 in the match but had 25 hitting errors and nine service errors. Meanwhile, the Mastodons recovered after hitting -.077 in the first set to hit .151 in the contest, committing just 12 hitting errors over the final three frames.

"They probably played the best tonight of the whole weekend for them, and that was probably the worst we played," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "But they made us play like that. They were digging the ball, digging the big hits - the ones we thought we had down - and they were ready to play and were very excited. The reality is they played well and we didn't play as well as we could have."

Milwaukee used a pair of big runs to claim the first set going away. UWM ran out to an early 9-3 lead behind a pair of kills by Egerer and a kill by Schuh. The Panthers still led 12-6 after a kill by Rachel Neuberger but IPFW struck back with seven-straight points to claim a 13-12 advantage. The two teams then traded points before UWM surged to the victory. In all, Milwaukee scored the final 11 points of the frame. Schuh had two kills and two blocks during the run, which also included two blocks and a kill from Natalie Schmitting along with a block and a kill by Egerer.

IPFW recovered to even the match with a strong performance in the second set. The Mastodons built an early 9-5 advantage and still led 11-7 after a kill by Schlindwein. Milwaukee rallied to claim a 13-12 lead after a block by Schmitting and Schuh, but it would be the Panthers' only lead of the frame. IPFW scored the next seven points to go up 19-13 and UWM never got closer than two points from there. That came at 22-20 after a Berg kill, but the Mastodons scored the next three points to claim the set.

UWM could never truly get itself on track in the third set. The Panthers did recover from an early 11-8 deficit to claim a 14-13 lead on a kill by Berg. But, Milwaukee would never lead again, with the Mastodons taking the lead for good at 18-17 on a Panther service error. That turned into a run of four-straight by IPFW, with a kill from Megan Steenhuysen making it 21-17. The Panthers struck back on a kill by Schuh but IPFW scored the next three points to put the match away. A kill by Schlindwein then finished things off for the Mastodons.

Milwaukee looked like it might extend the match after solid start in the fourth frame. The Panthers led 11-8 after a kill by Schuh and still led 15-13 on a kill by Egerer. But, IPFW took the lead for good at 17-16 on a kill by Schlindwein and that edge expanded to 21-17 on a UWM error. After the Mastodons went up 23-18, the Panthers rallied with four-straight points to pull within 23-22. But, a service error followed by a hitting error ended the comeback chance for Milwaukee.

The Panthers return to action with three matches next week. UWM will face North Dakota Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa, before playing both North Dakota State and Iowa State in Ames on Friday.