Sept. 11, 2010

Box Score

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MILWAUKEE - Freshman Rachel Neuberger had 12 kills as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee claimed an impressive 25-17, 25-22, 25-18 win over Toledo Saturday to start the second day of the Milwaukee/Marquette Invitational at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (3-6) were solid on offense behind setter Jena Berg (39 assists), hitting .240 for the contest while controlling play from start to finish. Three others players had at least seven kills, including Mary Beth O'Brien with nine.

UWM also was stellar defensively, limiting the Rockets (5-3) to a .099 hitting clip. Libero Morgan Potter had a collegiate-best 24 digs while Mackenzie Millis led the front-row defense with five blocks.

Lauren Rafdal had nine kills to lead Toledo, which beat nationally-ranked Michigan on the opening weekend of the season and already owned a victory over Creighton Friday in this tournament.

Milwaukee, which again played without injured starters Kerri Schuh and Maddie Sueppel, snapped a six-match losing streak that has come against a list of very difficult non-league foes.

"It feels good to win. We haven't done it in a while," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "Things are kind of flowing, people are stepping up. People that haven't had a lot of experience are getting this experience really quickly and they are getting better, so that makes a big difference."

The Panthers controlled the first set from start to finish. UWM scored six of the first eight points in the frame and pushed the lead out to 11-6 on a kill by O'Brien. The advantage was 14-8 after another O'Brien kill and the closest Toledo would get after that was three points, with a kill by Bethany Irwin making it 19-16. But, kills by Natalie Schmitting and O'Brien restored a five-point advantage and a four-point run to end the set put the Panthers ahead in the match.

UWM had to rally in winning the second set. Toledo bolted out to an 8-4 lead but the Panthers scored five in a row to claim a 9-8 advantage. The two teams traded the edge from there, with Milwaukee finally taking the lead for good at 18-17 on a kill by Neuberger. The lead grew to 23-18 on an ace by Anna Bartz and UWM finished out the set on kills from Millis and Neuberger.

Milwaukee was in control most of the third set, as well. The Panthers led 9-5 after a kill by Elizabeth Egerer and had the advantage to 13-7 on a kill by Neuberger. Toledo pulled within three points three times after that, but UWM reclaimed complete control when a kill by Egerer made it 20-14. A block by Neuberger and Millis pushed the edge to 23-15 and a another block by the duo finished off the match.

The Panthers wrap up the Milwaukee/Marquette Invitational with a Saturday night match at Marquette. The contest at the Al McGuire Center starts at approximately 7:30 p.m.