Sept. 3, 2010

Box Score

AMES, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team wrapped up its short but busy stay in the state of Iowa with a pair of losses Friday in the Iowa State Challenge.

Chrissy Knuth had 12 kills to lead four players in double figures as North Dakota State rallied for a 25-17, 23-25, 18-25, 25-19, 15-7 win over UWM in the first match Friday. Then, Milwaukee (2-4) returned to the court immediately and fell to the 12th-ranked and host Cyclones, 25-15, 25-14, 25-18.

In the match with the Bison (1-2), who won the Summit League last season and are favored to do so again this season, UWM rallied from dropping the first set to win sets two and three. But, NDSU used a 9-3 run to take control of the fourth set and then jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the fifth frame.

Jena Berg had a triple-double of 10 kills, 17 digs and 25 assists as the Milwaukee offense shifted to a 6-2 formation, with Berg sharing setting duties with Samantha Trawitzke (21 assists, 11 digs). Mary Beth O'Brien led the Panthers with 14 kills while Kerri Schuh had 13 to go with 17 digs.

Megan Lambertson and Brooke VandenBergh had 11 kills apiece for the Bison, who also got 10 kills from Brynn Joki and hit .251 for the match.

Morgan Potter led UWM's defense with 22 digs, as the Panthers tallied 85 digs in the match.

Milwaukee has now played five sets in four of its first six matches of the season.

Against the Cyclones, who are playing home matches at Ames High School due to flooding last month at Hilton Coliseum, the Panthers struggled to find their stride offensively while ISU used its size at the net to great advantage. ISU wound up hitting .400 in the contest while UWM hit just .133.

Jamie Straube had 15 kills while Victoria Henson added 10 for the Cyclones (2-1). Natalie Schmitting had seven kills and Schuh five to lead Milwaukee.

North Dakota State 3, Milwaukee 2

NDSU pulled away to win the first set. The Bison took the lead for good at 13-12 on a tip kill by Jennifer Lopez and quickly extended the edge to 19-13 on a kill by Lambertson. The Panthers never got closer than five points after that, with a UWM error and another kill by Lambertson finishing the set.

Milwaukee evened things up with a tight win in the second set. UWM built a 10-7 lead in the early going only to fall behind 18-14 after a lengthy run by the Bison that included three-straight blocks and a pair of service aces. The Panthers took the lead back at 20-19 on a NDSU hitting error but neither team could create separation from there. Milwaukee finally made the winning surge, with a block from Schuh and Schmitting followed by another NDSU error pushing the match back to even.

The Panthers controlled play in winning the third set. UWM took the lead for good at 11-10 on a tip kill by libero Potter and extended that edge to 15-10 on a run that included kills by Schuh and Schmitting as well as a pair of NDSU hitting errors. The advantage was 19-13 after a pair of kill by O'Brien and grew to 23-15 following back-to-back kills by Schuh. A kill by Elizabeth Egerer then finished things off for Milwaukee.

NDSU then led most of the way in claiming the fourth set. The Bison built leads of 7-4, 9-6 and 13-10 before UWM rallied to tie things at 13 on a kill by Berg. NDSU took the lead for good moments later on a UWM error and eventually led 20-15 after a tip-kill by Lopez. The lead grew to 22-16 on a Milwaukee hitting error and the Bison were never threatened after that.

The Bison were then never seriously threatened in the fifth set. NDSU turned a 1-all tie into a 9-2 lead, capped off by a kill from VandenBergh. The Panthers pulled as close as five points, first at 11-6 and then again at 12-7 on a kill by Egerer. But, the Bison scored the next three points to put the match away.

Iowa State 3, Milwaukee 0

The Cyclones rallied from a slow start to win the first set. UWM scored the first three points of the frame and, after Iowa State rallied for a 4-3 lead, Milwaukee scored five in a row for an 8-4 lead. The early burst included a pair of kills from Egerer. But, after a timeout, ISU rattled off five-straight points and then took the lead for good at 10-9. The lead hit 17-11 on a UWM hitting error and went all the way out to 24-13 after a run of seven-straight by the Cyclones. A kill from Straube - one of seven she had in the first set - then finished things off.

Iowa State led the entire way in the second set, hitting .552 in the frame. The Cyclones scored seven of the first 10 points of the set, though UWM did fight back to within 7-6 on a kill by Schuh. ISU then collected the next seven points, capping the burst with a kill by Kelsey Petersen to go up 14-6. A kill by Egerer brought Milwaukee within 17-10 before two-straight Panther blocks made it 17-12. But, the Cyclones scored the next three points to regain control and cruise to the 2-0 lead in the match.

The Panthers again found themselves in a hole to start the third set, as Iowa State scored the first six points and eventually led 10-2. The Panthers rallied to within 10-5 on a kill by Schuh and to within 11-7 after a kill by Berg before the Cyclones scored the next five points to regain control of the frame. UWM did have the lead down to eight at 22-14 following an ace by Potter and then to six at 24-18 following a block, but the Panthers could get no closer.

UWM will play at home for the first time this season next weekend, co-hosting the Milwaukee Invitational with Marquette. The Panthers play Central Michigan and Wisconsin at the Klotsche Center Friday, then host Toledo Saturday. Milwaukee also plays at Marquette Saturday night.