Oct. 4, 2011

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Julie Kolinske and Elizabeth Egerer had 13 kills apiece as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee remained unbeaten in the Horizon League with a 25-21, 25-23, 25-17 win over UIC Tuesday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (14-4, 7-0 Horizon) have won seven-straight matches, the last six in three sets.

UWM's defense was stellar, as the Panthers collected 13 blocks while limiting UIC to a .161 hitting clip. Rachel Neuberger had eight blocks and Kerri Schuh seven to lead Milwaukee. Plus, Morgan Potter had 21 digs in the three-set victory.

Offensively, Kolinske excelled in her first extended action since early in the season while Egerer heated up as the match went along.

The Flames (11-6, 4-2), who entered play Tuesday tied for second place in the league, got 17 kills from Kelsey Safranek.

In the end, Milwaukee set a school record with its sixth-straight 3-set sweep while getting ready for a showdown with Valparaiso Wednesday night.

"I think we are playing very under control right now," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We're playing really good defense and our passing - our ball control - is really strong. A goal after the second set was to increase the blocking and I think we blocked eight in that third set. We really focused on changing that. We did an OK job at the beginning but then finished it off, and it makes it a lot harder to be a hitter if the block is up."

UWM led the entire way in the first set. The Panthers jumped out to a 12-6 advantage and still led 17-11 after a kill by Neuberger. The Flames did close to within 17-16 but Milwaukee restored a 22-18 lead on a UIC error. The Panther lead hit 24-19 on a block by Mackenzie Millis and Schuh and UWM closed out the set on a kill by Millis.

The Panthers rallied from an early deficit in the second set to claim a 19-15 lead on a kill by Kolinske. The lead was still 23-19 following a kill by Egerer but UIC rallied to cut the lead to 23-22. Egerer responded with another kill and, after a kill by Safranek, a UIC serving error put Milwaukee ahead by two sets.

UWM controlled the third frame. The Panthers scored nine of the first 11 points and were never threatened, with the lead standing at 14-7 following a kill by Kolinske. The lead grew to 18-8 on another kill by Kolinske and UIC would never get closer than six points the rest of the way. Three kills by Egerer provided the final points for Milwaukee, which remained perfect in league play.

Wednesday's match with Valpo starts at 7 p.m.