Oct. 5, 2011

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Elizabeth Egerer had a collegiate-best 23 kills and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee rallied from a two-set deficit to claim a 20-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10 win over Valparaiso Wednesday night at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers (15-4, 8-0 Horizon) have now won eight-straight matches.

The win was the 100th in the UWM head coaching career of Susie Johnson.

Morgan Potter led a stellar Milwaukee defensive effort with 32 digs, sending her past 1,000 in her career.

Kerri Schuh and Melissa Jansen added 11 kills apiece to the Panther offensive attack, while Kayla Price had 50 assists, 16 digs and five kills.

Katie Britton had 16 kills to lead four players in double figures for Valparaiso (13-7, 4-2).

In the decisive fifth set, the Panthers took the lead for good at 5-4 on a kill by Schuh and went up 9-5 on a block by Rachel Neuberger and Price. Valpo did close to within 11-9 on a service ace but a kill by Egerer and a VU error pushed the edge back to 13-9. Another kill by Egerer got Milwaukee to match-point and the Panthers finished things out when an attack by Valpo's Morgan Beil went wide.

"It really was playing with a little bit of fear in the beginning and then turning that around within the match and playing to win," Johnson said. "Valparaiso is a very good team and they dig and dig and dig, and that's what frustrates hitters. So we just had to figure out how to work it out. We really started playing like ourselves and playing with determination and taking some risks."

The Panthers' defense got better as the match went along. After Valpo hit .286 in the first set and .255 in the second, the Crusaders could never do better than .060 over the final three frames.

"I think we just gathered ourselves," Johnson said. "They really come out with a charge and they are a really competitive team. It was a matter of our team getting under control a little bit, taking deep breaths and playing more to win. Morgan Potter getting 32 digs in that match made such a big difference because she was digging up balls that could have been kills very easily. It really helped with the momentum."

The Panthers struggled from the outset in the first frame. Valpo built leads of 9-3, 13-5 and 19-9 in taking complete control. Milwaukee did rally to within 23-18 on a kill by Egerer and to within 24-20 on a block by Schuh and Mackenzie Millis. But, a kill by Dooms put Valpo ahead in the match.

Milwaukee looked better in the second set, scoring six of the first eight points of the frame. The Panthers then led 13-7 on an Egerer kill and 17-12 on an ace by Schuh. But, Valpo scored the next eight points to take control, with a kill by Lindsey Hauch pushing the Crusader edge to 22-18. Milwaukee did pull back within 24-21 on a block by Millis and Schuh but a kill by Dooms finished things off.

The Panthers got back in the match by winning the third set. UWM never trailed in the set, building an early 10-6 lead on a block by Price and Neuberger. The lead hit 15-10 on an Egerer kill and was 21-16 following a kill from Jansen. Valpo did pull to within 22-20 but Milwaukee closed out the set on a pair of Jansen kills sandwiched around a Crusader error.

Milwaukee then extended the match further with a convincing win in the fourth set. The Panthers led 11-7 after a kill by Price and extended the edge to 18-10 following a kill from Jansen. Valpo pulled back to within 18-15 on a kill by Katie Britton but would never get closer. A block by Schuh and Neuberger made it 21-15 and a kill from Egerer made it 24-18. UWM then closed out the set on another kill by Egerer.