Sept. 2, 2011

Box Score  |  Match Report

DES MOINES, Iowa - Elizabeth Egerer had a collegiate-best 23 kills as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee opened play in the Sheraton West Des Moines Drake Invitational with a 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21 win over Wyoming Friday afternoon at the Knapp Center.

The Panthers (3-1) led most of the way in the first two sets but could never get on track in the third frame. Then, in the fourth set, a kill by Kerri Schuh gave Milwaukee the lead for good and a kill by Mary Beth O'Brien finished off the match.

Egerer set the tone early in the match, collecting eight kills in the first frame. She wound up as the only Panther in double figures in the category, though Schuh contributed nine kills and Rachel Neuberger eight. O'Brien came off the bench midway through the fourth set to add three key kills. Kayla Price directed the offense with 46 assists and added five kills.

Morgan Potter led Milwaukee's defensive efforts with 19 digs, though Wyoming did hit a solid .262 against the Panthers.

Jodi Purdy had 15 kills and Calli Miller 10 for the Cowgirls (3-2).

"We kept our composure" UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "We really needed to have some urgency. We were a little lax in the middle of some of those sets, but it showed character because we were able to compose ourselves and finish."

The Panthers also rode the stellar play of Egerer, who bested the 18 kills she had against Cleveland State a season ago.

"It was great for her to have that kind of match to build her confidence," Johnson said. "We need our outsides to come through like that, so it's really exciting she was able to do that."

UWM built an early lead and then hung on to win the first set. The Panthers led 6-2 after an ace by Julie Kolinske and were still up 10-5 following a kill by Egerer. Five-straight points from Egerer extended the lead to 18-11 but a tip-kill capped a 7-2 Wyoming run to pull the Cowgirls within 20-18. UWM made the final surge, with late kills by Egerer and Kolinske allowing Milwaukee to finish things off in the first set.

Milwaukee again led most of the way in the second set but needed to pull things out in the end. The Panthers jumped out to a 7-2 lead on an ace by Kolinske and then led 11-5 on an ace by Anna Bartz. The advantage was 15-8 on a kill by Egerer and Milwaukee still led 22-17 on a kill by Mackenzie Millis. The Cowgirls rallied from there, with a kill by Tamara Kitic evening things up at 23. But, the next serve was long and Melissa Jansen followed with a solo block to put the Panthers up 2-0 in the match.

Wyoming got back in the match with a strong performance in the third set. The Cowgirls built an early 10-6 advantage and extended it to 19-12 on a kill by Miller. The Panthers did rally to within 22-17 on a kill by Neuberger but would never get any closer. Wyoming closed out the frame on another kill by Miller, pulling within a set of evening the match.

UWM led 13-11 midway through the fourth set and still led 16-14 after two kills by O'Brien. Milwaukee eventually got the lead to three at 19-16 following a tip-kill by Kayla Price before Wyoming rallied to tie the set at 21. Schuh came right back with a kill and the Cowgirls followed with a pair of errors forced by the Panther defense. O'Brien's third kill of the set then finished things off for Milwaukee.

The Panthers continue play in the tournament with two matches Saturday. UWM faces IPFW at 10 a.m. and Drake at 7:30 p.m.