Oct. 5, 2013

Box Score

  

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Julie Kolinske led the offense with 13 kills while Taylor Golabowski had 24 digs to lead the defense as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee collected a dominating a 25-5, 25-22, 25-19 win over Valparaiso Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Milwaukee (8-8, 4-0 Horizon) owned the final numbers, tallying 47 kills to just 21 for Valpo. The Panthers also had 69 digs in the three-set win and held Valparaiso (13-4, 2-1) to a .044 hitting clip.

Along with Golabowski's 24 digs, Myanna Ruiz added 14 and Kayla Price 10. Nicole Latzig was part of six of UWM's 7.5 blocks.

Offensively, Ruiz and Latzig added 11 kills apiece.

No player had more than five kills for Valparaiso, which was the preseason favorite in the Horizon League.

"That was such a team effort for us, but our defense really came through," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "We were able to dig a ton of balls in a three-set match and Taylor really led the way. That was exciting to see because our defense needs to continue to improve to hang in these matches and ultimately for us to win.

The Panthers set the tone with their record-setting 25-5 win in the first set, hitting .577 with 15 kills while holding Valpo to a -.114 hitting clip.

"That was the plan, anyway, to start the way we ended last night," Johnson said. "We were able to do that, which is a sign of maturity. That's very good that they're coming to do their job. I knew what would happen because Valpo doesn't go away, so they came back and were tougher and stronger. We just had to keep pushing and that's what ended up happening."

It was all Milwaukee in the first set. The Panthers set the tone quickly by scoring six of the first seven points, with kills from Hannah Blanchard and Ruiz capping the first run. Milwaukee went up 10-3 on a Price tip-kill and 12-4 on a Rachel Neuberger kill before Valpo scored once to make it 12-5. The Crusaders wouldn't score again, though, as Milwaukee tallied the final 13 points of the frame. A solo block from Latzig and a Panther triple block helped start the run, with a block from Latzig and Price making it 20-5. A kill from Kolinske pushed things to set point and a block from Latzig and Kolinske finished things off.

The second set was much tougher for Milwaukee but the Panthers pulled it out with a late surge. UWM had an early 6-3 lead on a Blanchard kill before Valpo rallied to tie the frame at 8. The Panthers then rebuilt a 12-8 lead after an ace from Ruiz but the Crusaders fought back to tie things at 13. Valpo finally took a lead of its own at 19-18 on a kill by Sarah Dooms but Milwaukee scored four in a row for a 22-19 advantage. The teams traded three-point surges after that, with the Panthers' final burst enough for the win. After a UWM error tied the match at 22, Neuberger put Milwaukee ahead for good with a kill. Latzig then won a battle at the net for a 24-22 lead and added a kill to finish off the frame.

Milwaukee then finished things off in the third set. Valpo actually led much of the way in the early going and eventually went up 13-10 behind a five-point run. But the Panthers struck back with five in a row themselves and the Crusaders would never lead again. UWM took the lead for good at 19-18 on a Ruiz kill and went ahead 22-19 on a tip kill from Price following a stellar dig from Golabowski. UWM then forced Valpo errors on each of the next two points to finish off the match and become the only unbeaten remaining in the Horizon League.

Milwaukee heads back home next weekend for a single match, welcoming Green Bay to the Klotsche Center Friday for a 7 p.m. contest.