Nov. 16, 2013

Box Score

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kerry Winchester had 17 kills to lead five players in double figures as Cleveland State claimed a 25-23, 27-25, 24-26, 23-25, 15-9 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday at Woodling Gym.

Milwaukee (16-10, 12-2 Horizon) rallied from two sets down but found itself trailing during nearly the entire fifth frame.

UWM had already clinched the outright Horizon League regular season title and hosting rights for the league tournament. The Panthers will play semifinal match at 4:30 p.m. next Saturday at the Klotsche Center against a team to be determined.

Julie Kolinske and Maggie Dunbar had 14 kills apiece to lead the Panthers, who hit .258 but struggled to slow the Vikings (15-12, 5-9). CSU hit .326 in capturing the win, claiming an 81-61 advantage in kills during the match.

In the decisive fifth set, Cleveland State took the lead for good at 6-5 on an ace and extended the edge to 10-6 on a Maggie Hannon kill. Milwaukee was never able to get closer than three points after that and an ace by Grace Kauth finished the match.

The win allowed the Vikings to clinch a spot in the league tournament.

"Cleveland State played very well and definitely wanted to make sure it kept its season alive," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "We struggled to slow them down. We did a nice job of not giving up and making that comeback, but in the end we just didn't do enough good things to get the win. We'll have a good week of practice and be ready for the tournament."

Cleveland State went ahead in the match by claiming a tight first set, holding Milwaukee to a .116 hitting clip. The Vikings had early leads of 8-4 and 12-8 before UWM rallied for a 15-14 lead. Cleveland State struck back, though, going ahead 20-17. The Panthers pulled within one but could never forge a tie, with a Christina Toth kill finishing things off.

The hole got a little deeper for Milwaukee in the second set. The Panthers were down 8-6, 15-12 and 19-14 before rallying for a 20-all tie on Sammi Herron kill. UWM then had a set-point chance after a Taylor Golabowski ace made it 24-23, but the Vikings rallied with kills by Toth and Kelly Kiger finishing things off.

Milwaukee stayed alive by winning the third set. The Panthers went up 5-1 and 9-5 early on before Cleveland State rallied to tie things at 14-all and again at 18-all. UWM then scored five in a row for a 23-18 lead and stayed up 24-19 before the Vikings struck back. CSU scored five in row to forge a 24-all tie and extend the set, but Kolinske responded with a kill followed by a Cleveland error to get Milwaukee on the board.

The Panthers rallied in the fourth set to extend the match further. UWM trailed 8-3 and 13-8 before rallying to tie the set at 17-apiece. Milwaukee jumped ahead 19-17 on a Kayla Price tip kill and stayed up 23-21 on a Rachel Neuberger kill. A kill by Sammi Herron made it 24-22 and another Neuberger kill finished things off.

But, Cleveland State answered quickly in the fifth set to ensure a trip to Milwaukee next weekend.