Aug 31, 2013

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Stephenee Yancy had 22 kills, including the final two of the decisive fifth set, as Western Michigan claimed a 20-25, 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 15-11 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon on the second day of the Holiday Inn West Invitational.

Julie Kolinske had 20 kills and Rachel Neuberger 14 for Milwaukee (0-2), which was stellar offensively in sets one and four but could not find a final surge in the fifth frame.

The Panthers held a 6-5 lead early in the fifth set before the Broncos (2-0) pushed ahead with a 6-1 burst. The Western lead was still just 13-11 after a kill by Kolinske but Yancy answered with kills in the next two rallies to give the Broncos their second-straight five-set victory.

Milwaukee had four players reach double figures in digs, with Taylor Golabowski collecting 14, Kayla Price and Myanna Ruiz 12 apiece and Maisey Mulvey 11. Nicole Latzig also contributed to the defensive efforts with six blocks, while Hannah Blanchard added eight kills and three blocks off the bench.

In addition to the 22 kills from Yancy, Western Michigan also got 12 kills from Alysia Baznik and 10 apiece from Rachel Sheffer and Claire Gerwig.

"We absolutely competed today at a high level against a very good team that has a great chance to win the MAC," head coach Susie Johnson said. "I was very proud of the level at which we competed. There were just a few moments in the match where we lost our composure and that really shifted the outcome. We played defense, we passed well and had very good ball control, but we just didn't have quite enough in the end."

The two teams split the first two frames. Milwaukee's offense was dominant in the first set, as the Panthers hit .419 while committing just two errors. UWM turned a 12-9 deficit into a 15-12 advantage thanks to six-straight points and never really looked back. The Broncos did pull to within 16-15 but the Panthers answered with the next five points, eventually claiming a 21-15 lead following an ace by Ruiz. Kills by Price and Neuberger gave Milwaukee a 23-16 advantage before the Panthers closed out the set.

Western answered in the second set with a series of small runs. The Panthers were still within 9-7 after a solo block by Neuberger by the Broncos answered with three-straight points for a 12-7 advantage. The lead eventually ballooned to 20-12 before Milwaukee struck back, pulling within 20-15 on an ace by Maddie Schmitz. Western had the final answer, though, restoring a 22-15 lead before eventually closing out the set on a kill by Yancy.

The Broncos then took the lead in the match with a convincing performance in the third set. Western scored eight-straight points to turn a 7-6 deficit into a 14-7 lead and was never really threatened after that. The Panthers did crawl to within 16-12 after a run that included a kill by Blanchard, a block by Blanchard and Neuberger and a Western error. Milwaukee was then still within 18-14 after another kill by Blanchard but the Broncos scored the next four points to restore order and go up two sets to one.

The Panthers then forced a fifth set with a gutsy effort in the fourth. Milwaukee trailed 12-10 before riding a pair of blocks to a 4-0 run and a 14-12 advantage. The lead was 16-13 after a Neuberger kill before Western struck back to claim a 20-18 lead on a block. The Panthers answered decisively, though, scoring five in a row for a 23-20 lead. Then, kills by Kolinske and Maggie Dunbar finished things off, allowing Milwaukee to extend the match.

But, the Broncos would prove to be too much in the fifth set, tallying 12 of their 15 points on kills while Milwaukee would record just five kills of its own.

The Panthers wrap up play in the Holiday Inn West Invitational with a 5 p.m. EDT/4 p.m. CDT match against Northwestern.