Aug 31, 2013

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Stephanie Holthus had 16 kills and Northwestern got off to a fast start in the deciding fifth set to claim a 23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 23-25, 15-7 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday in each team's final match of the Holiday Inn West Invitational.

The Wildcats (1-2) did their best to eliminate any doubt in the outcome by scoring seven of the first nine points in the fifth frame.

Rachel Neuberger had 13 kills to lead Milwaukee (0-3), which also got 11 kills from Maggie Dunbar and 10 from Hannah Blanchard.

Both teams rode their defense to success in the match. For Northwestern, it happened up front, as the Wildcats tallied 15.5 blocks and forced 34 Milwaukee hitting errors. But the Panthers kept pace by recording 83 digs, including 21 from Maisey Mulvey and 20 from Taylor Golabowski.

Kayla Price had a double-double of 49 assists and 11 digs in claiming a spot on the all-tournament team in her first regular season action back from injury since last September.

"What was hard about Northwestern is they just didn't make any errors - they had 11 kills and no errors in that last set." Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "That was challenging for us because we were trying to get into a rhythm but we couldn't. We had a lot of really good things happen this weekend and a lot of really good volleyball. We're progressing to getting better and better."

The loss to the Wildcats was Milwaukee's second five-set defeat of the day, with the Panthers having fallen to the hosts from Western Michigan earlier.

"We're playing really good volleyball. It's just that the fifth set has been a little challenging for us," Johnson said. "We just have to keep putting the heat on during that game and we'll keep working on that."

The Panthers struck first in the match with a gutsy comeback in the opening set. Milwaukee was down 12-6 in the early going and still trailed 15-10 after a Northwestern block. But the Panthers chipped away from there, pulling within 18-17 on a Dunbar kill before taking a 20-19 lead on a block by Blanchard and Nicole Latzig. Milwaukee then took the lead for good at 21-20 on a kill by Latzig and went ahead 24-22 on a Neuberger kill. The Wildcats stayed alive with the next point before another Neuberger kill finished things off.

Northwestern answered with a convincing performance in the second set. The Wildcats scored seven of the first eight points in the frame to set the tone, though Milwaukee fought back to within 10-8 on a kill by Julie Kolinske. The Panthers were still within four at 13-9 following a Dunbar kill but the Wildcats pulled away from there. A UWM error made it 17-9 and a kill by Holthus made it 23-16. Two UWM errors followed, bringing Northwestern even in the match.

The Wildcats went ahead in the match by winning the third set. Northwestern took the lead for good at 7-6 and then led by as many as seven before Milwaukee struck back. The Panthers pulled to within 19-15 on a Sammi Herron kills and got to within 20-18 after two-straight NU ball-handling errors. But the Wildcats answered with the next three points to reclaim control and eventually closed out the frame.

Milwaukee then hung on in the fourth frame to extend the match. The Panthers jumped out to a 9-2 lead, capping the early burst with a service ace from Myanna Ruiz. The lead was still 13-7 after a block by Herron and Nicole Latzig but Northwestern rallied back to tie the set at 14. The Wildcats eventually led 19-17 and 21-19, but two kills by Dunbar sandwiched around a Northwestern error put the Panthers back in from 22-21. The Wildcats answered with the next two points and a 23-22 lead, but it was Milwaukee with the final surge. A kill by Ruiz started the run, a block from Ruiz and Neuberger pushed UWM ahead and a Wildcat error gave the Panthers the set.

Northwestern answered immediately in the fifth set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Milwaukee scored the next point but the Wildcats eventually led 10-3 and 12-4. A pair of kills from Ruiz pulled the Panthers to within 12-7 but the Wildcats scored the next three points to clinch the match.

The Panthers are back on the road next weekend, traveling to Akron, Ohio, and the Akron Invitational. Milwaukee will face Niagara and Tennessee Tech on Friday before taking on the host Zips Saturday.