Sept. 14, 2013

Box Score

MADISON, Wis. - Ellen Chapman had 17 kills and 25th-ranked Wisconsin turned it up in the third and fourth sets to claim 25-20, 27-29, 25-15, 25-17 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday morning at the UW Fieldhouse.

The Panthers (4-5) were toe-to-toe with the Badgers through the first two sets but then could muster just 15 kills over the final two frames.

Myanna Ruiz had 16 kills and 13 digs to lead Milwaukee, which also got 15 kills from Julie Kolinske.

"There were some really good things that we did as a team but it wasn't enough," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "It wasn't enough pressure. This is a ranked team we just played and we needed to put more pressure on them and not just part of the time, it needed to be all the time. But we're learning and overall we were competitive."

The Panthers posted excellent overall totals defensively. Maisey Mulvey had 17 digs, Taylor Golabowski 16, Maddie Schmitz 14 and Kayla Price 11. Plus, UWM tallied 10 blocks, with Rachel Neuberger credited with seven and Price four.

"That sort of fell apart a little more toward the end of the match but it was important for us to play our game, which is keeping the ball alive," Johnson said. "We have to keep digging balls and stay in system while trying to get the other team out of system, and that worked for the most part."

Chapman was one of four Badgers (7-1) that reached double figures in kills, with Lauren Carlini adding 50 assists, 20 digs and six kills.

Wisconsin used a late surge to wrap up the first set. Milwaukee had an early 8-6 lead on a block by Ruiz and Neuberger but the Badgers answered with seven of the next eight points to grab a 13-9 lead. Wisconsin's lead eventually hit 17-11 before the Panthers rallied, pulling to within 18-16 on a Ruiz kill and to within 20-19 on a Wisconsin hitting error. But following a timeout, the Badgers answered with the next four points before wrapping up the set on a UWM hitting error.

The Panthers put together a strong effort to win the second set. Milwaukee built an early 10-6 lead following a kill by Kolinske and then rebuilt a 16-13 advantage after another Kolinske kill. Wisconsin rallied to pull ahead 23-22 but would never lead again. UWM had five-set point chances before finally pulling things out, as a kill by Ruiz pushed Milwaukee ahead 28-27 before a UW hitting error allowed the Panthers to close out the frame.

Wisconsin responded with a strong performance in the third set. Milwaukee again got off to a fast start, going ahead 5-2 on a Kolinske kill and 7-4 on an ace by Taylor Golabowki. The Badgers then took the lead for good at 11-10 on a kill by Chapman and wound up scoring 16 of the final 21 points of the frame. The serving of Chapman was a big spark, with a second ace putting Wisconsin up 19-12. A kill by Courtney Thomas pushed the lead to 23-13 before the Badgers wrapped things up.

The Badgers then rode that momentum to a runaway win in the fourth set. Wisconsin jumped out to a 9-5 lead before Milwaukee pulled to within 13-11 on a block by Neuberger and Price. But the Panthers would never get any closer, with a 5-0 Badger run breaking things opening and putting UW ahead 22-13. Milwaukee was able to close to within 24-17 on a block and a UW error, but a kill by Chapman finished things off for the nationally-ranked Badgers.

The Panthers now return home for the first time this season, welcoming Iowa to the Klotsche Center for a 6 p.m. start Tuesday. UWM is also in Milwaukee this weekend, playing Florida at Marquette Saturday night before squaring off with the Golden Eagles Sunday at the Al McGuire Center.