Box Score MILWAUKEE - Three University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2-0) players tallied double figures in kills in a total team effort that resulted in a 25-17, 25-16, 28-26 victory over North Dakota State (0-2) tonight at Klotsche Center on day one of the Pepsi Panther Invitational.
"I'm really proud of our to team to come out on the first day of the season and win a pair of matches in three," Milwaukee Head Coach
Susie Johnson said. "We had to earn this win because we gave away so many points, but everyone contributed tonight. I'm proud of Sammi (Herron) for the effort she gave us off the bench and Taylor (Golabowski) is a true leader and is like another coach on the floor. This team is fun to work with because they are so coachable."
Three straight kills from
Myanna Ruiz late in the first set helped turn an 18-16 Milwaukee lead into a five-point advantage and the sophomore outside hitter closed out the 25-17 victory with her seventh kill of the set.
Once again, both teams played evenly for much of set two, but the tide seemed to turn when
Kaisa Mattson delivered a kill following a long rally to spark a set-closing 11-2 run that resulted in a 25-16 win.
Kills from preseason Horizon League Player of the Year
Julie Kolinske book-ended a 7-2 run that gave the Panthers a 15-9 edge in the third set. However, North Dakota State refused to go down without a fight and reeled off 13 of the next 18 points to seize a 22-20 advantage.
Undeterred, Milwaukee showed the heart of a champion down the stretch with Kolinske recording three of the team's next four kills as the Panthers reclaimed the lead at 24-23. After NDSU rallied to even the score on two more occasions, Ruiz finished off the Bison with consecutive kills to close out the UWM victory.
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Ruiz and
Nicole Latzig finished with 11 kills apiece and Kolinske added 10 to lead the Milwaukee attack.
Kayla Price notched a match-best 39 assists and 12 digs, while Golabowski (16) and
Maddie Schmitz (11) each reached double figures in digs.
Sammi Herron finished with six kills and hit .357 (6-1-14) to provide a huge lift off the bench.North Dakota State received nine kills from Jenni Fassbender.Milwaukee squares off against Miami (Ohio), which also won both of its matches today, for the title of the 2014 Pepsi Panther Invitational tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Central.
