Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Alyssa Cavanaugh had a game-high 12 kills and Western Kentucky hit .284 for the match en route to a 25-22, 25-20, 25-17 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team Friday morning at the Jenison Field House.

Playing in the first match of the Spartan Invitational, Milwaukee (4-7) came out strong early. But a red-hot WKU (11-2) team that is just outside the top-25 in the nation was able to find a way past the Panthers.

Milwaukee did have all of its regular starters for the match but a few members of the team, including All-Horizon League setter Kayla Price, were battling illness and were cleared to play just before the first serve.

"We started off pretty strong," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "We were even the whole first set, but we just didn't do enough the rest of the way. Western Kentucky is a very good team and they played very well. They didn't do a lot of things wrong.

"We also had a few players that had to see the doctor right before the match, but we have to be able to fight through that. It's very hard to play this tough schedule. You have to push and find a way throughout the entire match."

UWM came out of the gates firing. A kill by Julie Kolinske early on made it 13-10 in favor of Milwaukee and the Panthers again held a three-point lead at 21-18 following a block by Nicole Latzig and Hannah Blanchard. But WKU was able to rattle off three straight points to tie things up and score seven of the final eight points of the set to take the early 1-0 lead.

The Hilltoppers carried that momentum into the second set with an early 13-7 advantage. UWM battled back, pulling to within 16-13 after a kill by Maggie Dunbar. Myanna Ruiz then closed the gap to just one at 19-18, but Western Kentucky again score six of the of the final eight points and closed it out with a block by Heather Boyan and Sydney Engle.Milwaukee again showed their fight and actually claimed a 10-8 lead early in the third set after another kill by Dunbar. But from there it was all Hilltoppers, who hit an impressive .409 for the set en route to the sweep.The Panthers have a short turnaround, taking on LIU Brooklyn later this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CST.