MILWAUKEE - Myanna Ruiz collected her second career triple double to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team end Valparaiso University's 13-game win streak Saturday afternoon in a five-set thriller at the Klotsche Center.
UWM (7-8, 2-0 Horizon) actually dominated early on to grab the first two sets before rallying late in the fifth, going on a 13-4 run to end the match with a dramatic 27-25, 25-21, 14-25, 20-25, 15-12 victory.
This marks the second triple double in Ruiz's career, and the second in just over one week, having first accomplished the rare feat in last Saturday's 3-0 win over LIU Brooklyn.
Ruiz was one of three Panthers in double figures in kills, while Taylor Golabowski had a season-high 23 digs on the day to lead all players.
"I would say that was a guts match," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "We won the first two, so things were kind of running on all cylinders and then we just came back out and we struggled with getting the ball down (in the third and fourth sets). We really had a hard time getting that together so it became a real `what are you going to do' match.
"I was so proud of the team for turning it around and figuring it out. That wasn't easy to do, but it's what we did. Myanna really turned it on at the end and the defense really picked it up. I'm excited about our defense from this match and the fact that we were able to just stay the course and finish it out with the win."
The two teams went back and forth the entire first set. A kill by Kolinske in the early going made it 5-5 before Valpo rattled off four straight. Milwaukee retook the lead after a Maggie Dunbar kill to make it 14-13, but Valpo refused to go away, actually grabbing a 23-20 lead late in the match. A block by Dunbar and Kaisa Mattson evened it up at 23 apiece and Kolinske finished the match off with back-to-back kills.
UWM carried their hot streak from the first set into the second. Consecutive kills by Kolinske and Latzig drew the set up a 5-5 and Milwaukee would never look back. A block by Hannah Blanchard and Mattson stretched the Panther lead to 14-11 and an ace by Ruiz gave UWM its largest lead at 24-19. Dunbar then put the set away with an emphatic kill, one of her 11 on the day.
Valparaiso came out of the break flying high. After hitting just .065 in the second set, the Crusaders hit an impressive .522 in the third. Milwaukee was able to tie things up at 8-8, but from there it was all VU to close the gap.
The Crusaders continued to frustrate UWM in the fourth. Things went back and forth in the early going before Valpo was able to slowly pull away and force a fifth set.
After jumping out to an early 8-2 lead in the fifth, it looked like VU had the match. But Milwaukee refused to quit. Trailing 5-9, the Panthers rattled off seven-straight. Hannah Blanchard had a pair of emphatic kills to help spring UWM back on top, 12-9. Valparaiso kept things interesting but Dunbar's kill closed it out and secured the win for Milwaukee.
"It means a lot for us to start 2-0 (in league play), especially when Kayla Price is out," Johnson said. "She's healing up but she's an all-conference setter. The fact that this team is truly a team means a ton. We're not falling backward; we're actually pushing forward. We're getting better. Everyone on the team is adjusting and getting better and we always have to have the mentality that we're going to fight and we're going to win."
The Panthers now have nearly a week to prepare for their next match, a Friday night contest against in-state rival Green Bay. The match is set for a 7 p.m. opening serve from the Klotsche Center.
