Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Senior Julie Kolinske had a game-high 17 kills and Kolinske and Nicole Latzig both hit .400 or better on the match but it wasn't enough as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team dropped a nail-biting 3-1 loss to red-hot Western Kentucky Saturday morning at Hammons Student Center.

UWM (4-2) made it close the entire way but just couldn't find the closing kill as they fell 25-19, 26-24, 23-25, 26-24 in their third of four matches as part of the University Plaza/Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational.

Four Hilltoppers reached double figures in kills and WKU now moves to 5-2 on the year.

"This was a really good Western Kentucky team today," Milwaukee head coach Susie Johnson said. "We did a really fantastic job today, but just struggled to finish. It was an incredible match. Taylor Golobowski had an awesome defensive match. Julie once again came through for us and Nicole had a great attacking and blocking match.

"We played great. Western Kentucky is going to win a lot of games this year, so it's nice going up against this level of competition early in the season. I'm proud of the team for playing really hard through the whole match against a really tough opponent."

UWM and WKU split the first 22 points of the opening set before the Hilltoppers went on a 9-3 run to open things up. A pair of kills by Kolinske followed by one kill a piece by Latzig and Hannah Blanchard pulled the things to 24-19, but the Panthers were unable to finish off the comeback.

Milwaukee fought hard inn set number two and an attack error by WKU gave Milwaukee an early 8-3 lead. Kayla Price's service ace made it 24-21 but the Panthers couldn't put the set away as Western Kentucky finished off a five-point rally to go up 2-0.
 
It was much of the same as the two teams continued to battle back and forth in the third set. One of Myanna Ruiz's six kills gave UWM an early 9-6. WKU actually held a 16-13 lead, but Milwaukee showed its toughness, capping their first win in the match with a Kolinske block and an attack error by Western Kentucky to draw things to 2-1.The Hilltoppers looked to respond early in the fourth, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead but Milwaukee refused to quit. After slowing chipping away at the lead, a Maggie Dunbar kill gave UWM a 19-18 lead. Kaisa Mattson buried a point to level the set at 24-a piece but WKU found the final two points to claim the match in extra.

UWM wraps up the invitational Saturday evening with a 7 p.m. contest against the host Missouri State Bears.