Nov. 11, 2006

Box Score |  Notes

DAYTON, Ohio - Cheryl Hegemann had 19 kills and 15 digs to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a 30-21, 30-23, 30-22 win over Wright State Saturday afternoon at McLin Gymnasium.

The Panthers (21-5, 13-1), who clinched the Horizon League regular season title last weekend, have now won 12-straight matches heading into next weekend's league tournament.

Sarah Moore added 12 kills while Melissa David pitched-in with nine to lead a stellar UWM attack.

Milwaukee's defense was also strong. Three players reached double figures in digs, as Leanne Felsing added 15 and Becky Peters 13 to the 15 from Hegemann.

Becca Awaa led Wright State (14-16, 8-6) with 12 kills.

"Our middles really stole the show. Cheryl and Sarah were fantastic," UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. "They really worked hard all weekend and when they weren't scoring for us, they were moving well into the block and giving us a chance to keep balls alive. Our defense was very strong again, allowing us to transition into our offense, and we continue to have a very balanced attack."

The Panthers scored eight of the first nine points of the first game and never looked back in cruising to the win. The lead was 12-5 after a Hegemann kill and grew to 19-10 on a WSU error. The Raiders did pull back to within five points before UWM pulled away for good. Kills from Moore and Hegemann pushed the lead to 27-20 and another Hegemann kill finished off the frame.

UWM trailed 9-5 early in the second game before rallying to claim the win. The Panthers eventually tied the game at 13 on a Hegemann kill and capped their run with a Monica Ferguson kill to go up 17-13. WSU did pull back to within a point but could never reclaim the lead. An ace by Becky Peters made it 21-17 and a kill by Leanne Felsing pushed the lead to 24-18 before late kills from Nicole Vilter and Felsing gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the match.

Milwaukee stayed in control during the third game. The Panthers took the lead for good at 12-11 on a kill by Felsing and quickly pushed their lead to 20-12 on an ace by Hegemann. WSU did close back to within five points, but UWM pulled away. Three-straight Raider errors made it 27-18 and the Panthers then closed out the match on kills from Hegemann and David.

UWM returns to action next weekend at the Horizon League Tournament, which will be held in Dayton. The top-seeded Panthers know they will face eighth-seeded Youngstown State in the quarterfinals, though a time for the match has not yet been set.