Kellye Zaporski
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UWM Opens With Panther Invitational
Stellar field gathers in Milwaukee for opening weekend
Aug. 25, 2008
Fri. Aug. 29 • Ole Miss • 1:30 pm • Klotsche Center
Of Note: Rebels made NCAA Tourney last season
Fri. Aug. 29 • Iowa State • 7:30 pm • Klotsche Center
Of Note: Cyclones ranked 18th in preseason AVCA poll
Sat. Aug. 30 • Illinois State • 2:30 pm • Klotsche Center
Of Note: Melissa Myers makes debut as Redbirds' head coach
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team opens the 2008 season by hosting the Panther Invitational this weekend at the Klotsche Center.
This year's invitational will bring a stellar field to Milwaukee, with all three visitors having played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Iowa State, ranked 18th in the preseason AVCA poll and a regional semifinalist in the NCAA Tournament in 2007, headlines the field, with Ole Miss of the SEC and Illinois State of the Missouri Valley rounding out the group.
Host UWM was picked to finish third in the Horizon League this season but has won the last five league crowns.
Week One Printable Notes
• The Week Ahead
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team opens the 2008 season by hosting the Panther Invitational. Iowa State, Illinois State and Mississippi join UWM in the field, which each team playing a pair of matches Friday and one match Saturday.
• Tournament Background
UWM will be hosting the Panther Invitational for the 11th time as a Division I school. Milwaukee won the event last season, its first Invite title since 2000. Other past champions include Drake (1995), DePaul (2001), Sacramento State (2003), College of Charleston (2004), Alabama (2005) and Wisconsin (2006). UWM is 27-7 all-time in the event. Mississippi and Iowa State are first-time participants in the event while Illinois State appeared in the event in 2003.
• Scouting The Rebels
Ole Miss recorded one of its best seasons in program history in 2007 and will now look to make it even better in 2008. The Rebels finished 25-8 overall and 14-6 in the Southeastern Conference, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team.
• Scouting The Cyclones
Iowa State brings high hopes for 2008 and a national ranking to Milwaukee this season after a strong run in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. In fact, the Cyclones advanced to the Sweet 16 a season ago and return five starters from the squad. Those factors helped Iowa State earn a #18 ranking in the CBS College Sports/AVCA Division I Coaches preseason poll. It is the first-ever top-25 preseason ranking for the Cyclones, who were one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the top-25.
• Scouting The Redbirds
Illinois State will usher in a new era of volleyball this weekend as Melissa Myers coaches her first matches for the Redbirds. She was hired May 2 after Sharon Dingman left to become the head coach at the University of Iowa. Illinois State returns 10 letterwinners, including six starters, from last season's team that garnered an at-large berth to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Redbirds also welcome four freshman newcomers to the fold.
• Pulling Rank
UWM doesn't have to wait long to get its first crack at a nationally-ranked foe this season, as Iowa State will come into Milwaukee this weekend ranked 18th in the nation. The Panthers dropped their only match against a ranked team last season (Wisconsin) and have just one win in 20 tries against ranked teams since moving to Division I in 1990. This is just the fourth time, though, UWM will face a ranked team at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers have split two matches against ranked Wisconsin teams (win in 1999, loss in 2006) at Klotsche while losing to then-#10 Northern Iowa in 2002.
• In-Season Tourney History
The Panther Invitational is the first of three in-season tournaments the Panthers will take part in this season. UWM has captured an in-season tournament title in each of the last two seasons, including the championship of the Panther Invitational last season. Milwaukee has won nine in-season tournament titles and posted a 71-39 record in tourney matches in the last 11 seasons.
• For Openers
UWM is 8-10 in its 18 Division I season openers, with the Panthers having dropped the first match of the season in each of the last two years. Milwaukee is also 3-2 in its last five home openers, with losses to Illinois State and Northern Iowa along with wins over Virginia Tech, Central Michigan and North Dakota State.
• Young Blood
It seems likely UWM will be fielding one of the youngest teams in the country as the 2008 season officially begins. In fact, the Panthers will have 12 freshmen and sophomores on their 16-person roster, with one of the three juniors sitting out this season as a transfer (Jena Berg from Tennessee). Despite this overall youth, UWM still returns four full-time starters from a year ago (Becky Peters, Natalie Schmitting, Maddie Sueppel and Lauren Felsing) with a fifth likely starter (Kellye Zaporski) having been a regular in the rotation during each of her first two seasons.
• Senior Salute
For the first time since 2004, UWM's roster will open the season with just one senior. That senior, Becky Peters, has been a regular in each of her first three seasons as a Panther. She was UWM's starting libero in each of her first two seasons in Milwaukee before making the shift to outside hitter early last year. She is expected to be a starter on the outside for the Panthers this season.
• Boning Up On The Rules
The 2008 season sees a handful of rule changes and adjustments for collegiate volleyball. The biggest comes on the scoreboard, with each of the first four sets now being played to 25 points instead of 30 points. The fifth set, if necessary, will still be played to 15. With the shorter sets, teams will now get 12 substitutions per frame instead of 15. Finally, "sets" has replaced "games" as the proper term. Each of these changes bring the rules of the collegiate game closer to those of the international game.
• Fighting For Another Title
UWM has been picked to finish third in the Horizon League this season in poll of the league's coaches. The Panthers have won the last five regular season league crowns and are still thought of as a title contender despite losing five seniors from a season ago. Cleveland State, which won the league tournament title last season and returns nearly its entire roster, is the league preseason favorite. Valparaiso, which lost in the league title match a year ago, was picked second. The remainder of the predictions include UIC fourth, Butler fifth and Youngstown State sixth. Wright State was voted seventh, Loyola eighth and Green Bay ninth. UWM was last picked third in 2002, when the Panthers finished second during the regular season before winning the league tournament title to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
• Smart Kids
UWM has received the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. The Panthers are one of 70 Division I women's teams to capture the honor, which is awarded to teams that maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average. The cumulative GPA for the Milwaukee volleyball team is 3.411. UWM's success in school extends throughout its roster. Twelve players on last year's team finished the school year with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better, with seven of those players posting better than a 3.5 GPA. Following the 2007 season, Leanne Felsing earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region recognition while Leanne and her sister, Lauren, each earned Horizon League All-Academic honors.
• Summing Up The 2007 Season
UWM put together a record-setting 2007 campaign under the direction of first-year head coach Susie Johnson. In fact, after dropping the season-opener to nationally-ranked Wisconsin, the Panthers rolled out 14-straight victories. Then, UWM bounced back from a loss at Cleveland State to capture 12-straight wins. In the process, the Panthers collected a fifth-straight Horizon League regular season title - something no other league school has accomplished. Unfortunately, UWM was upset by Valparaiso in the semifinals of the league tournament and then found itself left out of the NCAA Tournament despite a strong resume.
• Winning At A Record Pace
UWM's win over Loyola in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals last season pushed the Panthers to 26 victories, setting a new Division I school record. The previous mark had been 25, a number UWM reached twice. The Panthers have also now won at least 20 matches in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Plus, the only time in the last 11 seasons UWM didn't win 20 matches, it won 19. UWM has averaged more than 22 wins per season since 1997. Milwaukee has also had a winning streak of at least seven matches in each of the last 11 seasons and a streak of at least 10-straight in each of the last five seasons.
• Same Thing In The League
Milwaukee's 2007 season also included a record for league wins, with UWM's 15 victories two more than any other school has ever collected. UWM's stellar league tradition now includes a 133-15 record in league play since 1997. The Panthers have not finished below second place in the league or lost more than three league matches since 1996.
• Close Even In A Loss
Not only has UWM now won the last five Horizon League regular season titles, it has had a great chance to win every league match it has played in that stretch. The 2007 season's one league regular season loss came in five games at Cleveland State, while two years ago the only Milwaukee loss came in four games at Loyola, and by just 11 total points in the three games it dropped. Three years ago, UWM won 12-straight league contests after starting 0-2. The two seasons before that, the Panthers were a combined six points away from running the table (18-16 vs. Loyola in 2003; 15-11 vs. Butler in 2004). Overall, the Panthers have also gone 66-7 in league play over the last five seasons.
• Homecourt Advantage
UWM also continued its homecourt dominance during the 2007 season. The loss to Valparaiso in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals snapped a string of 20-straight overall home wins. But, the Panthers have still won 29-straight regular season league matches at the Klotsche Center. In all, UWM has won 117 of its last 130 home matches and only three league schools (Loyola, Green Bay, Valpo) have wins over UWM in Milwaukee since 1996.
• Up Next
UWM hits the road for the first time in 2008, heading to East Peoria, Ill., for the Bradley Invitational. The Panthers will play the host Braves and Eastern Michigan Friday before facing Division I newcomer SIU-Edwardsville Saturday.
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